Jeremiah Smith's Heisman odds skyrocket after Malachi Toney injury

Can Jeremiah Smith still win the Heisman?

That question took a sharp turn this week after Miami star receiver Malachi Toney suffered a high ankle sprain during practice that will require surgery, sidelining him for the remainder of the regular season.

The injury reshapes the Heisman Trophy race.

Toney was widely considered a lock for the ceremony in New York, playing for the undefeated, No. 1-ranked Miami Hurricanes.

Now, with Toney unable to put up stats for the rest of the regular season, the door swings wide open for the other contenders.

Jeremiah Smith, the Ohio State wide receiver, stands to benefit the most.

Smith has been the most consistent player on the Buckeyes' offense all season.

Without him, Ohio State would likely have three or more losses.

His stats through this point in the season: 62 catches, 1,067 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Those numbers rank fifth, second and second in the country, respectively.

Smith scored a touchdown in Ohio State's upset loss to USC last week.

But his quest for the Heisman got tougher when Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin suffered an injury that coach Ryan Day said would cost the signal caller several weeks.

Smith will now be catching passes from backup quarterback Luke Fahey when the Buckeyes take on Oregon on Nov. 7.

The Buckeyes suffered their second loss of the season against the Trojans and received a No. 12 ranking in the first College Football Playoff top 25 list.

Even with a true freshman at quarterback, Smith's path to college football's greatest individual honor is now wide open, according to CBS Sports.

The argument for Toney over Smith was always about team success.

Toney played for the No. 1 team in the country, an undefeated Miami squad that sits atop the CFP rankings.

Winning was Toney's best argument.

Now he cannot put up the requisite stats to make his case.

With Toney out, Miami might start to drop some games, which could help Ohio State's argument for a higher seed in the College Football Playoff.

Of course, Ohio State has to make the CFP first.

If they drop another game, they will likely be left out.

They do not have the juice with the rest of the schedule to make up ground.

However, beating Oregon on Saturday would give them another ranked victory.

The Buckeyes need Smith to play like a Heisman winner for the rest of the season.

He is by far the best weapon on the offense, and they need him now more than ever with Luke Fahey as the starting quarterback.

Even if Fahey gets replaced by Tavien St. Clair at some point, the Buckeyes still need Smith to be the unstoppable force he has been all year.

That is the only way the offense will be good enough to make the College Football Playoff and have a shot to win a title.

Smith is the best receiver that the Ohio State football program has ever had.

Here is where Smith ranks in the Heisman Trophy contenders list.

The top 10 Heisman Trophy candidates after Week 9:

10. Braden Atkinson, Oregon State QB

Last week's ranking: 5

Latest game stats: 22 of 38 for 373 passing yards, one touchdown, 77 rushing yards and a touchdown, 38-22 loss against Fresno State.

Oregon State suffered its third loss this season, but Atkinson delivered over 400 total yards and leads the FBS in passing yards.

9. CJ Carr, Notre Dame QB

Last week's ranking: 9

Latest game stats: 19 of 29 for 210 passing yards, two touchdowns, 35-13 win over Navy.

Carr had a solid week against the Navy Midshipmen and faces No. 1 Miami this upcoming Saturday.

A win will greatly improve Notre Dame's CFP standing and Carr's Heisman chances.

8. Bear Bachmeier, BYU QB

Last week's ranking: 7

Latest game stats: 16 of 32 for 257 passing yards, two touchdowns, one interception, 37 rushing yards and a touchdown, 31-39 OT loss vs. UCF.

Bachmeier will soon face off against Utah in the Holy War.

Whichever quarterback between him and Utah's Devon Dampier will likely remain on this list.

7. Gio Lopez, Wake Forest QB

Last week's ranking: N/A

Latest game stats: 13 of 21 for 229 yards, one touchdown, 13 rushes for 64 yards, 51-7 win over Virginia.

The Demon Deacons are one of college football's biggest surprises this season.

Quarterback Gio Lopez is a big reason why.

The UNC transfer has 18 passing touchdowns, six rushing touchdowns and one interception on the season while Wake Forest owns a 7-1 record.

6. Charlie Becker, Indiana WR

Last week's ranking: N/A

Latest game stats: Eight receptions, 149 yards, one touchdown, 23-16 OT win over Minnesota.

Hoosiers coach Curt Cignetti benched starting quarterback Josh Hoover after the first half against Minnesota, but Charlie Becker still had a stellar performance and scored the game-winning touchdown.

5. Darian Mensah, Miami QB

Last week's ranking: 2

Latest game stats: Toney's injury now puts the spotlight squarely on Mensah.

The electric duo was going to split Heisman votes, but now Mensah could make a push for the award while Toney is out.

Mensah is right there with Smith as one of the two clear favorites to win the award.

If he goes on the road against a national championship contender and pulls out a win without his top wide receiver, his stock could soar.