Texas v Georgia
Getty Images

Three Heisman Trophy-contending quarterbacks in the SEC had vastly different performances in their last time out, reshaping the award race for the penultimate week of the college football regular season. It is a good time to be Gunner Stockton, who accounted for all five of No. 4 Georgia's touchdowns in the 35-10 rout of No. 17 Texas. It is not such an ideal time to be Ty Simpson, whose second interception of the year loomed large in No. 10 Alabama's 23-21 loss to No. 8 Oklahoma.

As for Marcel Reed, well, things are a little more complicated. The Texas A&M quarterback was flat-out abysmal in the first half last week against South Carolina. He threw two interceptions and had a backwards pass returned for a touchdown in the opening 30 minutes of what looked like a catastrophic loss in the making. But what occurred over the ensuing two quarters was … a Heisman moment?

Reed orchestrated the largest comeback in Texas A&M history, erasing a 30-3 halftime deficit and pulling out a 31-30 win over the Gamecocks. He finished the day with a career-high 439 yards and delivered clutch strike after clutch strike to keep the No. 3 Aggies' perfect season alive. What could have been a decisive blow to Reed's Heisman hopes instead boosted his odds to win the award.

Here is the full Heisman Trophy outlook for Week 13 of the college football season.

Heisman Trophy odds entering Week 13

Odds via FanDuel

Stock up: Gunner Stockton has Georgia peaking at the right time

Someone keeps forgetting to tell Stockton that Texas has an elite defense, because he is now 2-0 against the Longhorns with a 2024 SEC title and critical 2025 late-season victory to show for it. The five touchdowns (four passing, one rushing) Stockton racked up in a convincing win last weekend not only tied a career high but also matched the most scores Texas has surrendered in a single game since 2021.

Nobody will mistake Stockton for the most gifted quarterback in terms of raw skill, but Georgia's signal-caller is a bona fide playmaker who is enjoying the best stretch of football of his career. Mike Bobo keeps finding ways to set him up for success, and Stockton delivers, putting the Bulldogs on a path to a potential second consecutive conference title and first-round College Football Playoff bye.

Suddenly, Stockton boasts the most sparkling completion percentage in the SEC at 70.7% and the fourth-best odds to win the Heisman -- up two spots from a week ago.

College Football QB Power Rankings: Gunner Stockton takes No. 1 after slaying Texas, veteran Jeff Sims rises
David Cobb
College Football QB Power Rankings: Gunner Stockton takes No. 1 after slaying Texas, veteran Jeff Sims rises

Stock down: Ty Simpson's struggles reveal Alabama's greatest weakness

Oklahoma taught the nation how to defeat Alabama. Taking Simpson out of the equation forces the Crimson Tide to lean on its run game and defense, and that is not at all a formula for Kalen DeBoer's team to win games. Simpson fell victim to another Brent Venables masterpiece, throwing his second interception of the year and coughing up the ball in a strip-sack for a pair of costly turnovers in a one-possession game.

Simpson remains the most skilled quarterback in the SEC and has No. 1 draft pick potential. His Heisman chances might be shot, though, especially if his off night is what keeps Alabama out of the SEC Championship Game. Entering Week 12, Simpson had the fourth-best Heisman odds at +800. Entering Week 13, a $100 bet makes $15,000.

Longshot of the week: Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech (+10000)

Jacob Rodriguez is the most tantalizing longshot for the second week in a row. This time a week ago, he was not even listed on the odds board. Now he has the ninth-brightest outlook of any Heisman hopeful. So what changed? For one, No. 5 Texas Tech went all-in on publicizing Rodriguez's eye-popping numbers, which include more solo tackles (55) and interceptions (four) than anyone in the Big 12 and more forced fumbles (seven) than anyone in college football.

It also became clear that coach Joey McGuire will do whatever it takes to get his linebacker a ticket to the ceremony. That includes giving Rodriguez the ball on offense and letting him punch in a touchdown in the 48-9 rout of UCF. Oh, and he intercepted another pass against the Knights for good measure.

Whether or not he can actually win the award, the Rodriguez for Heisman campaign is off and running, and it is becoming harder to deny that he is the most valuable defensive player in the country.

Week 13 performances to watch

Between the handful of SEC teams playing their annual late-season buy games against FCS opponents and the number of squads hitting their second bye weeks, the Week 13 slate is disappointingly light on big-time matchups. It is mostly a stat-padding week for the Heisman hopefuls.

Dante Moore vs. Jayden Maiava

A couple of dark-horse candidates square off Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS and Paramount+ Premium. No. 7 Oregon's Dante Moore was a Heisman frontrunner earlier in the year and Jayden Maiava has long hovered around the edge of contention with his terrific yardage numbers. No. 15 USC needs to win this game to stay alive in the playoff hunt, and Maiava must clean up his recent turnover issues for the Trojans to come out of Autzen Stadium on top.

Haynes King vs. Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh is the closest thing to a top-25 opponent that any of the Heisman frontrunners will see in Week 13. It will be one of the toughest tests of the year for Haynes King, who led No. 16 Georgia Tech to a thrilling comeback win over Boston College in his last outing. His Heisman candidacy (and the Yellow Jackets' at-large CFP hopes) hinge on the regular-season finale against Georgia, but this contest sets the stage for that rivalry showdown, and King must take care of business against a feisty defense in order to maximize the Week 14 stakes.