College Football Heisman Watch: Week 9

Bryce Young and Matt Corral have essentially been co-favorites for a month but there’s a new QB among the favorites, joining the pair of SEC passers. Ohio State’s CJ Stroud is down to +550 as his Buckeyes have looked better each week of the season. Stroud’s biggest concern might be that he has one of the nation’s top running backs and two of the country’s best receivers, and those three players could ultimately steal a few votes from Stroud. 

1. Bryce Young, QB, Alabama    Odds: +160

Stats: 2,453 yards passing, 67.2 % completion, 26 TD, 3 INT

Young was excellent against Tennessee last week, throwing for 371 yards and 2 TD and his number went down from +180 to +160 as a result. The Truth is Young’s number will rocket up with just one bad game, so this isn’t a great value here. Young is now second in the nation in QBR, with a 88.5 rating, second to only to the next player on this list. 

2. CJ Stroud, QB, Ohio State    Odds: +550

Stats: 1,965 yards passing, 67.6 % completion, 22 TD, 3 INT

CJ Stroud might actually control his own destiny at this point, if he keeps slaying good defenses, not even Bryce Young can take the trophy away from Stroud. The Buckeyes still have Penn State, Michigan, and Michigan State on the schedule. Stroud was 21 of 28 against Indiana, throwing for 266 yards and 4 TD. Stroud now has 14 TD passes and zero interceptions in his past three games. Stroud leads the nation in QBR with a 91.7 rating. 

3. Matt Corral, QB, Ole Miss     Odds: +280

Stats: 1,913 yards passing, 66.3 % completion, 15 TD, 1 INT, 474 rushing yards, 9 TD

Corral is in an interesting spot, putting up excellent rushing numbers in a Heisman race that features a pair of top quarterbacks in Young and Stroud that hardly run the football. Corral already has topped his career total of seven rushing TD’s with 9 scores on the year. Corral is fourth in the nation in QBR with an 87.1 rating. Corral had a quiet but solid day against LSU last Saturday, completing 18 of 23 passes for 185 yards and a TD and rushing for a TD. 

4. Kenny Pickett, QB, Pittsburgh    Odds: +1000

Stats: 2,236 yards passing, 68.9% completion, 23 TD, 1 INT, 195 rushing yards, 3 TD

Pickett made a massive move in the odds this week, more than halving his number from +2200 to +1000. Pickett actually had a typical day by his standards, going 25 for 39 against Syracuse throwing for 302 yards and two scores. Pickett now has 13 TD passes and zero interceptions in his past four games. Pickett is third in the country with an 88.1 QBR. 

5. Kenneth Walker III, RB, Michigan St.   Odds: +2000

Stats: 152 Rush, 997 Yards, 9 TD, 6.6 YPC, 5 Receptions, 25 Yards, TD

Walker needs a massive game against Michigan to truly throw himself into the Heisman race with the four quarterbacks ahead of him. Walker also needs to box out Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson and Alabama RB Brian Robinson Jr. and Texas RB Bijan Robinson aren’t totally out of the mix right now. Walker’s achilles heel could be his lack of a receiving game, he has only caught 5 passes all season. 

Also received strong consideration: 

Bijan Robinson, RB, Texas

TreVeyon Henderson, RB, Ohio State 

Brian Robinson Jr., RB,  Alabama

Breece Hall, RB, Iowa State

Desmond Ridder, QB, Cincinnati