Heisman Watch: Ranking the Top 5 Heisman Odds Candidates Heading into Week 3
Heisman Watch: Ranking the Top 5 Heisman Odds Candidates Heading into Week 3
Coming into this season, I thought the 2022 version of the Heisman Watch would be a little less volatile than in years past. Boy, was I wrong?
We're another week into the college football season and we're still yet to have two weeks in a row with the same favorite atop our Heisman Watch list. Last week, Alabama QB Bryce Young leapfrogged into the top spot. This week, it's a different face atop our Heisman Watch list.
But, the main takeaway from the latest Heisman odds isn't happening at the top, it's the gap that has been closed between the top two names and the No. 3 option on our list, USC QB Caleb Williams.
So, let's take a look at the Heisman Watch list for Week 3 and who you should be watching as the season kicks into gear.
Click here for the latest Heisman odds
Heisman Watch: Top 5 Heisman Odds
1. CJ Stroud - Ohio State QB (+300) (Bet $100 to win $300)
He's back! The preseason favorite to win the Heisman is back atop our Heisman Watch list. But, it's not really about anything he did or didn't do. It's more about the fact that Bryce Young looked incredibly average against Texas on the road. Sure, Stroud threw for 351 yards and four TDs on 16-of-24 passing. But, it came against Arkansas State, so we're taking it with a grain of salt. Honestly, more important was the performance of Marvin Harrison Jr. If Stroud is going to win the Heisman this year, as the latest Heisman odds would suggest, he needs a true No. 2 receiver once Jaxon Smith-Njigba returns. Harrison Jr. seems to be that guy. Unfortunately for CJ Stroud Heisman backers, we will probably see a drop in odds after this week as a big showing against Toledo will do little to convince sportsbooks he's the guy.
2. Bryce Young - Alabama QB (+350) (Bet $100 to win $350)
Last week was a tough one for Bryce Young. He had a chance to put his foot on the neck of the rest of the Heisman Watch list and he didn't take advantage. With CJ Stroud facing Arkansas State, a big game at Texas from Young would have done wonders. Instead, he looked human in a one-point win against the Longhorns' backup QB. Now, to be fair, a lot of that isn't his fault. But, it did make me wonder if he has the offensive firepower around him to win the award. The Alabama wide receivers look like they're going to take some time to get on board with Young. The leading Bama receiver last week was running back Jahmyr Gibbs. And, if we're being honest, Quinn Ewers, in the biggest game of his life, looked better than Young until he went down with an injury. If Bryce Young is going to win another Heisman, he's going to need to put up much better performances. Unfortunately, this week's game against UL Monroe will likely do little to convince sportsbooks.
Click here to get the best sportsbook promos available in your state
3. Caleb Williams - USC QB (+400) (Bet $100 to win $400)
It took only three weeks for my preseason Heisman pick, Caleb Williams, to turn this year's Heisman watch into a three-horse race. Williams started the season with +800 Heisman odds and they've been cut in half already. Not to mention, depending where you look, Williams is already the second favorite to win the Heisman Trophy this season, ahead of Bryce Young. Any questions about how Williams' game would translate to the Pac-12 have officially been erased after he dismantled the Stanford defense to the tune of 341 passing yards and four TDs on 20-of-27 passing. For me, Williams is clearly the best player in the country right now. If he was draft eligible, he would be the runaway No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. He is too big, too fast and too strong for the Pac-12 and will continue to put up gaudy numbers all season long. If you want to be Caleb Williams to win the Heisman, now is the time, because his Heisman odds are only going to get shorter as the season goes on.
4. Stetson Bennett - Georgia QB (+2000) (Bet $100 to win $2,000)
It's impossible to know how real the Stetson Bennett Heisman hype is at this point in the season. People keep doubting him at every turn and all he does is turn around and win football games. He's been awesome this year and deserves any Heisman hype he has, but last week's win against Samford isn't going to do much to convince Heisman voters. The true test for Bennett and the legitimacy of his Heisman campaign comes in the form of a four-game stretch starting on October 29. In consecutive games, Georgia plays No. 18 Florida, No. 15 Tennessee, Mississippi State and No. 9 Kentucky. If they come out of that stretch unbeaten and Bennett is putting up massive numbers in the process, he will have as good of a chance as anyone else on our Heisman Watch list to win the award come December.
5. JJ McCarthy - Michigan QB (+3000) (Bet $100 to win $3,000)
Don't kill the messenger. I triple checked this one and Michigan QB JJ McCarthy is indeed the fifth favorite to win the Heisman this year. Sure, he wasn't even the team's starting QB two weeks ago and he will likely lose snaps throughout the season to Cade McNamara, but sportsbooks apparently don't care when it comes to Heisman odds. The best part is I don't even think McCarthy was that impressive in the Wolverines' win over Hawaii. He finished with 229 yards passing on 11-of-12 through the air, but Hawaii very well could be the worst FBS team in the country this year. I don't know if him torching that secondary is indicative of a massive season and Heisman candidacy ahead. But, here we are three weeks into the college football season and JJ McCarthy is our fifth favorite to win the award. We won't find out much this week against UConn, but we get into Big Ten play the following week. If he can perform well in conference play, expect his Heisman odds to get even shorter.