Keelon Russell outduels Kamario Taylor and surges to the top of the Heisman race

Coming into Saturday's matchup in Starkville between Alabama and Mississippi State, all eyes were on Keelon Russell and Kamario Taylor, two of the best young quarterbacks in the country and two guys right in the thick of the Heisman Trophy race.

When the dust settled and Alabama emerged with a 33-point blowout win, one thing became clear: Russell is in a league of his own.

Taylor is really good. Maybe even great. But there's no question about Russell. He's already great and continues to just scratch the surface of his potential.

He's also now the Heisman Trophy favorite, edging Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith in odds on FanDuel, at least for now.

Russell took care of the football, something Taylor failed to do. The Bulldogs were immediately behind the eight-ball at home, with Taylor turning it over on the first two possessions of the game. Taylor fumbled on the first, and Alabama turned it into points with Russell hitting Ryan Coleman-Williams for a 15-yard touchdown.

The next possession, Dijon Lee read him like a book, picked the ball off, and ran it in for a touchdown. It was Alabama's fourth pick-six of the season so far.

Russell was ruthlessly efficient again, showing marked improvement from his early struggles against Kentucky in his first road start. He's been excellent for three consecutive weeks. He finished 16-of-22 for 285 yards and three touchdowns through the air. He added a rushing touchdown, giving him a third consecutive game with at least four touchdowns.

And every single week now, he's making ridiculous throws like this:

Keelon Russell is the new Heisman Trophy favorite after stellar performance at Mississippi State

The expectation was always that Russell was going to be great. Eventually. The fact that he's already this good, this fast, is a terrifying proposition for every other team in the country. He's more than lived up to his considerable recruiting hype.

There's not a QB playing better in the country right now than the one in Tuscaloosa.

He's a big reason why Alabama is a legitimate National Championship contender. There's no more debate about it. This team is deep, talented, and balanced. Alabama's ability to run the ball effectively - they rushed for 181 against Mississippi State on Saturday - allows Kalen DeBoer and Ryan Grubb to devise more balanced game plans.

They don't have to ask Russell to be superhuman every single week. And yet, that's exactly what they are getting from the sophomore sensation.

Russell will face his biggest test next week at home against Georgia. Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs will bring the best defense he's ever faced. It will be a tremendous challenge for him and the Crimson Tide's offense.

But with the way he's playing right now, there's no reason not to be confident in his ability to find holes to exploit in the Georgia defense.

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