Each week this college football season, BetFTW will take a look at the 2022 Heisman Trophy race and break down the contenders. Check back each Monday as the best college football players in the country jockey for position with both oddsmakers and bettors. Preseason odds can be found here and Week 6 here.
There is starting to be a little more separation at the top in this season’s Heisman race. Two names have emerged — C.J. Stroud and Hendon Hooker — as the two to beat for the trophy in 2022-23 as the quarterback duo has started to pull away from the pack. Don’t sleep on a late push from Oregon’s Bo Nix, who has joined the top-10 after a big win over UCLA.
Let’s get to it. (Odds via BetMGM)
Oklahoma State QB Spencer Sanders (+4000)
Spencer Sanders threw both of his touchdown passes in the fourth quarter as the Cowboys outscored Texas 14-0 in the fourth quarter in a wild comeback. Oklahoma State has just one loss on the season — a three-point game to undefeated TCU — and Sanders has thrown over 2,000 yards with 15 touchdowns. His odds actually decreased from last week (+3000), but Sanders moved up slightly in the standings.
Oregon QB Bo Nix (+4000)
Helllllooooo, Bo Nix. The Auburn-turned-Oregon quarterback absolutely shone this weekend in a top-10 matchup against No. 9 UCLA to the tune of five touchdown passes. Oregon got off to an inauspicious start with a horrible loss to Georgia, but they’ve since rattled off six straight wins.
Nix is still a long-shot at the Heisman Trophy, but if he keeps dropping dimes like this, voters will take notice.
This Bo Nix TD throw is majestic as hell pic.twitter.com/Hpx2nLOoxg
— CJ Fogler AKA Perc70 #BlackLivesMatter (@cjzero) October 22, 2022
Alabama QB Bryce Young (+2200)
Bama bounced back from its loss to Tennessee with an emphatic 30-6 win over then-No. 24 Mississippi State. Next up, they’ll have an LSU team that took down previously undefeated Ole Miss and has been playing better as of late. Can Young keep his push to repeat as Heisman Trophy winner going, or is this going to come down to Stroud and Hooker?
Michigan RB Blake Corum (+1300)
Corum was quiet with a bye this week, but the Michigan RB is still the only non-QB in the top-5. The Wolverines will play Michigan State, Rutgers, and Nebraska in its next three games, so the likelihood that Michigan is undefeated going into its final two games — against surprisingly good Illinois and stalwart Ohio State — is high.
Unlike some of the others in these standings, Corum only slipped a little bit from last week’s odds (+1200).
USC QB Caleb Williams (+1200)
USC’s unbeaten streak ended last week with a breathtaking late loss to Utah, and the Trojans were off with a bye in Week 8. Can Williams make a late push with just one ranked game — against UCLA on November 19 — left on the schedule?
Tennessee QB Hendon Hooker (+200)
Hooker threw three touchdown passes in limited action against overmatched UT-Martin on Saturday, but his odds moved from +600 to +200 as he closed the gap on C.J. Stroud this week. This has been a fun story to follow for the one-time struggling Virginia Tech quarterback. He will have plenty of chances to make more noise in the coming weeks, starting with No. 19 Kentucky this weekend.
Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud (-125)
Still No. 1! The Buckeye quarterback continues to impress week after week, holding onto his top spot once again. Ohio State faces a huge road test with a trip to No. 13 Penn State this weekend. Can Stroud stay atop the boards yet again?
