A postponed game could hurt Mac Jones’ Heisman odds

Mac Jones’ Heisman odds will go down if Alabama can’t play LSU.

So far, the 2020 Heisman race has been wide open. In an unprecedented college football season, plenty of stars have made their case for the award. One candidate is Mac Jones, and he has done everything necessary to bring Alabama football their third Heisman trophy. However, his odds might go down due to something out of his control.

Alabama’s game this Saturday was postponed due to a COVID-19 outbreak in the LSU football program. While the game is officially postponed, it is not a guarantee that this game will be played. LSU does not have an open week on their schedule until after the SEC Championship game, so this game might simply be canceled. This would certainly hurt Mac Jones’ Heisman chances.

Mac would have been the focal point of Alabama football‘s attack on the LSU defense. LSU’s secondary is not what it used to be, and Jones easily could have thrown for over 400 yards and multiple touchdowns. Losing those stats will make it hard to compare Jones to other competitors in December. Adding in the fact that this would have been a night game on the road, and this could have been a true statement for Jones and the Crimson Tide offense.

Now, Mac is not the only Heisman contender who is missing games. Trevor Lawrence has missed Clemson’s last two games due to a COVID-19 diagnosis. That will hurt his stats at the end of the year. Justin Fields and the Ohio State Buckeyes are also playing fewer games than teams in the ACC, Big 12 and SEC. Because of this, the Heisman Trophy might simply come down to the eye test. While Mac Jones could still easily win, losing this opportunity will make his path to glory harder.

When you look at last year’s game against LSU, Joe Burrow vaulted himself into the Heisman race with a strong performance against the Crimson Tide. In 2015, Derrick Henry toppled Leonard Fournette as the frontrunner with a dominant game. This could have been Mac’s chance to have a similar surge, but he will have to wait another week.

The good news for Jones is that Alabama football still has a chance to make a statement. The Crimson Tide will play in the Iron Bowl, and Mac will try to get redemption from last year’s loss. Alabama will also likely face off against the Florida Gators in the SEC Championship. With Kyle Trask wheeling and dealing in Gainesville, that game could potentially determine who wins the Heisman. Either way, Mac Jones will have a chance to plead his case one final time.

At the end of the day, being the quarterback of the best team in college football will be enough to earn Mac Jones some Heisman votes. We’ll see if that pair with his play will be enough to win him the Heisman Trophy at the end of the season. He found his elite trait, and he might also find his way to New York.