Bo Nix vs. Michael Penix Jr. stats: Inside the 2023 numbers for Oregon, Washington Heisman candidates

Crissy Froyd

Bo Nix vs. Michael Penix Jr. stats: Inside the 2023 numbers for Oregon, Washington Heisman candidates image

The Heisman Trophy race is nearing its end with conference championships remaining on the schedule.

One of the biggest quarterback matchups to watch over the weekend will be between Bo Nix and Michael Penix Jr. in the Pac-12 Championship.

This will mark the second time the two teams have faced each other this season, with Washington defeating Oregon, 36-33, in the tight regular-season matchup.

Here's a look into Oregon's Nix and Washington's Penix Jr. by the numbers and what to know as we head down the final stretch.

MORE: College football QB rankings after Rivalry Week: Heisman race comes down to Bo Nix, Jayden Daniels

Bo Nix stats

Nix has put up an incredibly strong stat line throughout the season, with several people bringing up his sky-high completion percentage. Now, the way he has done it has been somewhat of a polarizing matter, though.

There are some who have said Nix's completion percentage is the result of a form of stat padding, considering 67 percent of his passes range from behind the line of scrimmage to 9 yards, according to Pro Football Focus, making up more than 2,000 of his 4,000 total passing yards.

Still, Nix is checking the boxes on everything one could ask for — tangibles and intangibles — in an NFL prospect and is clearly operating the offense at high level that could give the Ducks a run at a national title if the make the playoff. He's also taken good care of the football, throwing just a pair of interceptions on 401 attempts.

GameCompAttPass YdsTDINT
vs. Oregon State334036720
at Arizona State242940460
vs. USC233141240
vs. Cal293838641
at Utah243124820
vs. Washington State182529320
at Washington334433720
at Stanford273229040
vs. Colorado283327631
vs. Hawaii212724730
at Texas Tech324435920
vs. Portland State232728730
Season total3154013,906372

Michael Penix Jr. stats

Penix has had a strong season, though some of his performances on the stat sheet as of late have not been as solid as some of his previous ones. That has not been entirely his fault, though, with some factors out of his control that have affected the way things look on the stat sheet.

Most specifically was the Apple Cup, which came down to the game-winning field goal from Washington kicker Grady Gross, who was put on scholarship after the victory. The rivalry game was a rainy affair in which the passing game was greatly affected for both the Huskies and the Cougars.

Regardless, Penix has been one of the greatest success stories of the transfer portal era, and a reunion with Kalen DeBoer has proven beneficial for both parties.

GameCompAttPass YdsTDINT
vs. Washington State183320421
at Oregon State132816220
vs. Utah244233220
at USC223025621
at Stanford213736941
vs. Arizona State274227502
vs. Oregon223730241
at Arizona304036300
vs. Cal192530441
at Michigan State273547340
vs. Tulsa283840931
vs. Boise State294045050
Season total2804273,899328

Bo Nix, Michael Penix Jr. Heisman Trophy odds

According to BETMGM, Nix has been in the driver's seat as the odds-on favorite to win the Heisman Trophy for multiple weeks now. That remains the same heading into conference championship weekend.

Nix leads the pack at -150, while Penix, at +1600, comes in at third in the most recent odds, behind LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels (+120).

Once considered the outright favorite, Penix Jr. will need to have a huge performance in this showdown to have a true chance at taking home the award now that he's considered a long shot.

Though it isn't expected to happen, if he somehow greatly outduels Nix in a lopsided manner, there could be some major shakeup at the last minute. It's more likely this one will be won by either Nix or Daniels at this point.

Here's a look at the complete top five list of Heisman Trophy favorites from BETMGM:

NameSchoolOdds
Bo NixOregon-150
Jayden DanielsLSU+120
Michael Penix Jr.Washington+1600
Marvin Harrison Jr.Ohio State+15000
Carson BeckGeorgia+15000

Crissy Froyd

Crissy Froyd is a content producer at The Sporting News covering college football, the NFL and other sports. A graduate of LSU in 2021, she has nine years' experience writing about football across all levels, specializing in quarterback analysis and the NFL Draft. Her work previously appeared in USA Today, Sports Illustrated and NBC Sports, among other outlets.