Week 9 wraps up, presenting fresh updates on the quarterback battles. The latter stretch of the regular season has begun, and Heisman conversations, which never left the chat, have picked up steam again. One of the factors affecting the Heisman odds is the passing yards metric, and Ty Simpson has just one opponent to battle it out to become the SEC’s passing yards leader.

On Saturday, Simpson led his roster to another win, 29-22 against South Carolina. He completed two touchdowns for 253 yards, bringing his all-season passing yards to 2184. However, Vols’ transfer QB1 Joey Aguilar presently tops the chart with 2344 yards. Over the season, he has thrown 18 touchdowns and two scores, raking in a QB rating of 75.5, ranking No. 22 across college football. Though he started the season far from the spotlight, Aguilar went on to become one of the sport’s top passers, something no one saw coming.

Meanwhile, Simpson has recorded just one interception in the season, against Vanderbilt. Simpson has 20 touchdowns and another two scores on his resume, with a QB rating of 81.9, which ranks No. 13 in college football. His best performance came against UL Monroe, during week 2, when the Tide steamrolled the Warhawks 73-0. Following the defeat against FSU, Simpson clocked in a perfect 99.2 QB rating, completing 17-of-17 attempts with 226 yards and three total touchdowns.

The SEC list also contains Tayleen Green, Marcel Reed, Blake Sharpen, Trinidad Chambliss, Garrett Nussmeier, Arch Manning, John Mateer, and Diego Pavia.

Both quarterbacks faced off at Tuscaloosa on the Third Saturday in October. Simpson’s roster edged out Tennessee with 17 points, as the Cigar smoke engulfed the stadium. Ty Simpson threw two touchdowns for 253 yards. And the highlight? Zabien Brown’s interception return for 99 yards.

DeBoer had previously stated, exuding confidence in his star quarterback. “He’s past the point now where he’s gotta try to prove to people that he can do it,” DeBoer said. “He’s done it at a high level. So now it’s about his leadership with our team and helping us be the best version that we can each and every week as we improve.”

After Bama beat the Vols, the former became the only team in SEC history that beat four straight ranked opponents with no open dates.

Ty Simpson’s Heisman odds

According to FOX Sports, Ty Simpson is presently +325 on the Heisman odds, topping the list with Curt Cignetti’s prized Fernando Mendoza. Over the season, Simpson holds the most touchdown passes at 20 and completions at 177. He is No. 2 in passing yards (2184).

In early October, Analyst Joel Klatt commented on Ty Simpson’s Heisman odds, and he had only good things to say about the quarterback. “If Ty Simpson’s name was Ty Manning, we would cancel the end of the season Heisman Trophy ceremony and just do it now,” he said on The Next Round podcast, following Bama’s win over Vanderbilt.

Even Greg McElroy is impressed with Tuscaloosa’s QB. On the Always College Football podcast, he stated that Simpson was “rapidly ascending into the top tier of college quarterbacks” and “rapidly ascending in the Heisman conversation.”

Meanwhile, Joey Aguilar’s Heisman odds have soared as well. After the win over the Kentucky Wildcats, Aguilar nearly touched the 400 passing yards mark, with two touchdowns and no interceptions for 20-of-26 attempts. And according to FanDuel, the Vols QB has a +20000 to win the coveted award.

Presently, his odds are No. 16th across college football. If he manages to pull it off, he’d become the first player in Tennessee history to claim the Heisman, something even Peyton Manning narrowly missed when Michigan’s Charles Woodson took home the trophy in 1997.