Bo Nix must evoke Oregon legend to win Heisman: Analyst

Bo Nix must evoke the achievements of the last Oregon quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy, Marcus Mariota, — which, first and foremost, included a College Football Playoff appearance — in order to achieve to outlast the rest of the college football world’s top signal-callers for the award in 2023 according to KGW’s Andy Patton.

“Nix will not only have to put up absolutely elite numbers to outlast Williams, Penix and the rest, but the Ducks likely need to secure a spot in the CFP for Nix to garner any serious consideration, much like they did in 2014 the last time an Oregon quarterback, Marcus Mariota, took home the hardware,” Patton wrote.

Nix has the fifth-best odds to win the award but faces stiff competition in the Pac-12 from Caleb Williams, Michael Penix Jr., and Cameron Rising. All of them could put up big numbers against a weak defensive conference by and large, and whichever school amasses the most wins could be the program whose QB the voters consider.

“Winning the Heisman Trophy is about more than just having a great season individually,” Locked on Ducks’ Spencer McLaughlin prefaced before saying, “You have to have the right confluence of events, you have to have the right momentum, and you have to have the right story to tell.”

Bo Nix faces immense pressure during the 2023 season in Oregon

Nix coming back for a fifth year, by default, puts the onus on the graduate quarterback to deliver a stellar showing for the Ducks in 2023. After putting up such gaudy stat lines (3,593 passing yards, 510 rushing yards, 43 all-purpose touchdowns) in his first year in Eugene, Nix is going to be expected to do it again, even without the man responsible for his two best years: Kenny Dillingham.

There’s no guarantee he can do that. We’ll know if the narrative shifts from Nix winning the breakup with Auburn to vice versa by November.