Mike Leach might get his wish after all.



The outspoken Washington State coach vouched heavily for Gardner Minshew’s place in the Heisman Trophy conversation after a 438-yard passing night in a win at Stanford. The Cougars’ quarterback has apparently captured enough attention, at least among The Athletic staff through eight games.



Minshew, who received just a single third-place vote last week, stormed to the No. 3 spot this week in The Athletic’s Heisman Trophy straw poll, earning 18 total points and appearing on 17 of 34 ballots.



After an off week, Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is again the unanimous frontrunner (34 first-place votes), with Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray (65 points) holding steady as an overwhelming choice at No. 2 for the second consecutive week. Murray threw for 352 yards and three touchdowns in a win against Kansas State. Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins, who was also off, fell from 16 to 11 points and...