Ranking the 5 best Big 12 Heisman contenders along with Sam Ehlinger

The Longhorns are going to live and die by the arm of Sam Ehlinger this season. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Ehlinger just has to be better at managing turnovers than he was in the letdown of a loss on Oct. 26 against TCU. Four picks against a team that the Longhorns should be beating, whether it be at home or on the road, does warrant doubt on Ehlinger’s shoulders.

Yet, Ehlinger and head coach Tom Herman proved in the past that casting doubt on them is more than enough motivation to come out of the gate strong down the stretch. Hopefully this bye week did in fact come at the perfect time for Ehlinger and the Longhorns.

Thus far, Ehlinger has 2,378 passing yards and 29 total touchdowns to go along with seven interceptions. It seems like he has taken a bit of a statistical regression from last season, but he could finish with more total yards from scrimmage and touchdowns. Topping the production he has last season (41 total touchdowns), could get him closer to the status of Heisman finalist.

Without a doubt, Ehlinger would have to have a huge final four games of the regular season while going without a single blemish in the loss column. Texas already has three losses on the season, and two in Big 12 play, so he will have to win out while likely posting at least 15 total touchdowns down the stretch.