Heisman Watch: Bryce Young Jumps Matt Corral As Heisman Odds Favorite

Heisman Watch: Bryce Young Jumps Matt Corral As Heisman Odds Favorite

The early season Heisman Trophy battle has been a two-horse race. Preseason hopefuls like CJ Stroud, JT Daniels, Spencer Rattler and DJ Uiagalelei have all been somewhat disappointing and have fallen down the board as a result.

Now, its Alabama QB Bryce Young and Ole Miss QB Matt Corral battling it out atop the Heisman odds board. Week 5 gave us a rare glimpse at a head-to-head matchup between the two frontrunners as Ole Miss and Alabama met in Tuscaloosa.

Alabama handled the Rebels easily on their way to a 42-21 win. Neither Corral nor Young were fantastic, in comparison to their early-season stats, but the win was enough to propel Young back to the top of the Heisman odds board at +125. Meanwhile, Corral's odds dropped to +250.

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Heisman Odds: Week 5’s Top Performances

Desmond Ridder – Cincinnati QB

Week 5 Stats: 19-32, 297 yards passing, 2 TD

Statistically, Ridder’s performance was not one that necessarily stood out as one of the best in the country. But, when you lead your team into South Bend and you take down a top-10 Notre Dame team, you automatically start to turn some heads.

Ridder has had a somewhat up-and-down season. He started out with a standout performance against Miami (Ohio) before two average games leading into this past Saturday. He wasn’t spectacularly efficient against the Irish, but a senior QB leading Cincinnati to a potential CFP bid is automatically going to get some Heisman hype.

CJ Stroud – Ohio State QB

Week 5 Stats: 17-23, 330 yards passing, 5 TD

This is the CJ Stroud we expected to see when he was announced as the starting QB for the Buckeyes this season. A year ago, a blowout win over Rutgers would have done nothing to a QB’s Heisman odds. But, this year’s Rutgers team is solid and Stroud made them look pedestrian for the entire game.

Not only did Stroud take care of the ball, but he was also accurate, made quick decisions and relied on his WRs to make plays. It looks like that time off due to injury may have given him some space to refine his game. The Buckeyes are on the outside looking in when it comes to the CFP, but with games against Penn State, Michigan and Michigan State still on the schedule, Stroud has plenty of time to make up lost ground.

Bijan Robinson – Texas RB

Week 5 Stats: 35 carries, 216 yards, 2 TDs

Sophomore RB Bijan Robinson is the best RB in the country. That’s no small feat with guys like TreVeyon Henderson, Brian Robinson Jr., Breece Hall and Kenneth Walker III out there, but it’s the truth. And, he showed it this past week with a massive 216-yard performance against in-state rival TCU.

It takes about one play of watching him to see how truly special he is. Robinson has deceiving strength, but more than anything he’s extremely elusive. He’s almost impossible to tackle in the open space and has excellent vision. Right now, he trails just Michigan State’s Walker in rushing yards, but a big performance against an improved Oklahoma defense this week could see Bijan Robinson shoot up the Heisman odds rankings.

Kenny Pickett – Pitt QB

Week 5 Stats: 23-36, 389 yards, 4 TDs

Kenny Pickett wasn’t a top recruit. He didn’t come into the season with a ton of Heisman hype and your average college football fan probably doesn’t even know which team he plays for. But, Pickett is in the middle of probably the best season for any QB in the country right now.

Kenny Pickett is 4th in the country in passing yards, second in the country in passing touchdowns, with 19, 2nd in the country in QBR and has thrown just one interception. Last week, he absolutely tormented the Georgia Tech defense, which has been a solid unit to this point. The real test comes this week. How can Pickett do against a strong Virginia Tech defense that has already made former Heisman hopeful Sam Howell look silly? We’ll find out soon.

Heisman Odds

Complete 2021 Heisman odds