Ohio State's C.J. Stroud still the favorite. Tennessee's Hendon Hooker making a run up the odds boards.
The game of the week in college football will also feature two of the top quarterbacks in the country, who are also Heisman Trophy hopefuls.
Hopefully.
Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, the defending Heisman winner, is trying to get back for Saturday’s game against No. 6 Tennessee in Knoxville. Young suffered a shoulder injury two weeks ago and missed the Crimson Tide’s heart-stopping win over Texas A&M this past Saturday.
Alabama, now No. 3 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll, is still undefeated and looking to extend its winning streak over Tennessee to 16 games. The last time the Vols beat the Tide was in 2006.
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Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker was 7 years old then.
Now, Hooker is leading the top offense in the Southeastern Conference in terms of yards per game (547.8), while also elevating his stock for the nation’s top individual award.
All eyes will be on Rocky Top this Saturday, as FrontPageBets takes a look at this week’s Heisman watch.
(All odds courtesy of DraftKings and are subject to change)
Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud (-130)
Last week, Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud odds of winning the Heisman were +160. Now, especially with Young having not played on Saturday, it looks like the Heisman is Stroud’s to lose.
And by the way he’s been playing for the second-ranked Buckeyes, don’t expect him to let go of his lead anytime soon.
Stroud leads the country in touchdown passes (24) and in passing yards per completion (15.37). He’s thrown for 1,737 yards on the season and only three interceptions.
In Ohio State’s big win over Michigan State this past Saturday, Stroud threw for 361 yards and six touchdowns. Six.
The only thing that might slow Stroud down is the team’s bye this weekend.
Tennessee QB Hendon Hooker +1100
If Hooker wasn’t a viable candidate a week ago, he certainly is now.
Hooker was at +1600 at the end of September, now he’s +1100. Thanks, in part, to a huge game against then-No. 25 LSU in Baton Rouge, throwing for 239 yards and two touchdowns, while also running for 56 yards in the Vols’ 40-13 shellacking of the Tigers.
For the season, Hooker has thrown for 1,432 yards and 10 touchdowns. He has no -- zero -- interceptions in 140 pass attempts this season. None. And he’s completing 70% of his passes.
He’ll need all that he can muster – and more – to knock off Alabama this weekend for the first time in more than 15 years.
USC QB Caleb Williams (+1200)
USC quarterback Caleb Williams actually fell in the standings, going from +500 last week to below Hooker at +1200.
But that’s not a knock against Williams, who has the Trojans ranked No. 7 and undefeated.
Williams is in the top 20 in the nation in passing yards (1,590) and has 14 touchdown passes and just one interception on 188 attempts on the 2022 season.
He did have a pedestrian 188 passing yards and two touchdowns in USC’s win over Washington State this past Saturday, but Williams and the Trojans will have to turn it up a notch this week as they travel to No. 20 Utah.
Alabama QB Bryce Young (+1500)
The defending Heisman Trophy winner’s status for Saturday’s big game against Tennessee is still up in the air. While he was in uniform for the Tide’s win over Texas A&M, he did not see the field.
Despite missing last week’s game, Young is still second in the SEC in passing touchdowns (14) and third in quarterback rating (172.51). On the season, Young has thrown for 1,202 yards and been intercepted just three times.
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Mike Szvetitz is the General Manager and Content Director for FrontPageBets.com. Szvetitz is a 22-year veteran reporter and editor, including serving 17 years as a sports editor in Florida, Alabama and Virginia, covering everything from preps to pros. His "View From The Lazy Boy" column won multiple state and national awards. He can be reached at mszvetitz@timesdispatch.com.
