Are you ready, folks?

Have you braced yourselves?

The Heisman Trophy is coming out west, whether you like it or not. Whether you can stay up late enough to watch the Pac-12 or not. Whether you think all we have out here is surfboards and pineapples.

One single November Saturday does not a Heisman campaign make, but things couldn’t have gone much better for the Pac-12’s Heisman hopefuls, Oregon quarterback Bo Nix and USC quarterback Caleb Williams, in Week 10. While their competition faded, both Nix and Williams continued to put up monster numbers, as they have all season, contending not only for the Heisman Trophy but transfer of the year honors.

The former Auburn and Oklahoma QBs found new homes with familiar faces this offseason and have thrived in their new settings. Williams’ success? That was expected when he decided to join Lincoln Riley with the Trojans. Nix’s absolutely bonkers numbers? Which are downright astronomical compared to even his best Auburn stats? No one could have seen that coming when he reunited with former Tigers offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham with the Ducks.

Nor could anyone have seen coming such terrible performances by such worthy adversaries in Week 10.

  • Alabama’s Bryce Young: 25-for-51, 328 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
  • North Carolina’s Drake Maye: 26-for-37, 293 yards, 2 TD s; 16 rushes, 74 yards, 1 TD
  • Georgia’s Stetson Bennett: 17-for-25, 257 yards, 2 TDs
  • TCU’s Max Duggan: 12-for-23, 195 yards, 2 TDs
  • Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker: 23-for-33, 195 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT
  • Ohio State’s CJ Stroud: 10-for-26, 76 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT

And what did Nix and Williams do?

How about 5 total touchdowns for each. For the 3rd straight week. Just when it matters most.

Enough to put the rest of the country on blast.

It’s happening, people.

Even if the Heisman Trophy betting odds don’t tell you so: The Pac-12 is going to have a Heisman winner for the first time since Marcus Mariota in 2014.

* * * * *

Let’s be serious for a second: If either of the Pac-12’s prodigious passers completed just 10-of-26 passes for 76 yards like Stroud did, they’d be run out of the Heisman conversation so fast their heads would spin. The fact that Stroud somehow still leads the Heisman conversation after a performance like that is stunning — even if it did come in weather conditions so brutal only Jim Cantore could love.

Stroud fattened up against Arkansas State and Toledo, completing a combined 38-of-51 passing for 718 yards and 9 touchdowns with 0 picks in the 2 early season wins. Then he settled into a stretch of 4 straight games with interceptions, even if he threw 17 touchdowns in that stretch.

The past 2 weeks, he’s been less-than-enthralling.

Sure, he threw for 354 yards on 26-of-33 passing against Penn State in Week 9, but he managed just 1 touchdown throw. He was downright awful against a terrible Northwestern squad on Saturday, even if he added a season-high 79 rushing yards on 6 carries. That was just about the only thing that went right for Stroud on Saturday in the Buckeyes’ 21-7 win over the Wildcats.

Hooker, meanwhile, did little against a Georgia defense that shut Nix down in Week 1. Tennessee’s phenomenal season hit the skids in a 27-13 loss to the Bulldogs, a loss that dropped the Volunteers from the top spot in the rankings and propelled Georgia back to No. 1. Hooker has put up nice numbers on the season, including a 21-to-2 touchdown-to-interception ratio, but his numbers pale to both Nix and Williams.

The valuable Vol had been leading the Heisman discussion the last few weeks, but his résumé took a big hit against the Dawgs.

None of the rest of the Heisman’s top candidates had particularly damaging performances — perhaps save for Young, whose chances for a repeat victory went out the window with Alabama’s second loss — but none shined quite as brightly as the Pac-12’s Big 2.

And none have all year. Not Young nor Maye nor Bennett nor Duggan.

None.

* * * * *

There are two statistics that define the Pac-12’s 2022 season so far. They could go on to define the entire season.

1 and 1.

1: Bo Nix’s sack total this season with the Ducks.

1: Caleb Williams’ interception this total this season with the Trojans.

Whichever one of those holds up the longest has my vote for the Heisman. If I had one.

They are the two most impressive totals in all of college football. Yes, Hooker only has 2 picks, but he has just 21 touchdowns, and 3 games with 3 or more scores. Williams has 1 pick and 28 touchdowns and 5 games with 3 or more scores.

Nix, meanwhile, hasn’t just eluded pressure like a greasy chicken trying to avoid plucking. He’s been remarkably efficient. He’s completing nearly 75 percent of his passes, boasts a passer rating of 173.0, has 457 rushing yards on the season and leads FBS quarterbacks with 13 touchdowns.

Those are video game numbers. Those are Heisman numbers.

Now it’s time for them to get recognized.