The Heisman Trophy race has taken a few twists and turns and we rank the contenders as we get close to the midway point in the 2021 college football season.
Week 5 of the college football season was an important one in the Heisman Trophy race and following another win by Alabama, we have a clear favorite — Bryce Young.
Young wasn’t spectacular or anything last week in the Crimson Tide’s win over Ole Miss. But he was efficient with only a few incompletions and threw for over 200 yards and two touchdowns.
The bigger issue was that Matt Corral wasn’t able to notch a Heisman moment that he so desperately needed against the No. 1 team in the country.
Unless something changes drastically, the award could be Young’s to lose but we break down the top five Heisman Trophy contenders as well as what they need to do to win:
Heisman Trophy Candidate No. 5: Kenneth Walker, RB, Michigan State
I haven’t been all that optimistic about Walker winning the Heisman Trophy and I still think he’s got a lot of work to do even to be a finalist. He does have 680 yards and eight touchdowns and has been a revelation for the Michigan State Spartans.
He will also have a lot of big-time matchups in the coming weeks against Michigan, Penn State, and Ohio State, so there will be plenty of opportunities for a Heisman moment.
He’s going to need one and he can’t afford any more games like the clunker he had against Nebraska. He was held under 100 and if running backs want to win the Heisman, they need to go berserk, which is what he needs to do over the final seven games of the season.
Heisman Trophy Candidate No. 4: C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State
Being the quarterback of the Ohio State football team has a lot of pressure that comes with it and you could see that with the reaction to C.J. Stroud’s start to the season.
The talented former top-50 recruit threw an interception in each of his first three starts and then missed a game due to injury. But he was simply spectacular last weekend against Rutgers in his return, throwing for 339 yards and five touchdowns.
I’ve been higher on his Heisman prospects than most and that’s because you can still see Ohio State tearing through the Big Ten with him leading the way. He’s averaging more than 300 yards per game and has 1,293 total as well as 13 touchdowns.
The game against Oregon hurt and so have his interceptions. But if he can put up gaudy numbers and lead Ohio State to a Big Ten championship, he’s going to have a good shot to at least be a finalist.
Heisman Trophy Candidate No. 3: Desmond Ridder, QB, Cincinnati
The biggest disadvantage that Desmond Ridder has in the 2021 Heisman race is that he plays for Cincinnati, which isn’t exactly recognized as a college football powerhouse.
However, the one thing that Ridder has going for him in the Heisman moment that we always talk about. It can be a play such as the Eric Crouch touchdown reception back in 2001 on a trick play or a game like the one Johnny football had against Alabama.
Ridder had one of those career-defining moments and he did against Notre Dame last Saturday, throwing for 297 yards and two touchdowns to go along with one rushing touchdown, zero interceptions, and probably the biggest win in the history of Cincinnati football.
He was the best player on the field in South Bend and him scoring that clinching touchdown in one of college football’s cathedrals certainly won’t work against him.
But, he’s going to have put up big numbers and have some others falter because there aren’t many opportunities to impress from here on out.
Heisman Trophy Candidate No. 2: Matt Corral, QB, Ole Miss
Matt Corral didn’t have a bad game against Alabama last week. He was 21-for-29 for 213 yards and threw one touchdown but ran just three total yards due to sacks.
I’m sure Alabama was happy with the final stat line: 216 total yards and one score, as well as allowing 21 total points. What is still working in his favor is the fact that he had a seven-touchdown game against Tulane, as well as some other memorable moments.
He’s also going to have more. Playing for Lane Kiffin gives him the chance to put up big numbers and make some eye-popping plays as he did against Louisville.
And following the loss to Bama, Ole Miss will be back on the big stage against Arkansas in a game with implications in the SEC, especially for going to the Sugar Bowl or the New Year’s Six.
For Corral, if he can have a stellar day, it will put him right back where he needs to be in the Heisman Trophy conversation.
Heisman Trophy Candidate No. 1: Bryce Young, QB, Alabama
As we said in the lead, Alabama’s Bryce Young is in the driver’s seat and it’s really not that close right now. Last week, despite throwing an interception, he passed for 241 yards and two touchdowns, which increased his total to 17 for the season.
Young does have four interceptions and he hasn’t been perfect. But in three games against ranked teams: Miami, Florida, and Ole Miss, he has shined bright.
In those three games, Young has thrown for an average of 275 yards to go along with nine touchdown passes and just one INT. He also threw the 97-yard bomb in the opener against Miami which sort of jumpstarted his Heisman campaign.
At this point, Young is the clear favorite and is going to have to stumble for anyone to have a real shot. And even though he’s been spectacular, everything Bama fans could have hoped for, this Heisman race feels dull.
It feels like a U.S. Open golf tournament won with a bunch of pars instead of a Masters title won with a barrage of eagles and birdies.
Hopefully, that will change down the stretch and the contenders have plenty of time to shake up the race.