# Bowman Football 2026: Heisman hopefuls ranked for collectors > Week 3 shook up the Heisman race and the hobby market ahead of Bowman Football's release. - Title: Bowman Football 2026: Heisman hopefuls ranked for collectors - Summary: Week 3 shook up the Heisman race and the hobby market ahead of Bowman Football's release. Darian Mensah and CJ Carr lead the Heisman race, while Arch Manning… - Keywords: bowman football, 2026 bowman football, heisman trophy, darian mensah, cj carr, arch manning, miami hurricanes, notre dame, texas longhorns, college football, sports cards, trading cards - Source: Collectibles On SI — https://si.com/collectibles/looking-ahead-bowman-football-week-3-heisman-hopefuls - Published: 2026-09-15T23:22:43+00:00 - Read time: 2 min - Topics: bowman football, 2026 bowman football, heisman trophy, darian mensah, cj carr, arch manning, miami hurricanes, notre dame, texas longhorns, college football, sports cards, trading cards ## Week 3 shakes up Heisman race Texas staged a comeback against No. 1 Ohio State while other Heisman hopefuls faced weak competition. Bowman Football releases in a few weeks. ## Mensah leads the Heisman race Darian Mensah is the early frontrunner after dominating Stanford and Florida A&M. His real test comes when Miami faces Notre Dame later this season. ## Miami vs Notre Dame elimination game The Miami-Notre Dame matchup will be a Heisman elimination game with major hobby impact. Mensah had his Bowman 1st in 2025, but will be everywhere in 2026. > It will be an elimination game, of sorts, for the Heisman, and should have a major impact on the hobby side as well. ## CJ Carr gets his first card 2026 Bowman Football will be CJ Carr's first card. Breakers will emphasize him as he'll likely remain a Heisman frontrunner after release. ## Arch Manning leads epic comeback Arch Manning led Texas to an epic comeback against No. 1 Ohio State. The Longhorns are now the new No. 1 team in the country. ## Manning will be the chase card Manning will be the chase on the NIL side of 2026 Bowman Football. He'll get his Bowman 1st plus the SSP Anime and GPK cards. ## Hoover faces tough schedule ahead Josh Hoover has a big late October and November with matchups against Ohio State, Michigan, and USC. He'll have a Spotlight, Crystalized, and his first Indiana autos. ## Maiava may not match hype Jayden Maiava will have all the case hits except Anime. He may not be the hobby chase that his current Heisman odds imply. ## Taylor flying under the radar Kamario Taylor has been on fire with 581 passing yards, 145 rushing yards, and 8 combined touchdowns. He'll likely fly under the radar in the hobby too. ## Taylor's card offerings detailed Taylor will have a Spotlight and Crystalized, plus autos and an SSP auto in 2026 Bowman Football. ## Mestemaker upsets No. 6 Oregon Drew Mestemaker had a monster performance against No. 6 Oregon in an upset win. He'll have his Bowman 1st and most case hits, minus Anime. ## Sagapolutele struggles early on Cal got blown out by UCLA and Jaron-Kaewe Sagapolutele has struggled most of the season. He still has some of the longest Heisman odds. ## Sagapolutele remains a big chase Despite his struggles, Sagapolutele will remain one of the biggest chases in 2026 Bowman Football based on his preseason hype and card offerings. ## Key takeaway Darian Mensah and CJ Carr lead the Heisman race, while Arch Manning will be the biggest chase card in 2026 Bowman Football.