Heisman Watch 2026: The Five Quarterbacks Who Decide Week 4
The last Saturday of September puts five of the sport’s best quarterbacks in ranked games at the same time — and the Heisman conversation is about to get its first real evidence. Here is who plays whom, and what each of them needs.
Week 4 Heisman watch: quick answers
- When is college football Week 4? Thursday 24 to Saturday 26 September 2026, with the main slate on Saturday 26 September.
- Which quarterbacks are in the Heisman conversation? Arch Manning (Texas), Dante Moore (Oregon), John Mateer (Oklahoma), Gunner Stockton (Georgia) and Julian Sayin (Ohio State).
- What is the biggest game of the week? No. 5 Texas at No. 20 Tennessee at noon ET on ABC or ESPN — Manning’s first ranked road game of the season.
- Why does Week 4 matter so much? It is the first weekend where four ranked-on-ranked games land on the same day, so voters get evidence instead of projections.
- Are their jerseys in stock? Yes. We carry Manning, Moore, Mateer, Stockton and Sayin player jerseys, plus each of their five programs, in fan and player editions.
- What time are the TBA kick-offs confirmed? Sunday 20 September, when the conferences use the six-day option for the remaining television slots.
Five quarterbacks, five games, one weekend
All five play on 26 September, and three of them are on the road against ranked teams. This is the weekend the Heisman race gets its first real data.
Texas already beat Ohio State in Week 2, and Manning has been the story of the young season since. If the Longhorns win in Knoxville at noon, they can enter October as the top-ranked team in the country — and the Heisman talk stops being about his surname.
Our take: He has the highest-profile fixture of the weekend, and the most to gain.
Shop the Arch Manning jersey →Moore came back to school when he could have been a top-two draft pick, which tells you what he thinks this offence can do. The Coliseum against a USC team that has scored at will is his showcase game.
Our take: The most talented passer on this list, in the friendliest offence.
Shop the Dante Moore jersey →A road trip to Athens is the hardest assignment any of the five gets: Georgia have been close to unbeatable at home and have not lost to a top-10 visitor in years. Win this and Mateer jumps the queue.
Our take: Highest difficulty, highest reward — and the Sooners’ first trip to Georgia as SEC rivals.
Shop the John Mateer jersey →Stockton does not need a miracle, he needs the ordinary: Georgia winning at home the way they always do, with him managing the game and hitting the throws that decide it.
Our take: The safest path to a December invitation is an unbeaten Georgia team.
Shop the Gunner Stockton jersey →The Buckeyes open Big Ten play with the Illibuck back at Ohio Stadium for the first time since 2017. Sayin inherits the most scrutinised job in the sport, and a noon kick-off means voters watch him first.
Our take: The quietest case, and the one that grows fastest if Ohio State run the table.
Shop the Julian Sayin jersey →What Heisman voters actually reward
- Signature wins, not statistics. A quarterback who beats a ranked team on the road is remembered longer than one who throws for 400 yards against an FCS opponent.
- November matters more than September. This weekend builds the shortlist; the last four weeks decide it.
- Availability is a tiebreaker. The candidates who are still playing in December are the ones voters can picture on the stage.
- One moment travels further than a season. Every winner in the modern era has one play that everyone can still describe.
Our Week 4 ranking
| Rank | Quarterback | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arch Manning, Texas | The biggest stage at noon, against a top-20 team, with the No. 1 ranking in play. |
| 2 | Dante Moore, Oregon | Best arm, best offence, and a marquee game at the Coliseum. |
| 3 | John Mateer, Oklahoma | The hardest fixture of the five — which is exactly why a win would move him fastest. |
| 4 | Gunner Stockton, Georgia | Wins quietly and benefits if the teams above him lose. |
| 5 | Julian Sayin, Ohio State | Early kick-off, conference opener, and the longest runway left. |
Shirt demand index
Built from our own order flow and range depth, not from a poll. College football demand moves on Sunday mornings, after the result.
Arch Manning. Whatever happens on the field, his shirt is the one people search for after a Texas win.
Oregon, Georgia and Ohio State — deep school ranges that move every weekend in the autumn.
Oklahoma and USC. Smaller football ranges on our shelves, and the ones that sell out first when a quarterback has a night.
Week 4 jerseys: the five quarterbacks and their programs
Player jerseys for Manning, Moore, Mateer, Stockton and Sayin, plus five of the programmes on this weekend’s board. Printed names add a few days.
Arch Manning Texas Longhorns Fashion Shirt Bl…
Dante Moore Oregon Ducks Home Game Nil Shirt…
John Mateer Oklahoma Sooners Lightweight Nil…
Gunner Stockton Georgia Bulldogs Lightweight…
Men Ohio State Buckeyes #10 Julian Sayin Blac…
Colin Simmons Texas Longhorns Game Shirt - Te…
Jabari Small Tennessee Volunteers NIL Player…
Justin Herbert Oregon Ducks Alumni Game Shirt…
Archie Griffin Ohio State Buckeyes Heisman Sh…
Georgia Bulldogs Alternate Game Shirt - Black
Our verdict
Watch the noon window: Tennessee’s crowd against a Texas team that has already won a top-five road game is the fixture that will shape the first Heisman ballot of the season. Whoever leaves Knoxville with a win owns October’s conversation — and in a sport where the trophy rewards the player people cannot stop describing, that is worth more than any stat line.
When is college football Week 4 in 2026?
Which quarterbacks are in the Heisman conversation after three weeks?
What time does Texas at Tennessee kick off?
Is Dante Moore playing in 2026?
Why is Oklahoma at Georgia significant?
Which Week 4 games involve ranked teams?
Are the quarterbacks’ jerseys available?
When is the Heisman Trophy awarded?
Own the shirt before the story ends
Fan and player editions for the players in this article, with custom printing. Free worldwide shipping over $49.9.
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