The bigger news when it comes to the race for the Heisman Trophy was that top contender Hendon Hooker of Tennessee suffered a season-ending torn ACL and he is out of the running. That leaves Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud now being pursued by USC QB Caleb Williams as we head into the final week of the regular season for most of the teams in the country.
There is a bit of a gap between the top two candidates. However, plenty of eyes will be on the Ohio State-Michigan game, so Wolverines running back Blake Corum will have a chance to come up with his Heisman moment. The other top running backs are nowhere to be found when looking at the Heisman Trophy odds per the college football predictions.
Here’s a look at how things shake out heading into Week 13.
Let’s check the latest NCAAF picks, stats, injury reports, and NCAAF predictions. We’ve plenty of NCAAF expert picks for you to consider.
Then There Were Two
The Heisman Trophy front-runners have come and gone throughout the season. Now it appears to be a two-player race.
Ohio State quarterback Stroud continues to be the leader with college football odds of -135 to win the Heisman Trophy. If he wins, Ohio State would break a tie with Oklahoma and Notre Dame for the most Heisman Trophies won.
that’s our QB1 #HE7SMAN @CJ7STROUD https://t.co/iZDtRftBas
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) November 21, 2022
Stroud leads the country with a passing rating of 183.3. He has thrown for 2,991 yards while completing 66% of his passes with 35 touchdown passes and four interceptions. He has seven TD throws and no interceptions over the last four games.
His main competitor at the current time is Southern California quarterback Caleb Williams as he is priced at +120 in the Heisman Trophy odds.
Williams is coming off a career-high 470 yards in a thrilling 48-45 win over UCLA that clinched a spot in the Pac-12 title game.
He has been a bit erratic in recent weeks, completing less than 60% of his passes in three of the previous five games before going on the money against the rival Bruins.
Williams has completed 65% of his passes for 3,480 yards with 33 touchdowns and three interceptions.
There will be plenty of eyes on Williams when the Trojans wrap up the regular season by playing Notre Dame.
Hooker’s Season, Heisman Hopes Over
A brilliant season for Tennessee quarterback Hooker came to a premature end when he suffered a season-ending knee injury in a loss to South Carolina that ended the Volunteers’ national title hopes.
Hooker has been taken off the board as a Heisman Trophy candidate even though he is third in the country in passing efficiency. Hooker finished the season completing 69.6% of his passes for 3,135 yards with 27 touchdown passes and two interceptions.
Hooker also ran for 430 yards and five more scores. Hooker throwing five touchdown passes in a win over Alabama will go down as one of the signature performances of the 2022 college football season.
Hooker’s odds were at -135 and +325 in the last two weeks.
Yellow Jackets Sting UNC’s Maye
North Carolina redshirt freshman Drake Maye was a longshot to win the Heisman going into last week’s game against Georgia Tech.
However, completing 16 of 30 for a season-low 202 yards in a 21-17 loss when listed by the Las Vegas odds as a 22-point underdog is not a winning formula.
Maye is third in the country with 3,614 passing yards to go with 34 TDs and four interceptions. His odds to win the Heisman moved from +550 to +650.
Another Trophy at Stake
It is highly unlikely that Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett or TCU’s Max Duggan will win the Heisman as they aren’t currently in the top five in the current odds.
However, there is another trophy for which they are very much in contention.
Georgia is ranked first in the national polls and TCU is fourth. As long as they continue to get the job done for their undefeated teams, they will have a chance to lead their teams to the national title.
Bennett’s Heisman odds went from +1400 to +8000 according to the sportsbook after being limited to 116 yards with no touchdowns and one interception in a 16-6 win at Kentucky. Duggan’s odds moved from +6000 to +5000 as he threw for 327 yards and ran for 50 more in a hard-earned win over Big 12 defending champion Baylor.
One of the few players ahead of them is Oregon’s Bo Nix. He has a chance to get Oregon into the Pac-12 title game but it seems highly unlikely that the Ducks will be a factor in the College Football Playoffs. Nix comes in at +2800 in the Heisman odds so he has some work to do as well.
Matchup of the Week
Michigan vs Ohio State
- Date, time (TV): Saturday, Nov. 26, Noon ET (FOX)
Not only is Stroud, the Heisman Trophy front-runner, playing in one of the most anticipated games of the college football season featuring a pair of 11-0 teams, but Michigan running back Corum is fourth in the Heisman odds as he is priced at +1200.
Corum has posted nine straight 100-yard games and has at least one touchdown in every game this season. He enters the showdown between the No. 2- and 3-ranked teams in the country with 1,457 yards and 18 touchdown runs.
Corum had 87 yards on six carries in last year’s win over Ohio State. He figures to be much busier on Saturday.
A big game against Ohio State, the fifth-ranked rushing defense in the Big Ten, could change the pecking order quite a bit when it comes to the Heisman Trophy race.
