I’m treating every single week as if I’m submitting a real Heisman ballot and it’s been a process I’ve done for the last few weeks.

So far, this has been shaping up to be one of the wildest Heisman races we have seen, because nobody knows who the top dog is, or who the national champion will be, after whatever just happened in Week 7.

With that being said, here is my updated list of the three biggest Heisman Trophy contenders heading into Week 8 of the college football season.

Jeremiah Smith’s numbers dipped, and I don’t care

Jeremiah Smith took a step back statistically this week. But if you watched Ohio State against Indiana, you saw the Hoosiers do everything and then some to slow him down.

This wasn’t a safety rolling over the top to help on a receiver. We’re talking about a full double team, with two defenders stacked up on him. It looked like the famous Calvin Johnson picture on the goal line, with two corners in press coverage on one guy. That’s a true double team.

Even with that in mind, Smith still found the end zone, still made an incredible play, and the Buckeyes won the game. If you want to say winning doesn’t matter in a Heisman race, you’re wrong. It does matter.

Now, I’ll be upfront here. I’m on record predicting Smith won’t win the Heisman. The biggest concern moving forward is that he will more than likely have a true freshman quarterback throwing to him. But that could work in his favor narratively.

If he keeps producing against some really solid Big Ten opponents over the next few weeks with that situation at quarterback, voters will notice. Because no matter what, it’s still Jeremiah Smith.

Jesse Legree deserves a lot more respect than he’s getting

Number one on my ballot is Jesse Legree out of Oregon State. A freshman receiver is putting together a performance that is frankly one of one at this point. The closest comparison I can make is Ashton Jeanty at Boise State. The difference is that Jeanty was already having great years before his incredible Heisman run.

Legree’s path is something else entirely. This is a guy who projected as a special teamer. Oregon State tried him out at wide receiver, and now he is statistically the best receiver in the entire country. That’s insane.

And you may say, Tegan, look at the competition he’s been playing. Yeah, go look at the first two games of Oregon State’s season. Houston and Texas Tech had no answer for him, and he torched both of them. Don’t talk to me about competition. He continues to produce week in and week out. He deserves a seat at the table right now.

Bear Bachmeier is the most fun player in the country

Last but not least, how can you not have Bear Bachmeier on this list? He is one of the most fun players in the entire country, and his stat line backs it up: a passing touchdown, a receiving touchdown, and two rushing touchdowns. He takes hit after hit after hit and keeps getting up.

Bachmeier has a unique identity and playing style that you just don’t see from quarterbacks. Everything about the No. 47 is fun. He’s got charisma, he plays with a chip, and BYU feeds off it.

If you had told me before the season that out of every quarterback in college football, Bachmeier would be the one at the top of the Heisman conversation, I would have called you crazy. But there’s no sense pretending otherwise. Greatness is happening in Provo, Utah.

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That’s my ballot entering Week 8. Legree is the best story in the sport and has earned the top spot, Smith is still Smith no matter how many bodies a defense throws at him, and Bachmeier is the reason BYU is going to be a top-3 team in the country.

I’m not putting 110 percent on any of them taking home the trophy in a year this chaotic. But if I had to submit a ballot today, those are my three names, in that order. No exceptions.