With that said, a loss by the Ducks in the Pac-12 Championship Game, coupled with Prescott playing well and keeping the Bulldogs undefeated, could give the Louisiana native a chance. But at this point, that’s just about the only hope (other than some good old-fashioned East Coast bias) for anyone to unseat Mariota because Oregon will be heavily favored in its last two regular-season games vs. Colorado and at Oregon St. 

  1. Mariota (Oregon QB, -300 ‘chalk’) - He takes staggering numbers into an open date. Mariota has completed 67.1 percent of his passes for 2,780 yards with an incredible 29/2 touchdown-to-interception ratio. He was the catalyst in his team’s 51-27 win at Utah, accounting for four TDs and 353 all-purpose yards. When the Utes pulled to within 30-27 early in the fourth quarter, Mariota responded with a pair of TD passes as the Ducks collected their fifth consecutive spread cover. 

  2. Prescott (Mississippi St. QB, 4/1 odds) - Prescott ran for a score and threw two TD passes without an interception, as Dan Mullen’s team cruised past UT-Martin. He has 2,231 passing yards and an 18/7 TD-INT ratio. Prescott has run for 779 yards and 11 TDs. He’ll lead the Bulldogs into Tuscaloosa this weekend as 7-point underdogs. 

  3. Melvin Gordon (Wisconsin RB, 12/1 odds) - The nation’s leading rusher led Wisconsin to a 34-16 win at Purdue by gaining 205 yards and one TD on 25 carries. Gordon also had three catches for 44 yards and another TD. Gordon has 1,501 rushing yards and a 7.6 yards-per-carry average. He is second in the country in TDs with 21. Gordon and the Badgers will take on Nebraska this weekend at Camp Randall in a crucial Big Ten showdown. 

  4. J.T. Barrett (Ohio St. QB, 18/1 odds) - The redshirt freshman thrust his name into the mix by leading the Buckeyes to a 49-37 win at Michigan St. Barrett threw for 300 yards and three TDs without an interception in addition to rushing for 86 yards and a pair of scores. For the season, he has a 26/7 TD-INT ratio for the one-loss Buckeyes, who have won seven in a row while going 6-1 ATS. Barrett also has 582 rushing yards and eight TDs. 

5-Amari Cooper (Alabama WR, 20/1 odds) - Cooper has 79 receptions for 1,215 yards and 10 TDs. He’ll have to produce special performances against Mississippi St. and Auburn to have any shot.