Heisman Trophy 2022, Odds and Predictions

The Heisman Trophy is the biggest award a college football player can get. Since 1935, when University of Chicago back Jay Berwanger took the award, the excitement surrounding it has only grown.

So, to help with your college football betting, we take a look at those who might be in the running for this year's Heisman that will be awarded on Dec. 10.

Heisman Trophy 2022 Odds

Odds from BetMGM Sportsbook.

Heisman Prediction: This year's Heisman Trophy will go to Caleb Williams. Read on to find out why!

Who are the Heisman Trophy Candidates for 2022?

The 2022 Heisman Trophy candidates are a select few. Bryce Young, the 2021 Heisman winner is likely done. Young leads Alabama's offense but the defense has just not done quite enough in losses to Tennessee and LSU. The signal-caller has delivered the goods but the defense yielded 52 points to Tennessee and 32 more to LSU.

Alabama and Young will need a miracle. He is not among the Top 5 candidates to win the award. Nick Saban has mentioned this a few times but "there is only one Bryce Young". The Alabama coach means every word of it.

Young enjoyed that great game against Tennessee and was 35-of-52 for 455 yards and two touchdowns. The Crimson Tide lost, but Young was terrific. Against LSU, the quarterback completed just 25 of 51 passes for 328 yards with a touchdown and interception. That will not impress Heisman voters. Even though he closed out the regular season by going 20-of-30 for 343 yards and three touchdowns against Auburn, his chances look slim.

Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud fell off among bookmakers currently. Some are mildly concerned about this performance against Northwestern in the wind. 

But what hurt him more was his game against arch-rival Michigan. Although Stroud threw for 349 yards and two touchdowns, he also had two big interceptions. It likely is too late to win the Heisman now. But, if Stroud wins, he would be the eighth Ohio State player to win the Heisman Trophy, which would be the most ever by a school.

Among other SEC quarterbacks, Hendon Hooker from Tennessee took a slight hit to his candidacy for the Heisman Trophy against Georgia in the Volunteers' first loss of the season. He was 23-of-33 for 195 yards, no touchdowns and one interception in the 27-13 loss. 

Hooker led the Volunteers to a 52-49 win against hated rival Alabama with five touchdown passes a couple of weeks before that. But, the fatal blow to his Heisman chances came in the horrible 63-38 loss to a mediocre South Carolina team where he was 25-of-42 for 247 yards. He did throw three more touchdown passes, but sadly, Hooker tore his ACL in that game and is off the board for the Heisman. His run is done. That led to the rise of Stetson Bennett IV again. Bennett came up clutch in the SEC Championship Game and here we go again? Maybe?

Caleb Williams leads the USC Fighting Trojans' attack after coming off the transfer portal, following former Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley to Los Angeles. Williams and Riley formed quite a pair as USC has gotten off to a nice start. He solidified his case and raised his chances after defeating UCLA.

"He was going to get it done." That is how much USC trusts Caleb Williams no matter the score. From Trevor Moore of 247sports.com

The key for Williams is he does not make mistakes often. Ironically, an injury to Caleb Williams in the loss to Utah may have shown voters how valuable the quarterback is to USC.

Who is in the Lead for the 2022 Heisman Trophy?

C.J. Stroud, from the Ohio State Buckeyes, was leading the Heisman Trophy race. His numbers peg him as at +4000 now on DraftKings. Ohio State failed to go undefeated before the college football playoff. The most visible player in Ohio State's offense needed that Big 10 Championship game to cement things.

Caleb Williams took the lead, like we said, and likely has not let it go. With Max Duggan and TCU losing over the weekend, not even Stetson Bennett IV can overtake Williams. That seems to be the thought process, anyway.

Who are some other names to watch out for in the Heisman race?

Here comes Stetson Bennett IV. In a way, one could see this coming. The Georgia quarterback just plays well when the times matter the most. Against Tennessee, Bennett produced 257 yards passing and two touchdowns. The Bulldog signal-called added a 13-yard touchdown run. He is quietly up to 3,011 passing yards on the season and 21 total touchdowns. Bennett torched LSU in the conference title game and some think he is more than an afterthought for New York.

Michigan Wolverines running back Blake Corum lost his chances with a knee injury suffered against Illinois. He did not play against Ohio State, OK, two carries. Also, Corum was held out of the conference championship game. That ended his hopes right there.

For someone making college football picks, TCU's Max Duggan is an interesting possibility in the Heisman odds. The senior quarterback guided the Horned Frogs to an 11-0 start. He had tossed 26 touchdowns and just two interceptions. Duggan has also run for 291 yards and five more scores. TCU had a real shot at running the table, but Kansas State and a fatal mistake in overtime sealed Duggan's fate.

North Carolina's Drake Maye has 34 touchdowns and just four interceptions. The Tar Heels just do not win games convincingly enough. Maye losing to Georgia Tech may have hampered his chances to get to New York City. The Freshman lost his chance to win as Maye faltered against North Carolina State then Clemson.

Are there any more under-the-radar options for the 2022 Heisman?

This is always a question because, inevitably, there are players who just fall under the radar so far for a variety of reasons. One of them is the spotlight cast on the SEC for better or for worse. Then there are the other conferences that make up the "Power Five". Usually, they are battling for supremacy even for this award.

For all the talk about wide receivers like Smith Njigba and even Marvin Harrison Jr., Tennessee has one that has gone far under the radar. Jalin Hyatt is creeping into the Top 10s of many watch lists. This is for good reason. He might have only 58 catches, but the Volunteers' pass-catcher has 15 touchdowns and over 1,200 yards. Sadly, Hyatt is off the board after the Hooker injury.

Though Michael Penix Jr. of Washington is on the fringe of the race, he still has 26 touchdowns and six interceptions. The junior even defeated a formidable Oregon team in Eugene. With almost 4,400 passing yards, he could wind up going to New York.

Who needs help to get back in the Heisman mix?

Bo Nix from Oregon is a big tumbler in the rankings. The Oregon quarterback laid an egg against Georgia in Game 1 as did the entire Ducks team. However, Oregon and Nix had bounced back with a vengeance. Oregon needed to run the table and then proceeded to stumble against Washington. Nix was outperformed by Michael Penix Jr. Now, the quarterback needs a miracle to make it to New York City.

Jayden Daniels from LSU was on his way up, too, for a while. Daniels still has less than 2,800 passing yards but he has 16 touchdowns through the air and then 11 more via the ground. The game versus Georgia ended everything.

Bijan Robinson has 1,580 rushing yards and 16 total touchdowns. Robinson ran for more than 200 against Kansas State but could not get out of neutral against TCU. Then, he racked up 242 yards and four touchdowns against Kansas. But, Robinson ran out of time.

Jahmyr Gibbs had a few big weeks, which helped the Alabama running back hop into the Heisman conversation. However, a second Crimson Tide loss might have derailed his hopes.

Chase Brown from Illinois has 1,643 rushing yards on just 328 carries. The one thing that hurt him is the mere 10 touchdowns. Brown does have three more touchdowns receiving but again that loss to Michigan where he did little was painful.

Who has fallen too far out of 2022 Heisman Contention?

UCLA's Dorian Thompson-Robinson does not have a chance. The run against Washington was one of those moments that even got many pundits' attention. Thompson-Robinson's arm and legs helped the Bruins get off to a good start. He played well against USC, but UCLA lost and that is that.

A persistent hamstring injury has likely knocked out Jaxon Smith-Njigba and TreVeyon Henderson for Ohio State.

The Heisman Trophy and the "repeating" issue

There will always be issues when it comes to voting. However, a big one to consider might be a junior repeating as Heisman winner. Yes, we are talking about Bryce Young once more. The Heisman Trophy winner from 2021 is under the microscope from every angle imaginable. In college football circles and beyond, Alabama is synonymous with the national spotlight for better or for worse.

Nick Saban and his staff have Bryce Young well insulated with enough in the way of playmakers but it is up to the junior to take advantage of his opportunities. Even then, will that be enough? That is a great question. Bryce Young does not need to be flamboyant like Johnny Manziel or throw 60 touchdowns (see Joe Burrow). This might all boil down to a possible SEC Championship, but it may be decided already. No one truly knows.

Who won the Heisman Trophy in 2021?

Bryce Young won the Heisman Trophy in 2021. The quarterback from Alabama won the award last season over Aidan Hutchinson and Kenny Pickett. Young amassed 684 out of a possible 875 first-place votes.

He became the second Alabama player in a row to win the award after Devonta Smith won in 2020. Young completed 66.9% of his passes last season and threw 47 touchdowns compared to only seven interceptions.