With the college football season already underway, there is a lot of talk about the Heisman Trophy race. Instead of focusing on the main favorites to win it (Trevor Lawrence and Tua Tagovailoa), we will look at the dark horse Heisman candidates this year.

Here’s our list of five players that could wind up in New York by season’s end.

Jason Huntley (RB)- New Mexico State

Jason Huntley was one of the most underrated running backs in college football in 2018. He is a dynamic back for the Aggies, who haven’t had much football success in the last decade.

He ran for seven touchdowns with over 500 yards on the ground last season. Plus, Huntley was also a threat in the receiving game with over 500 receiving yards. For the season Huntley averaged over six yards per touch, and could be dynamic in the offense in 2019. He is off to a slow start with just 12 touches for 80 yards in the Aggies Week 1 loss.

However, a player like Huntley should never be counted out too fast, so tune in to watch this dark horse Heisman hopeful every week.

Mason Fine (QB)- North Texas

After a very good 2017 season, Mason Fine was even better for North Texas last year. The quarterback threw for nearly 3,800 yards, with 27 touchdowns and only five interceptions. He has the accuracy to be one of the best passers in the country, completing nearly 65% of his passes last season.

It is a major longshot for him to get an invitation to New York. However, if North Texas can win 10 or 11 games he could see his number called.

D’Eriq King (QB)- Houston

D’Eriq King is a trendy pick to get Heisman votes out of the Group of Five schools. He has been a swiss army knife in Houston’s offense and is one of the most dynamic QB’s in college football.  

After playing in 10 games as a redshirt freshman in 2017, he exploded onto the scene in 2018, roasting AAC defenses to the tune of 2,982 yards passing and nearly 675 yards rushing. In total, he accounted for 50 touchdowns and could be in line for a lot of postseason awards. 

Houston fought tough against the Sooners in Week 1. Their other marquee matchup this season is Week 3 against Washington State. A good performance in that game could keep him on the radar for the rest of the season. King really is the perfect dark horse Heisman candidate to watch out for.

Greg McCrae (RB)- UCF

When you think of explosive running backs in college football, Greg McCrae should be one of the first players to come to mind. Once McCrae touches the ball he becomes a human highlight reel.

McCrae ran for 1,182 yards and 10 touchdowns last year. He averaged nine yards per touch in 2018 and could see more of the same in the UCF offense this season. 

Curtis Weaver (EDGE)- Boise State

Last year it was Nick Bosa and Ed Oliver, this year its Broncos edge rusher Curtis Weaver. Weaver put up 20.5 sacks in his first two seasons with Boise State and got off to a great start in 2019. 

He has two sacks in two games and the Broncos are already off to a hot start. It may take an undefeated season and 15+ sacks for Weaver to get an invitation to New York, but with games coming up against Portland State and Air Force coming up he could have a red hot start to the year.

Which dark horse Heisman contender are you rooting for?

Looking at our list of dark horse Heisman Trophy contenders, who do you think has the best shot to win the award? We are going with D’Eriq King out of Houston. For more news from around the college football world, be sure to check out our NCAA section.