With championship weekend in the rear-view, it’s time for one of college football’s time-honored traditions: Being upset with at least one of the finalists chosen to appear in New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony.
Though ostensibly an award for the most valuable player in the country, in practice, that generally translates to “the quarterback (or, sometimes, running back) with the best numbers.” No defensive player has won the award since Charles Woodson in 1997, and in 2020, DeVonta Smith became the first receiver to win since Desmond Howard in 1991.
This year reflects the Trophy’s perceived bias more than most, as all four of the finalists — USC’s Caleb Williams, TCU’s Max Duggan, Georgia’s Stetson Bennett and Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud — are signal-callers.
This year was certainly not free from controversy, but all four of these finalists have an argument for being there — yes, even Bennett. With that in mind, I’m going to briefly put on my PR hat here and make the best possible case each has to win this year’s award.
Caleb Williams, USC
Heading into championship weekend, this award looked like it was Williams’ to lose. He remains the odds-on favorite to win despite the loss to Utah, which ended the Trojans’ hopes of a playoff appearance in the first season under Lincoln Riley.
It’s not hard to understand why Williams will likely win the Trophy. Statistically, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more impressive quarterback. His 37 passing touchdowns are tied for first nationally, his 4,075 passing yards ranks fourth and his 86.5 QBR ranks fifth.
Add in his 10 rushing touchdowns on the ground paired with the fact that he has tossed just four interceptions on 448 attempts, and the sophomore transfer from Oklahoma has been on an absolute tear. He passes the eye test with flying colors, as well.
His case is both the strongest and cleanest, and the only thing you can really hold against him was his late interception in the loss to Utah, a game in which he still threw for 363 yards and three touchdowns.
Max Duggan, TCU
Duggan didn’t really start getting serious Heisman talk until the last few weeks of the season, but that’s more reflective of a blind spot in college football media than anything he did on the field. His numbers don’t quite compare to Williams, but with 3,321 yards, 36 total touchdowns and four interceptions on significantly fewer attempts, the production is certainly there.
If Duggan wins the award on Saturday night, it will likely be in large part thanks to his efforts in the Big 12 Championship. It wasn’t the most statistically impressive performance, and the Horned Frogs lost, but that had nothing to do with Duggan.
The senior from Council Bluffs, Iowa, may have been injured and was certainly gassed, but that didn’t keep him from leaving it all out on the field — and even struggling to get off of it after a few hits.
The concept of a “Heisman moment” is a bit of a cliche, but if there were ever a circumstance where one game could win a player the award, it’s this one.
C.J. Stroud, Ohio State
Stroud entered the season as the clear favorite to win the Heisman, but on the eve of the announcement, his candidacy seems fairly unlikely. He has the longest odds of the four, but honestly, it’s kind of hard to understand why.
Just looking at his numbers, he had a Heisman-worthy campaign. His stats aren’t as impressive on their face as Williams’ are, which is probably the biggest thing Stroud has working against him. He has 37 passing touchdowns to six interceptions while actually ranking higher than Williams in QBR, but by most metrics, it was a regression.
His completion percentage dropped from 71.9% to 66.2%, and he threw more than a thousand fewer yards. It also didn’t help that he never had one of those aforementioned “Heisman moments,” squandering an opportunity against Michigan to potentially clinch the award with a big game.
He also had one of the most talented receivers the game has seen in a long time in Marvin Harrison Jr. to help him out, though he was without one of the best receivers in the country for almost the entire season in Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
I understand why the voters are going to go in a different direction, but I think Stroud’s case is stronger than many think.
Stetson Bennett, Georgia
It’s not surprising that the decision to invite Bennett over several candidates deemed more deserving was the most controversial aspect of this group. Certainly, it feels like a snub for Hendon Hooker, the Tennessee quarterback who may have won the award were it not for a season-ending injury in the second-to-last game.
Other players like Blake Corum, Bryce Young and Bijan Robinson also likely had stronger statistical arguments than Bennett, whose numbers are solid but not overly impressive. With 20 passing touchdowns to six interceptions, he’s actually having a less productive campaign than he had while guiding the Bulldogs to a championship in 2021 despite attempting a lot more passes.
He did add seven touchdowns on the ground and threw for a very solid 3,425 yards (more than Stroud), but if you’re giving the Heisman to Bennett, it’s not because of the numbers.
Bennett will likely be on that stage as an homage to his accomplishments at Georgia and story. A former walk-on who went the JUCO route before returning to Athens and eventually earning a scholarship and the starting job, Bennett — who is 25 — has a story that you could really only see in college football.
Whether he has a future playing professional football, he will certainly be remembered for a long time by Georgia fans. He has a 24-3 record as a starter and led the Bulldogs to back-to-back perfect campaigns in SEC play, a feat that isn’t easy to accomplish.
He probably won’t win the Heisman, but his accomplishments should be recognized, and it’s clear why his story has resonated so much with the college football media.
How I would vote
I do not have a Heisman vote. If I did, however, this is how I would rank these four on my ballot.
- Williams
- Duggan
- Stroud
- Bennett
To me, Williams is clearly the most deserving player and, based on the metrics voters have used in the past, I would be fairly surprised if he’s not hoisting the Trophy on Saturday night. I think giving the Heisman to Duggan would also be understandable, though I wouldn’t personally vote that way.
I don’t think Stroud did enough this season to win it over either of them, and while Bennett’s story exemplifies everything that’s great about college football, I have a hard time imagining he received many first-place votes.
