Heisman Trophy watch 2021: Top 5 contenders after Week 6

Heisman Trophy Candidate No. 4: C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State

It’s wild that at one point, Ohio State football fans were clamoring for someone other than C.J. Stroud to play quarterback, but I guess when you have a slew of five-stars waiting in the wings, that will happen.

But after coming back from an injury, Stoud has been spectacular.

Against Rutgers, he threw for 330 yards and five touchdowns on the road. Then, against Maryland, Stroud followed that up with a 405-yard performance in the Horseshoe and another five-touchdown day to give him 18 for the season in five starts.

Stroud is surrounded by some of the best skill players in the country and the Buckeyes are still a national title contender despite the loss to Oregon.

One team that’s been helped by some of these upsets is Ohio State, which essentially controls its own destiny now for the College Football Playoff.

Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, and Iowa are all ranked in the top 10 and are all on the Ohio State schedule — well, Iowa would be in the Big Ten title game.

Say the Buckeyes run the table and Stroud plays well in all those games, it’s easy to see him surging in this race and of anyone outside the top two, he’s got the best shot to win.