Heading into Week 10 of the college football season, we take a look at the top five 2022 Heisman Trophy candidates.
It’s a big week for the 2022 Heisman Trophy race and the fact is, the next few weeks are going to be the ultimate deciding factor in who goes to New York and who wins the Heisman Trophy.
Right now, the race still feels fairly wide open, although Hendon Hooker and C.J. Stroud have clearly moved to the top of the contender list.
Over the last two weeks, we’ve had them tied for the top spot. Yet, it’s hard to keep it that way, and if Hooker and Tennessee are able to beat No. 3 Georgia in Athens on Saturday, this will no longer be a two-horse race.
It will be Hendon Hooker and then everyone else. Stroud is going to have his own chance to make an impression against Michigan at the end of the season. He won’t win the 2022 Heisman Trophy without winning that game, just like I don’t know if Hooker will win without beating Georgia.
Essentially, if the Vols win that game and finish 12-0, they are headed to the College Football Playoff, regardless of what else happens.
Yet, there are a number of other College Football Playoff contenders with Heisman Trophy candidates, and here are our top five (actually six) heading into Week 10.
T5. Max Duggan and Caleb Williams
Just like TCU football, Max Duggan is hurt by the fact that doesn’t play for a big college football brand. However, he’s been every bit as effective as Caleb Williams.
TCU also has beaten more quality teams and Duggan has been spectacular throughout this run, which included a come-from-behind win over Oklahoma State. Duggan has 22 touchdown passes compared to two interceptions, while Williams has 24 touchdown passes and one interception.
Duggan’s worst game in Big 12 play is 293 yards and three total touchdowns and he led TCU to four straight ranked wins. Williams has been spectacular the last two games and is starting to put some numbers similar to Stroud a year ago.
But one of those 300-yard, 4-touchdown games was a loss to Utah. Williams isn’t out of it but has to be stellar against some really good teams down the stretch, as Duggan already has been.
4. Bryce Young
Young has a lot of work to do but I’m not ready to rule him out of the 2022 Heisman Trophy race just yet. He was stellar in the loss to Tennessee and if Alabama had made its field goal and won the game, he would be ahead of Hooker in this race.
That’s how fickle the Heisman Trophy race can be. It’s about individual achievement, but it’s also a team award, especially when there are so many good candidates. Guys that didn’t make this list were Chase Brown, Drake Maye, and Bo Nix.
All of those players could make it to New York. But unless Brown’s team wins the Big Ten or Maye’s wins the ACC, it won’t happen. Same with Nix and the Oregon Ducks in the Pac-12.
That’s why I’m not counting out Young just yet. He’s 18th in passing yards and 7th in QBR which ranks ahead of Williams and Duggan. He also threw for 455 yards against Tennessee and was only under 300 against Mississippi State because it was a blowout.
If Young dominates and leads Alabama to a win over LSU, Ole Miss, Auburn, and Tennessee, or Georgia, he’ll be right where he needs to be. Remember, at this time a year ago, Aidan Hutchinson wasn’t even talked about as a Heisman Trophy contender and he took second.
Things change quickly and if Young delivers and Alabama wins the SEC, I think there’s a chance he could win it again.
3. Blake Corum
Blake Corum continues to run over each team put in his path and Michigan State was his victim last week as he made it six straight games with over 120 rushing yards and scored two touchdowns in a 177-yard performance against Michigan State.
For the season, Corum is over 1,000 yards and has 14 rushing touchdowns. He’s fourth in total rushing yards and third in rushing touchdowns. He also caught a touchdown last week.
Like Brown, Corum is the focal point of this offense and it will be very interesting when they meet on the field in Ann Arbor. The running back that wins that day will probably finalize that spot in the 2022 Heisman Trophy race.
Corum doesn’t just put up big numbers (he’s averaging six yards per carry) but his ability to make people miss and break tackles is as good as it gets. If he’s able to mirror the production of Hassan Haskins down the stretch last season and Michigan beats Ohio State, Corum will have a legit chance of hoisting the 2022 Heisman Trophy.
2. C.J. Stroud
This has more to do with the tenor of the 2022 Heisman Trophy race than anything Stroud has done or hasn’t done.
We had Stroud and Hooker tied for the top spot last week and despite a 351-yard effort which also included a touchdown pass against Penn State, Hooker feels like the favorite in this race.
At least right now.
But that could change this week. If Hooker and the Vols go to Georgia and lose, he will no longer be the top contender. That will be Stroud and the race will have a new feel to it.
That will be especially true if Hooker doesn’t have a great game. If he does and Tennessee drops the game, it will still hurt, just look at Bryce Young.
Throw for 455 yards in a win and it’s great. Do it in a loss and you could fall out of Heisman contention as some believe has already happened to Young.
Stroud is No. 1 in the nation in QBR and leads college football in touchdown passes. But Hooker is No. 2 in QBR and his rushing stats add to the equation too.
The bottom line is that if Hooker and Tennessee keep winning, he’ll win the Heisman, no matter what Stroud does.
1. Hendon Hooker
If you are wondering why Tennessee is ranked No. 1 in the College Football Playoff rankings, it’s because they have five wins over ranked teams including Alabama.
That win over the Crimson Tide is also what makes Hooker the favorite to win the award. He slayed one of college football’s giants and gets another chance this weekend.
Could you imagine beating Alabama and Georgia this season? Maybe Alabama twice? If that happens, no one is beating out Hooker for the 2022 Heisman Trophy.
Why? In those five ranked wins, he’s averaged 362 yards of total offense (308 passing) and has 16 total touchdowns compared to just one interception.
That’s one reason why the Vols are 8-0. They have an elite offense and a QB that values the ball. Hooker also feels like the Heisman leader and if Tennessee wins Saturday, there will be no doubt about it.