ALTOONA, Pa. -- There is a path for Sean Clifford to not only remain in Heisman Trophy contention for much of the season, but even to become one of the potential frontrunners here before too long.
Yes, the same Sean Clifford who entered the season as Penn State's biggest wild card.
With the Nittany Lions now ranked No. 4, and with Clifford coming off a career-high 401 yards passing against Villanova, the senior quarterback is now one of the leading Heisman candidates, according to betting odds.
Here's how VegasInsider breaks down the Heisman race after four weeks:
QB Matt Corral, Ole Miss -- +155
QB Bryce Young, Alabama -- +185
QB Desmond Ridder, Cincinnati -- +1600
QB J.T. Daniels, Georgia -- +2200
QB Spencer Rattler, Oklahoma -- +3000
RB TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State -- +3500
QB Sean Clifford, Penn State -- +4000
Also at +4000 are Oregon RB C.J. Verdell and Fresno State QB Jake Haener.
As you can see, Clifford has the seventh-best odds right now to win the award. And he will have a chance to remain in the discussion with some big games coming up against Indiana and next week at Iowa.
Penn State has had only one Heisman winner -- running back John Cappelletti in 1973.
Clifford certainly can remain in the race as long as Penn State keeps winning. He's the quarterback of a top five team, and he's put up good numbers so far.
Clifford has completed 86-of-120 passes, which is 71.7 percent. He has thrown eight TDs and two interceptions.
Right now, there is a lot of concern about the Penn State running game. The Lions have not looked good, even against Villanova, yet are 4-0 because Clifford has been highly effective.
The bizarre aspect, then, is that for Clifford to continue to improve his Heisman odds, Penn State's running game probably needs to continue to struggle a bit.
If, for instance, the Lions don't run the ball all that well the next couple of weeks and have to rely on Clifford's arm to beat Indiana and Iowa, that sort of formula would only increase Clifford's value in the eyes of Heisman voters.
Conversely, say the Lions suddenly start running great and beat the Hoosiers and Hawkeyes with 200 yards rushing and Clifford throwing for 200 or so, then that would hurt him some. He would still be in the mix, though, as long as Penn State remains undefeated and he continues to put up solid numbers and protects the ball.
OK, OK, but we're not talking about merely being in contention for the Heisman here. The question is: What can Clifford do to actually win the prestigious award?
The answer very well could come down to the same answer that will define this PSU season.
Iowa and Ohio State.
If the Lions win both of those games, there's a very good chance they'll make the College Football Playoff.
And if Clifford plays extremely well in winning both of those games, he undoubtedly will increase his odds of bringing home the trophy.
There is a whole lot of season to go. And Clifford still has a whole lot to prove, which he certainly will have to do if Penn State is going to win at Iowa and Ohio State.
Good but not great showings in those games might keep him within shouting distance of the Heisman odds. But if he can come up with some major highlights while winning those games -- such as a few deep TD passes or a game-winning score in the closing seconds -- then it's not out of the realm of possibility that Clifford could emerge as a leading Heisman candidate.
Stay tuned.
