Part of the fun of sports is celebrating a momentous achievement and then instantly questioning who’ll be the next person to achieve it.

But next year, for the second straight year, we have a chance to see the rarest of the rare in college football: A repeat Heisman Trophy winner.

USC’s Caleb Williams will return as the obvious favorite to win the award for a second straight year, much like Alabama’s Bryce Young entered this year with a chance to defend his hardware. Even with a terrific season, Young showed why it’s so hard to re-up the most prestigious award in all of college athletics. The margin for error is razor thin.

Yet it feels like Williams — and his Heisman guru head coach Lincoln Riley — still have plenty to prove next season.

Here’s a look at the Pac-12’s half-dozen Heisman hopefuls for 2023, plus a few fun potential future conference contenders…

USC quarterback Caleb Williams

How could it be anyone else? Williams became Riley’s 3rd Heisman winner in 6 years on Saturday, and it wasn’t particularly close as he ran away with the trophy ahead of TCU’s Max Duggan, Ohio State’s CJ Stroud, and Georgia’s Stetson Bennett.

Williams will be hard-pressed to top his 4,454 total yards of total offense and 47 total touchdowns (37 passing, 10 rushing), but Riley has another offseason to terrorize the transfer portal, and the Trojans are expected to load up on offensive talent once more.

If they get some more key defensive pieces, an undefeated season would be the goal, putting Williams in prime position.

Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr.

Penix finished 8th in the Heisman voting this season after one of the most prolific passing campaigns in Husky history, but with maybe the most exciting trio of returning receivers in college football, he’ll almost certainly return as a top-5 preseason pick in 2023.

The former Indiana quarterback reunited with his former Hoosiers offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer to post outstanding numbers this year, completing 330-of-500 passes for 4,354 yards, 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions. It’s almost scary to think of what Penix will look like with another year under DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, especially with a trio like Rome Odunze, Jalen McMillan, and Ja’Lynn Polk and their combined 2,700-plus yards and 21 touchdowns.

UCLA running back Zach Charbonnet

As Blake Corum proved this year, it’s possible for a running back to get a decent look. And from one Michigan running back to a former Wolverines back, it wouldn’t be altogether shocking to see Charbonnet pick up some real Heisman buzz.

If he decides to come back to Westwood.

The fact that the UCLA star would be joining a loaded 2023 class of running backs might just land him back for one last year, particularly as he’d clearly be the focal point of Chip Kelly’s offense. That offense led the Pac-12 in rushing behind Charbonnet but loses dual-threat quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson. The Bruins are expected to land an impact quarterback through the transfer portal (more on that later), but Charbonnet would be the marquis player in that backfield.

Oregon quarterback Bo Nix

Like Charbonnet, Nix hasn’t announced his intentions. But if he does indeed return to Oregon, he might fly away with the award for the Ducks.

Oregon has a drastically easier nonconference schedule this year, replacing Georgia, BYU, and Eastern Washington with Texas Tech, Hawaii, and Portland State. Beefing up his bona fides with that cupcake nonconference schedule might help Nix make up his mind.

So, too, might the chance to continue rewriting his destiny, albeit without Kenny Dillingham. That might be a good thing for Nix, who had his best seasons with Dillingham as his offensive coordinator. As a freshman, he had 2,542 yards and 16 scores with 6 picks, then he had 2 down years without Dillingham. After reuniting in Eugene this year to great success — 3,389 yards, 27 passing touchdowns, 14 rushing touchdowns — Nix could use another big year to stand out in the quarterback crowd.

Colorado* quarterback Shedeur Sanders

Before he’s already stepped foot on campus, Prime Time Jr. is already getting some legit Heisman buzz. With Deion Sanders coming to Boulder to coach the Buffaloes, he’s bringing his son with him. He said as much in his introductory press conference, and while the transfer is not yet official, it should be soon. Shedeur is arguably the biggest recruiting tool at his father’s disposal.

The former 4-star high school prospect was terrific for his father at Jackson State, throwing for 3,231 yards and 30 touchdowns with eight interceptions as a freshman while improving those numbers to 3,383 yards (on a 70.2% completion percentage) with 36 touchdowns and six interceptions as a sophomore last year.

We have no doubt that Sanders would be featured heavily in Colorado’s offense, which was downright terrible this year. If the Buffaloes have the influx of talent that many expect, Sanders could get some targets around him in a hurry.

Arizona wide receiver Jacob Cowing

Yes, it’s exceedingly rare for a wideout to take home the trophy, but DeVonta Smith showed it’s not out of the realm of possibility in 2020 with Alabama. Sure, it was a weird year. Yes, no quarterback stood out to contend with Smith. Of course, we’re talking about Alabama.

But Cowing’s stiffest competition for Pac-12 wide receiver of the year, Arizona teammate Dorian Singer, decided to enter the transfer portal. With Singer not there to chew up some of the downfield routes, you’ve got to imagine Cowing gets back closer to the 19.6-yard per catch average he maintained in 2021 at UTEP after catching 85 passes for 1,034 yards (12.2 yards per catch) and seven scores for the Wildcats this year. A full offseason program with quarterback Jayden de Laura will do both Cowing and the ‘Cats well.

Undecided quarterback DJ Uiagalelei

The Clemson quarterback entered his name in the transfer portal after a disappointing run under Dabo Swinney. He headed across the country from Bellflower High in Southern California as a 5-star recruit with tremendous expectations as Trevor Lawrence’s heir apparent, but he never quite lived up to expectations.

With DTR exiting UCLA, might a return to the Southland be in the cards for Uiagalelei?

Undecided quarterback Hudson Card

And speaking of cards, Texas quarterback Hudson Card is looking to resuscitate his career after losing the starting QB competition to Quinn Ewers and seeing Archie Manning announce his decision to head to Austin. Might the former Longhorn head a bit further west? Utah, Arizona State and Oregon State could be mighty attractive destinations.

Undecided quarterbacks JT Daniels or Kedon Slovis

Lastly, a pair of former USC quarterbacks might throw their hats back into the Pac-12 ring. Daniels and Slovis both emerged as starting quarterbacks for West Virginia and Pittsburgh, respectively, but both are looking for new homes in 2023 after entering the transfer portal. A return out west would be a fitting end to both of their nomadic careers. And it’s clear both of them have talent.