Justin Herbert hit the midpoint of the college football season just outside the Top 5 according to most Heisman Trophy odds, but the Oregon senior quarterback has a route to reach New York as a finalist or even make a late charge to contend for the honor.

Through seven games, Herbert has completed 68.1% of his passes for 1,882 yards and 21 touchdowns with one interception. He almost certainly has six games remaining before Heisman ballots are due on Dec. 9, including a Pac-12 title tilt most likely against USC or Utah.

Four of UO’s final five games in the regular season come against teams ranked in the bottom half of the Pac-12 in total defense. The Ducks may not have any ranked teams left on the schedule and a Nov. 2 matchup at USC at 5 p.m. on FOX could be his last prime-time opportunity to show off for a national audience.

Oregon hosts Washington State, which ranks No. 9 in the conference in total defense, on Saturday and after that, the Ducks visit the Trojans, who rank seventh. Then the Ducks host Arizona, which is 11th in total defense.

Oregon visits Arizona State, which is No.3 in total defense, followed by the regular-season finale at Autzen against Oregon State, which is eighth in the conference in total defense.

If Herbert could match his season averages during the final six games (including a likely Pac-12 title game), he’d finish with a 68.1% completion percentage while throwing for nearly 3,500 yards, 39 touchdowns and two interceptions.

That touchdown-to-interception would impress some voters. A Pac-12 title would also boosts Herbert’s credentials along with the fact Oregon could still contend for a spot in the College Football Playoff with a 12-1 finish.

Those are a lot of accomplishments that need to be reached, but none seem unrealistic and some of the Heisman favorites ahead of Herbert have room to fall.

Quarterbacks Joe Burrow of LSU, Tua Tagovailoa of Alabama, Jalen Hurts of Oklahoma and Justin Fields of Ohio State currently lead the Heisman race along with running back Jonathan Taylor of Wisconsin.

Burrow has thrown for 2,484 yards and 29 touchdown with three interceptions to emerge as the favorite during a 7-0 start, but Auburn, Alabama, Texas A&M and a possible SEC title game remain on the schedule to give the senior some pitfalls on the way to a Heisman.

Tagovailoa has been ruled out for Saturday’s game against Arkansas due to an ankle sprain that could also force him to miss the matchup with LSU on Nov. 9. The Tide could also choose to keep Tagovailoa out of a late nonconference game against Western Carolina and even two games missed could drop him in the Heisman vote.

Hurts seems likely to have a solid case for the Heisman with strong statistics and a team likely to remain in the CFP race until the end, but Fields still has to play Wisconsin, Penn State and Michigan where a couple losses could hurt his chances.

Taylor still has three ranked opponents - Ohio State, Iowa and Minnesota - on the schedule as his Heisman odds could fluctuate depending on how he handles that schedule.

The Heisman race seems wide open with seven weeks left to play, but at 25-1 odds, Herbert is a decent longshot bet to get in contention.