Heisman Watch: Ranking the Top 5 Heisman Odds Candidates Heading into Week 11
Heisman Watch: Ranking the Top 5 Heisman Odds Candidates Heading into Week 11
Things are starting to get really interesting when it comes to our Heisman Watch piece and the latest Heisman odds. For a while, it looked like Bryce Young may run away with it. But, that is certainly not the case as we head into Week 11 of the college football season.
Don’t get me wrong, Bryce Young still leads our Heisman Watch list and sits in the No. 1 spot, according to the most recent Heisman odds. But, his lead over guys like Kenneth Walker III and CJ Stroud has been shrinking every week.
Will this be the week we see someone unseat Young atop our Heisman Watch list? What other names should we be looking out for as we get down to the end of the college football season? Is there any value left betting on Heisman odds? We answer all this and more in this week’s Heisman Watch.
For a look at the latest Heisman odds, click here
Heisman Watch: Top 5 Heisman Odds
1. Bryce Young – Alabama QB (+225)
Like I said, Bryce Young is still the favorite when it comes to our Heisman Watch list, but his odds to win the Heisman actually got longer from Week 10 to Week 11. It’s not really Young’s fault, but a 6-point win over a bad LSU team just doesn’t move the needle, even when he throws for 300+ yards. The bad news for Bryce Young, and anyone betting on his Heisman odds, is that they play New Mexico State this week. I think he could throw for 600 yards and 7 TDs and it still wouldn’t impact his Heisman odds going into Week 12. But, the good news for Bryce Young and his Heisman Watch standings is that the cupcakes stop there. Alabama closes the season with games against No. 25 Arkansas and No. 17 Auburn. If they win both of those, Young will get a shot to take on the best defense in the country, and maybe one of the best defenses ever, in the SEC title game against Georgia.
2. Kenneth Walker III – Michigan State RB (+450)
Who is No. 2 on the Heisman Watch list really depends where you look. But, when it comes to the best odds available, Kenneth Walker III’s Heisman odds give him the second spot. Walker’s Michigan State team suffered its first loss of the season last week against Purdue, but that doesn’t hurt RBs as much as it does QBs. And, despite the loss, Walker was fantastic, he rushed for 136 yards on 22 carries and scored a TD. Walker has a bunch of things going for him, but perhaps his biggest advantage is he’s the only player in the country that has already had his “Heisman moment”. That 197-yard game against Michigan, where he scored five TDs and his team got the win, is the best single performance we’ve seen all season. Voters will remember that come December and that’s the biggest reason he has the No. 2 spot on this week’s Heisman Watch list. With games against Penn State and Ohio State still to come, Walker has time to improve his Heisman odds and catch Bryce Young.
3. CJ Stroud – Ohio State QB (+500)
As I said, Stroud is actually the No. 2 Heisman hopeful in a lot of places. FanDuel has his Heisman odds at +300, but there are +500s available at some places, so he’s No. 3 on the Heisman Watch list. Stroud is coming off back-to-back weeks of ehhhh play. Against Penn State, his team got the win against a rival, but Stroud was largely average in that one. Then, Ohio State went to Lincoln to take on Nebraska and it looked like they were going to lose outright for a little. Stroud lit up the stat sheet with 405 yards and two TDs, but he also threw two costly INTs. These next three weeks will tell us everything we need to know about CJ Stroud’s Heisman odds and his chances to win the award. This Saturday, Stroud and OSU host a dangerous Purdue team that already has two wins over top-five teams this season. The following week, they host Michigan State and Kenneth Walker III before closing out their season against Michigan. If Stroud is fantastic in these games, he has a real chance to overtake both Walker III and Young. If he plays like he has the past two weeks, you may start seeing his Heisman odds drifting back out to that +2500 number that was available for him a few weeks ago.
4. Matt Corral – Ole Miss QB (+650)
Last week, I pronounced Matt Corral’s Heisman odds dead. This week, I’m thinking a massive game against Texas A&M may be able to bring them back from the dead. Remember, for a while Matt Corral was first on our Heisman Watch list. But, the loss to Auburn a few weeks ago was a killer, especially since Corral didn’t throw for a TD and had an INT. This week against A&M is truly Corral’s last chance to show out and make a move on the Heisman Watch list. Ole Miss isn’t going to be playing in the SEC title game and their final two games of the season are against Vanderbilt and Mississippi State. It’s now or never for Corral. But, don’t feel too bad for him, he’ll likely be the first QB taken in this April’s NFL Draft despite the fact that he won’t take home the Heisman and Ole Miss won’t be winning an SEC crown.
5. Caleb Williams – Oklahoma QB (+900)
What are we doing here, folks? You can talk until you’re blue in the face but you can’t convince me that Caleb Williams deserves this No. 5 spot on our Heisman Watch list more than Kenny Pickett or even someone like Sam Hartman. Was Caleb Williams absolutely fantastic this past week against Texas Tech? Yes. But, he’s started three college football games in his entire life. I don’t care if OU wins out, you can’t give the Heisman to a guy that is going to finish the season with six starts. Having said all that, Caleb Williams is fantastic. He may not deserve a shot at this year’s Heisman, but you can be sure that he will be making a legit run at the next two. This week against Baylor will be a huge measuring stick game for just how good he is, not to mention the final two games against Iowa State and Oklahoma State. Williams has turned this OU offense from underperformer to one of the top units in the country, all while throwing for 14 TDs and just 1 INT.