College Football Insider: Dak who? From a nobody to a Heisman favorite

My editors have been kind enough not to insist on my Heisman Trophy prediction each August, which saves me some credibility.

I wouldn't have had Dak Prescott in my top 25 back then, and now the Mississippi State junior quarterback is considered the Heisman favorite.

If it happens, it will continue a trend. The past four Heisman winners were all relative unknowns before they became the talk of the nation.

There were three sentences on Cam Newton before his 2010 Heisman season — three sentences in Auburn's very own preseason media guide. He had transferred in from junior college after starting his career at Florida, but there wasn't much else to say.

Robert Griffin III was a second-team All-Big 12 quarterback in 2010, but back then it was hard to take a Baylor candidate seriously. He lifted that program to a whole new level in 2011. After that, Johnny Manziel (2012) and Jameis Winston (2013) each won the Heisman as redshirt freshmen.

I love the preseason college football magazines as much as anybody, but you had to look hard to find any mention of Prescott as a Heisman candidate. Phil Steele cast a wide net, listing his 10 Heisman "favorites," followed by 16 "contenders" and 36 "possibilities." I give Steele credit for at least including Prescott as a possibility.

Almost no one outside Starkville, Miss., saw this coming.

Prescott started seven games last year as part of a two-quarterback system with Tyler Russell. Prescott racked up 25 touchdowns — 13 rushing, 10 passing, two receiving — but he also threw seven interceptions in that limited role.

This week, he is gracing regional covers of Sports Illustrated.

Heading into Thanksgiving weekend last year, Mississippi State was 4-6, but Prescott came off the bench to lead the Bulldogs to an Egg Bowl win over Ole Miss. Coach Dan Mullen had known Prescott might be special, but that game entrenched him as a starting quarterback.

Prescott hails from Haughton, La., and committed to Mississippi State before his senior year of high school. He produced 56 touchdowns that fall, and LSU coach Les Miles made a strong push, but Prescott still headed to Starkville.

Mississippi State hasn't won the SEC since 1941, the year Bruce Smith won the Heisman for the Gophers. But Prescott was drawn to Mullen, knowing he'd coached Newton and Tim Tebow as the offensive coordinator at Florida. Prescott wears No. 15 because of Tebow, and even named his dog Thibeaux, sprinkling his favorite player's name with Cajun spice.

With Prescott leading the way, Mississippi State (6-0) has knocked off three consecutive top-10 opponents — LSU, Texas A&M and Auburn. Unranked to start the season, the Bulldogs climbed to No. 1 this week for the first time in their 119-year history.

"It's nothing different to us in this facility, being unranked or ranked No. 1," Prescott told reporters this week. "Nothing really changes, and you have to do the same things that you were doing to get to this point. You actually have to do them better and be more hungry."

Mississippi State still has huge tests ahead in the SEC West, including Alabama (Nov. 15) and Ole Miss (Nov. 29).

Prescott is not a Heisman lock. He's completed 61.3 percent of his passes and has 23 touchdowns — 14 passing, eight rushing, one receiving — with four interceptions.

Oregon's Marcus Mariota has completed 69.7 percent of his passes with 23 touchdowns of his own — 17 passing, five rushing, one receiving — and zero interceptions. Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon and Baylor's Bryce Petty are strong candidates, too.

Those guys made the preseason Heisman lists, while Prescott was working on a new script.

Short takes

•  Saturday's Florida State-Notre Dame clash could impact the Heisman race. Bovada currently lists Jameis Winston as a 20-1 shot to repeat as the Heisman winner, as he keeps making news for all the wrong reasons. Back from his one-year academic suspension, Everett Golson has completed 62.5 percent of his passes with 20 touchdowns — 16 passing, four rushing — and four interceptions.

•  After beating Northwestern, the Gophers are pulling for the Wildcats in their next two games, against West Division foes Nebraska and Iowa. Northwestern already knocked off Wisconsin, and Nebraska knows Saturday won't be easy. The Wildcats had the Cornhuskers beaten last year, until Jordan Westercamp pulled down that 49-yard Hail Mary pass.

•  Iowa is a 4 ½-point underdog heading to Maryland. The Hawkeyes averaged just 22.6 points per game before putting up 45 in last week's win over Indiana. They might need a big number again against a Terps team averaging 34.7 points per game. Iowa used both Jake Rudock and C.J. Beathard at quarterback last week, even though Rudock was 14-for-18 for 179 yards in the first half. More curious: Iowa has gone six games without a 90-yard rusher.

BIG TEN POWER POLL

1. Michigan State (5-1, 2-0): Late-game letdowns against Nebraska and Purdue are a concern for Mark Dantonio's team.

2. Ohio State (4-1, 1-0): Senior Devin Smith and sophomore Michael Thomas have five touchdown receptions apiece.

3. Nebraska (5-1, 1-1): Ameer Abdullah must bounce back after rushing for 1.9 yards per carry against Michigan State.

4. Gophers (5-1, 2-0): Could be closing in on first Top 25 ranking since they were 7-1 under Tim Brewster in 2008.

5. Iowa (5-1, 2-0): The Hawkeyes face Maryland and Northwestern before playing at Minnesota on Nov. 8.

6. Northwestern (3-3, 2-1): The Wildcats rank 11th in the nation in scoring defense, at 17.5 points allowed per game.

7. Wisconsin (4-2, 1-1): In Big Ten play, Badgers rank last in the conference in pass offense, at 117.5 yards per game.

8. Rutgers (5-1, 1-1): Gary Nova can be erratic, but he ranks fifth in the nation in passing efficiency, at 170.9.

9. Maryland (4-2, 1-1): The 52-24 loss to Ohio State was the one time the Terps have been overmatched this season.

10. Penn State (4-2, 1-2): The Nittany Lions lead the Big Ten in scoring defense (15.2), but the offensive line — yikes.

11. Michigan (3-4, 1-2): The Wolverines sacked Christian Hackenberg six times in last week's win over Penn State.

12. Purdue (3-4, 1-2): The Boilers rank 10th in the Big Ten in scoring offense (26.9) and 12th in scoring defense (30.1).

13. Indiana (3-3, 0-2): Tre Roberson's transfer sure stings now that Nate Sudfeld is out for the season.

14. Illinois (3-4, 0-3): Coming off the Wisconsin loss, Illinois has a bye to get ready for the Gophers next week.