As of Saturday, everyone in the FBS has played at least half of its regular-season schedule. Exactly half of the 138 teams have played seven. We have, in other words, passed the midway point of the campaign. Since virtually everything we will remember from the 2026 season hasn't happened yet, I tend to enjoy a bit of commemoration.
We might not know who will win the national title (especially after a genuinely stunning set of Week 7 results) or the Heisman or Coach of the Year awards. We might not have seen what will turn out to be the best games of the season. But we know what we've seen thus far, and we know who the best players have been.
So here's a celebration of what defined the first half of the 2026 campaign.
Half-season Heisman: Jeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio State
We'll start with something pretty obvious. We don't know that Smith will win the Heisman yet, but even after a mere 68-yard performance against Indiana, the Ohio State receiver's odds of winning the award, per DraftKings, are -110, equivalent to a 52% chance. There are challenges to come, but Smith has a better chance of winning than not.
That's backed up by my ongoing points race. This season, Heisman is running its Heisman Hopefuls Fan Vote all season long, with a platform that provides statistics, EA Sports ratings and other information. In that vein, I am once again awarding the Heisman every single week of the season and doling out weekly points, F1-style (10 points for first place, nine for second, and so on). And Smith continues to lead the way.
This week's Heisman list, however, features a lot of repeat customers, guys who have made multiple appearances and could be ready to make pushes of their own. Smith will need a few more standout performances to take home the hardware.
Half-season 'Dog in Him': Michael Hawkins Jr., QB, West Virginia
We check in on the Heisman each week, but we're to hand out some other midseason awards as well. And there's only one place to start: the Dog in Him Award.
1. Michael Hawkins Jr., West Virginia
2. Cale Hellums, Army
3. Gio Lopez, Wake Forest
4. Aidan Chiles, Northwestern
5. Nick Poulos, Ohio
The Dog in Him goes to the quarterback who best combines quality, physicality, improvisation and an occasional DIY mindset, and with two-time Dog in Him winner Diego Pavia out of eligibility, we'll have a new winner this year. It's only the midway point, but to date the winner is obvious. Hawkins has been brilliant in running the show in Morgantown, and only a poor defense has stopped him from getting more love.
All five of these QBs deserve celebration, though. Hellums has rushed for 730 yards and 13 touchdowns at the helm of Army's option attack (he also has 358 passing yards and a solid 77.2 Total QBR), and despite a poor start the Black Knights are up to 3-1 in the American Conference. Lopez and Chiles, meanwhile, have been transformative figures for two of the best surprise stories of the season -- Wake and Northwestern are a combined 11-2 with losses only to Miami and Indiana, respectively. And somehow, despite being led by a third head coach in three seasons, Ohio is again unbeaten in the MAC and on pace for a great season thanks in part to Poulos, who missed three games after a nasty helmet-to-helmet collision against Jacksonville State but has been nearly perfect in two starts since.
Half-season Defensive Heisman: Colin Simmons, DE, Texas
One of the main points of the Heisman Hopefuls campaign, and all the stats and EA ratings it provides, is to make sure the biggest award in the sport celebrates players from all positions. As someone still annoyed that Ndamukong Suh didn't win the Heisman in 2009, I appreciate this. But my points race approach never seems to give proper credence to defenders, no matter how hard I try. So, let's go ahead and hand out a defenders-only award.
1. DE Colin Simmons, Texas
2. OLB Sammy Omosigho, UCLA
3. S Dejuan Lane, Tennessee
4. LB Chris Cole, Georgia
5. CB Brent Gordon Jr., Louisiana
The choice of Simmons is obvious -- he's sixth overall in the points race, and he was on pace to pull a Will Anderson Jr. until suffering a high ankle sprain Saturday. Anderson is the only power-conference defender to date with 30-plus TFLs (35 in 2021), and Simmons had 16 through six games. If he resumes full dominance in three to four games, however, he'll still have a chance for a gaudy number.
Again, though, others should be celebrated. Omosigho has been transformative for UCLA's aggressive defense after coming over from Oklahoma, Cole is the best linebacker in college football, and Lane is a havoc stats collector -- three INTs, four breakups, five TFLs for a defensive coordinator (Jim Knowles) who creates havoc as well as anyone in the sport. And Gordon has topped even Simmons from the standpoint of havoc plays: The sophomore from Cecilia, Louisiana, has 5.5 TFLs and four run stops (pretty wild stuff from a guy who plays more than half his snaps at cornerback), but he also has two interceptions and a nation's-best 12 pass breakups.
Half-season Coach of the Year: Bob Chesney, UCLA
1. Bob Chesney, UCLA
2. Jake Dickert, Wake Forest
3. Kalani Sitake, BYU
4. Will Stein, Kentucky
5. Morgan Scalley, Utah
For all the ups and downs we've seen on the field recently, the top of the AP poll looks awfully familiar at the moment: Each of the top eight teams finished 11th or better in last year's final poll, and the No. 10 team finished 14th. Granted, the order is surprising -- Miami is No. 1 for the first time in 24 years, and No. 2 BYU hasn't been that high in 42 years -- but the teams certainly aren't new.
That makes UCLA's presence at No. 9 (and an underrated No. 9 at that) all the more noticeable. The Bruins went 8-16 over the past two seasons, with an experiment at budget hiring -- they gave former Bruins legend DeShaun Foster his first head coaching job -- severely blowing up in the school's face. But hiring serial winner Chesney and giving him what he needed to sign a lovely transfer class produced an immediate turnaround.
Chesney brought lots of his best players with him from James Madison (RB Wayne Knight, DE Sahir West, center Riley Robell, nickel Derrick Barksdale), but he also made inspired additions such as Omosigho, receivers Semaj Morgan (Michigan) and Brian Rowe Jr. (South Carolina), OT Hall Schmidt (Boise State) and DT Darold DeNgohe (Rutgers). And the guy who won big at Salve Regina, Assumption University, Holy Cross and JMU has nearly produced as many wins in one season as UCLA had in the past two.
Chesney also barely earned the top spot here. Dickert has been otherworldly at Wake Forest, taking a program that had won eight games in two seasons and immediately winning nine in 2025. After massive roster turnover, his Demon Deacons were merely decent out of the gate, but they were great in the second half of a loss to Miami, and they've been on an elevator ride ever since. They've won four straight games, overachieving against SP+ projections by an average of 24.2 points per game, and they've leaped from 63rd to 20th in SP+ in four weeks. They're in a race with SMU for the second spot in the ACC championship game at the moment, and I really don't think Miami would enjoy having to face them again.
It doesn't stop there, obviously. Sitake indeed has BYU up to No. 2 in the AP poll, Stein has made a series of bold calls in close games while engineering a 6-1 start at Kentucky, and succeeding the legendary Kyle Whittingham at Utah has proved to be no problem for Scalley thus far. The Utes are unbeaten and neck and neck with BYU and Texas Tech in the Big 12 race.
Half-season Hard Job Coach of the Year: JaMarcus Shephard, Oregon State
In last year's Alternative Awards piece, I wanted to make sure the job Jason Eck had done in driving New Mexico -- which had suffered eight straight losing seasons -- to nine wins and a share of the Mountain West lead got some recognition. That has been a hard job of late, and he continues to crush it with a 5-1 start in 2026. That's enough to make him a finalist for Half-season Hard Job Coach of the Year, but we have to celebrate some other pretty incredible turnaround stories too.
1. JaMarcus Shephard, Oregon State
2. Joe Harasymiak, UMass
3. Neal Brown, North Texas
4. Jason Eck, New Mexico
5. Darrin Chiaverini, Northeastern State
With three straight losses after a 4-0 start, the UMass story has gone a bit on the back burner; Harasymiak's Minutemen must rally to assure they reach bowl eligibility. But that shouldn't distract us from the fact that bringing this program -- which had won eight combined games in the past seven seasons and has never had a winning record since jumping to the FBS -- to a bowl would be an immaculate achievement. UMass should still get there. Brown, meanwhile, had to build an almost complete roster at North Texas after nearly everyone left, and his Mean Green are 4-2 (2-0 in the American) and have scored at least 50 points in three straight games.
While we're at it, let's shout out a hell of a Division II performance. Between 2013 and 2024, Northeastern State crumbled to the ground. The RiverHawks went a combined 14-108. One of many directional Oklahoma schools to have made the jump from NAIA to Division II near the turn of the century, this program was lost. It even made the strange decision to go independent in 2024. But it made a great decision in hiring Chiaverini. The former Colorado offensive coordinator went 2-9 in his first season but bumped the RiverHawks up to 9-3 last year, and this season they're 4-1 against Division II opponents and nearly beat FCS school Northern Colorado in September. Nothing about this program should work, but Chiaverini is making it work.
This is all a long prelude to Shephard, though.
Recruiting coverage has long been a major piece of the college football reporting landscape, and that's only become more true as transfer portal coverage has grown in both scope and importance. We obsess over prospects and rank transfers the moment they show up in the portal. We watch as coaches and coordinators increasingly bring some of their guys with them from one school to another. We've gotten very used to those rhythms.
That makes it all the more wild that Shephard and coordinator Mitch Dahlen went out and grabbed a young quarterback from the FCS (Mercer's Braden Atkinson) and a 5-foot-10 role player from Baltimore's St. Frances Academy (receiver Jesse Legree) and crafted the most entertaining offense in the country.
Oregon State began the season by annoying the hell out of Houston and Texas Tech and has since won five games by an average of 51-19. The Beavers are favorites to reach the Pac-12 championship game alongside Boise State, and over a 14-game projection, Atkinson is on pace for 5,000 passing yards, and Legree is on pace to break the single-season FBS receiving yardage mark (Nevada's Trevor Insley had 2,060 yards in 1999).
Oregon State and Washington State were by far the biggest victims in the last round of conference realignment, getting squeezed out of power-conference status despite having recently performed far better than some of the programs (such as Cal and Stanford) that found power-conference lifeboats. OSU then went 7-17 in its first two years after the realignment moves. This seemed like a terrible situation. And then Shephard and his band of happy offensive misfits showed up and made the Beavers the most must-watch team in the country. Hell yes.
Half-season Jesse Legree of the Year: Jesse Legree, WR, Oregon State
WHO ELSE BUT JESSE LEGREE!?!? 90-YARD HOUSE CALL 📞 WSU 0 | 14 OSU https://t.co/qo4RKJslRd
— USA Sports (@usasports) October 17, 2026
I just need to reiterate that Legree, a true freshman who made as much of an impact on defense as offense in high school, chose OSU sight unseen and had an offer from just one power-conference program, is on pace to break the single-season receiving record. He's fifth in the current Heisman betting odds, which means there's a decent chance he goes to New York for the ceremony. None of this makes a lick of sense, and this story is the greatest thing college football has produced this year.
The 10 best transfers of the half-season
You can't talk about college football in 2026 without giving transfers their own space. I'm limiting myself to 10 players here, but it was incredibly difficult. About 50 deserved mention.
1. Darian Mensah, QB, Miami (from Duke). He's the No. 2 Heisman favorite, and Miami is No. 1 in the AP poll. His sudden Duke departure was quite the ordeal, but it certainly paid off for both the Hurricanes and him.
2. Sammy Omosigho, OLB, UCLA (from Oklahoma). The Bruins have jumped from 94th to 22nd (and rising) in defensive SP+, and they're strong against both run and pass. So is Omosigho.
3. Drew Mestemaker, QB, Oklahoma State (from North Texas). We knew he'd be pretty prolific after what he did at UNT last season, but let's not lose sight of the fact that Oklahoma State was 1-11 last year and is now 4-2 with one of the nation's best offenses. That's still a hell of a transition.
4. Michael Hawkins Jr., QB, West Virginia (from Oklahoma). Oklahoma currently ranks 128th in points per drive. West Virginia is 33rd and rising. Just wanted to point that out.
5. Wayne Knight, RB, UCLA (from James Madison). After a 1,373-yard season at JMU, Knight is on pace for at least 1,200 in the Big Ten.
6. Gio Lopez, QB, Wake Forest (from North Carolina). Wake is sixth nationally in points per drive, and Lopez is enjoying an incredible third act after last year's disastrous transfer to UNC.
7. Xavier Gilliam, DL, Tennessee (from Penn State). This is my way of squeezing another name on here -- I mentioned Lane (another PSU transfer) above, but Gilliam might be even better. He has made 10 run stops and five sacks ... at 305 pounds.
8. Xavier Esqillion, LB, Georgia State (from Savannah State). Georgia State fell to James Madison on Saturday, but the 4-2 Panthers still have been major upstarts in 2026, and Esqillion, with seven sacks and two forced fumbles, has been a major reason for that.
9. Princewill Umanmielen, DE, LSU (from Ole Miss). LSU ranks seventh in points allowed per drive and is back in the SEC hunt after Week 7's chaos. With eight sacks and seven run stops in seven games, Umanmielen has been everything coordinator Blake Baker could have hoped for.
10. Jordan Seaton, OL, LSU (from Colorado). LSU's offense has been all over the map, but Seaton has been ridiculously steady. Per Sports Info Solutions, the former blue-chip left tackle didn't allow a pressure in his first six games in purple and gold.
This week's Heisman winner: Conner Weigman, QB, Houston
1. Conner Weigman, Houston
Week 7 numbers: 24 for 33 passing for 343 yards, 5 TDs and 1 INT, plus 72 non-sack rushing yards against Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State didn't really do all that much wrong in Saturday's 35-32 loss at Houston. The Cowboys made their customary big plays, picked up steam as the game went on and created more negative plays than the Cougars on defense. But any time they needed a stop, Houston just wouldn't allow it.
OSU trailed 14-3 at halftime, but on four occasions the Cowboys posted touchdowns to cut Houston's lead to one score. After the first three, Houston responded with a touchdown. On the fourth, they moved the chains and ran out the clock. It was a perfect representation of what Weigman and the Coogs have done all season. They rank second in points per drive and first in success rate.* They have the second-lowest three-and-out rate (9.5%), and their down set conversion rate -- literally how frequently they move the chains -- is the highest (86.8%).
Weigman is up to fourth nationally in Total QBR. After three up-and-down (and injury-prone) seasons at Texas A&M, his move to Houston before the 2025 season turned everything around. In 20 starts for the Coogs, he has thrown for 4,476 yards with 45 touchdowns and only 11 interceptions, and he has rushed for 1,055 yards (not including sacks) and 17 more scores. While serving as a mentor for five-star freshman Keisean Henderson, he has also raised his own game in 2026, improving his completion rate (up to 67.7%), yards per completion (13.2), yards per dropback (8.5) and basically everything else. And after Saturday night's big win, Houston remains in the playoff hunt because of Weigman's unrelenting sharpness.
(*Success rate: How frequently an offense is gaining 50% of necessary yardage on first down, 70% on second and 100% on third and fourth.)
2. Michael Hawkins Jr., QB, West Virginia
Week 7 numbers: 25 for 33 passing for 464 yards and 3 touchdowns, plus 95 non-sack rushing yards and 2 TDs against Cincinnati
Weigman got the slightest of nods over Hawkins, if only because he was playing in a more high-stakes game against a much better defensive opponent. Hawkins' own ridiculous statistical exploits certainly warranted consideration for No. 1 as well.
When Rich Rodriguez grabbed Hawkins from the transfer portal this past offseason, it made all the sense in the world. The Oklahoma transfer and former blue-chipper is a fabulous runner and solid passer, and the 63-year-old Rodriguez still knows how to coax the most out of a dual-threat skill set. Hawkins is 12th in Total QBR and, projected over 13 games, he's on pace for 2,800 passing yards and 1,500 non-sack rushing yards. WVU is only 4-3 because of a dreadful defense, and Hawkins had to be nearly perfect to outlast JC French IV and Cincinnati on Saturday. But he was, and they did.
3. Malachi Toney, WR, Miami
Week 7 numbers: 11 catches for 154 yards and 2 touchdowns, plus 31 rushing yards against Florida State
Week 1's Heisman of the Week winner had to be brilliant for Miami to survive a double-overtime test from upset-minded Florida State. He caught 11 of 12 passes as coordinator Shannon Dawson used him throughout the field, his 30-yard run early in the fourth quarter set up a score, and his second touchdown of the evening, in the second overtime period, was the game winner.
4. Bear Bachmeier, QB, BYU
Week 7 numbers: 23 for 36 passing for 224 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT, plus 45 non-sack rushing yards, 2 touchdowns and a receiving touchdown against Notre Dame
In the biggest game of his life, Bachmeier outplayed Notre Dame star CJ Carr and engineered a massive Cougars win. He scored touchdowns in three different ways (passing, rushing, receiving), he had the most rushing attempts on the team, and while BYU didn't generate many big plays, the Cougars controlled the ball in a way I wasn't sure could be done against the Irish defense.
5. Colin Simmons, DE, Texas
Week 7 numbers: 8 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 1 sack and 4 run stops against Florida
Before leaving the game with an ankle injury -- it appears the severity is not yet known -- Simmons was finishing up his third straight otherworldly performance. He was all over the field (he had more tackles than star linebacker Rasheem Biles) and was in on four of Texas' five TFLs. He has now made at least three TFLs in three straight games. Fingers crossed that he doesn't miss much time.
6. Drew Mestemaker, QB, Oklahoma State
Week 7 numbers: 22 for 34 passing for 365 yards, 3 TDs and 1 INT, plus 43 non-sack rushing yards against Houston
It took Weigman's nearly perfect performance to overshadow what Mestemaker was doing. After a first-half lull, Mestemaker engineered touchdown drives on four of five second-half possessions. Projected over 13 games, he's on pace for 4,200 passing yards, 35 passing touchdowns and nearly 400 non-sack rushing yards in his first season as a power-conference starter.
7. Brad Jackson, QB, Texas State
Week 7 numbers: 14 for 19 passing for 213 yards and 1 touchdown, plus 181 non-sack rushing yards and 3 touchdowns against Colorado State
Maybe the best dual-threat in the Group of 6 had his best game of the season, albeit against a Colorado State defense that only theoretically "defends." But even adjusting for the opponent, Jackson's Total QBR for the game was a nearly perfect 98.5. Just imagine what his numbers might have been if he'd actually had to play a full game. (He was out early in the fourth in a 66-27 win.)
8. Ben Roberts, LB, Texas Tech
Week 7 numbers: 5 tackles, 1 TFL, 2 run stops and a pick-six against Arizona State
We've been waiting a while to witness a 2025-esque level of dominance from Texas Tech, and I'd say going up 43-10 at halftime, and cruising to a 28-point win, against the only Big 12 team to beat you last season qualifies. The Red Raiders' offense was the sharpest it's been all year, but Roberts damn near stole the show on defense, creating disruption in a number of ways and opening the scoring himself.
A PICK SIX AND @TexasTechFB gets on the board first 😱 https://t.co/B9dSAmAVnf
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 17, 2026
9. DeSean Bishop, RB, Tennessee
Week 7 numbers: 32 carries for 159 yards and 2 touchdowns, plus 16 receiving yards against Alabama
Tennessee's QB situation remains dicey, but per SP+ the Volunteers now have the second-best SEC title odds, largely because of a disruptive defense and Bishop's ridiculous rushing. The senior from Knoxville has rushed for 517 yards and six touchdowns in the three-game winning streak that has redefined the Vols' season, and he topped 120 yards for the second straight year against Bama.
10. Chris Bracy, DB, Michigan
Week 7 numbers: 8 tackles, 1 sack, 1 run stop, 1 forced fumble, 1 INT and 1 pass breakup against Penn State
Freshman quarterback Tommy Carr stole the headlines by subbing in and leading two Michigan touchdown drives in the second half to pace a 21-18 win over Penn State. But it wouldn't have been possible without a brilliant performance from Bracy, who picked off a Rocco Becht pass to set up Michigan's first touchdown, made four tackles within 2 yards of the line of scrimmage and recorded a huge sack-and-strip in the fourth quarter, setting up Carr's game-clinching TD.
Honorable mention:
• Charlie Becker, WR, Indiana (9 catches for 165 yards against Ohio State).
• Torrance Burgess Jr., RB, Texas State (24 carries for 224 yards and 4 touchdowns, plus 52 receiving yards against Colorado State).
• Ashton Daniels, QB, Florida State (15 for 28 passing for 298 yards, 4 TDs and 1 INT, plus 38 non-sack rushing yards and a TD against Miami).
• Umari Hatcher, WR, Syracuse (13 catches for 224 yards and a touchdown against Louisville).
• Cale Hellums, QB, Army (25 carries for 195 yards and 5 touchdowns against Florida Atlantic).
• Tyler Hughes, QB, Wyoming (16 for 19 passing for 196 yards, plus 183 non-sack rushing yards and 4 touchdowns against Northern Illinois).
• Gio Lopez, QB, Wake Forest (16 for 23 passing for 267 yards and 4 touchdowns, plus 51 non-sack rushing yards against California).
• Evan Medders, QB, Air Force (18 non-sack carries for 152 yards and 3 touchdowns, plus 18 passing yards against UNLV).
• AJ Newberry, RB, Oregon State (11 carries for 105 yards, plus 120 receiving yards and a touchdown against Washington State).
Heisman point totals and current odds
Through seven weeks, here are your points leaders. As always, players who are also in the top 10 in the Heisman odds at DraftKings are in bold.
1. Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State (27.5 points)
2. Keelon Russell, Alabama (25 points)
3. Kamario Taylor, Mississippi State (20 points)
4. Malachi Toney, Miami (18 points)
5. Michael Hawkins Jr., West Virginia (17 points)
6. Colin Simmons, Texas (15.5 points)
7T. Bear Bachmeier, BYU (15 points)
7T. Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss (15 points)
7T. Drew Mestemaker, Oklahoma State (15 points)
10. Jamal Roberts, Missouri (14 points)
After back-to-back 200-yard games positioned Smith to run away with both the points race and the award itself, he has posted more mortal stats the past two weeks, and his odds sank from -220 to a still-excellent -110 this week. The race isn't over, in other words, and among others, Toney's brilliant performance was a reminder of that. (Toney is in great shape in the points race, though the No. 2 betting favorite, Miami quarterback Darian Mensah, has made only one appearance on the weekly list. Am I divvying out the credit properly between the two?)
Still, we know which player has defined the Heisman narrative to date.
Gordie Lockbaum of the week: Garrett Bass-Sulpizio
Each week, I give a nod to a standout player from the smaller-school ranks as well. This week's pick was particularly difficult.
1. Garrett Bass-Sulpizio, Cornell (22-for-34 passing for 366 yards and 2 touchdowns, plus 103 non-sack rushing yards and a touchdown against Lehigh). Cornell scored a huge 48-38 upset of No. 4 Lehigh on Saturday; the Mountain Hawks just couldn't stop Bass-Sulpizio and the Big Red, who scored on every drive besides two end-of-half situations. A nearly perfect performance.
2. Mekhi Wilson, UMass-Dartmouth (39 carries for 340 yards and 4 touchdowns against Worcester State). Bass-Sulpizio had to be amazing to prevent me from giving the award to Wilson, a 6-foot, 210-pound senior from Narragansett, Rhode Island, who almost literally carried the Corsairs to victory over Worcester State.
3. Logan Madden, Washburn (28-for-51 passing for 441 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT and a rushing touchdown against Central Missouri). We had ourselves a Division II track meet in front of a Warrensburg, Missouri, crowd of 9,021 and Madden nearly engineered an incredible comeback. After trailing 28-7, Washburn charged back to within one score on two occasions, and Madden threw two TD passes in the final six minutes, but the Ichabods fell just short.
4. Jaylan Bean, Alabama A&M (10 catches for 240 yards and four TDs against Grambling). Grambling took an early 17-3 lead on Alabama A&M in Huntsville, but the Bulldogs eventually overwhelmed the G-Men. Or should I say, Bean did. He scored a 61-yard TD in the second quarter, then he scored three of A&M's five third-quarter touchdowns, including a 67-yarder, in a 61-31 runaway win.
Not 1, Not 2, Not 3 but 4️⃣ Touchdowns for Jaylan Bean ❗ #SWACFB | #BuildingChampionsForLife | #ALLIN https://t.co/YZD6LlxTnN
— Southwestern Athletic Conference (@theswac) October 17, 2026
5. Floyd Chalk, Southern Utah (26 carries for 212 yards and a touchdown, plus a reception against UC Davis). SUU pulled a Big Sky upset of No. 12 UC Davis on Saturday, spotting the visitors a 17-9 halftime lead but pitching a 29-0 shutout in the second half. Chalk, a former San José State back, gained steam in each quarter and helped put the win away with rushes of 37 and 35 yards in the fourth.