Each week this college football season, BetFTW will take a look at the 2022 Heisman Trophy race and break down the contenders. Check back each Monday as the best college football players in the country jockey for position with both oddsmakers and bettors. Preseason odds can be found here and Week 8 here.
Hendon Hooker’s magical season at Tennessee is starting to look like too much to overcome for the rest of the Heisman field. The odds-on favorite to capture college football’s biggest individual award isn’t a lock just yet, but that could change this week.
The Volunteers face their toughest—and arguably final— challenge yet as they visit No. 1 Georgia. If Hooker can knock off last year’s College Football Playoff champion after already out-dueling 2021 Heisman winner Bryce Young, it’ll be hard for anyone else to match that resume.
Especially considering Tennessee’s final three games come against Missouri, South Carolina and Vanderbilt—all perfect opponents for Hooker to pad his stats.
Everything is lining up for Hooker to run away with the Heisman. Now he just has to take advantage.
8
Alabama QB Bryce Young (+3300)
The Tide were off in Week 9, which gave them plenty of time to prepare for back-to-back road games against ranked opponents in Weeks 10 and 11. Up first is No. 15 LSU followed by No. 11 Ole Miss.
Bryce Young isn’t out of the Heisman race yet, but he’ll need big time performances to put himself in a position to repeat.
7
TCU QB Max Duggan (+3000)
TCU’s bulldozing quarterback completed just 16 passes in a 41-31 victory at West Virginia. That was more than enough to account for 341 yards and three touchdowns.
Duggan might just be the most fun quarterback in the Big 12 these days and even if he doesn’t win the Heisman, he’s more than deserving of your attention on gameday.
6
Oregon QB Bo Nix (+2500)
Another huge surge for Bo Nix, who goes from +4000 after Week 8 to +2500 after Week 9. Maybe it’s not too late for the Auburn transfer to find himself invited to the Heisman ceremony. Especially if he keeps putting up monster numbers like he did at Cal in Week 9.
Nix went off for 412 yards and three touchdowns in the air with another 59 yards and three touchdowns rushing. Those two interceptions he tossed hardly blemished Oregon’s 42-24 victory. More importantly: Nix now has four games this season in which he’s scored 5+ total touchdowns and he’s accounted for at least three scores in every game since a disaster of a season-opener against Georgia.
5
North Carolina QB Drake Maye (+2500)
A five-touchdown performance against Pitt has UNC sitting at 7-1 and in clear control of a ACC Coastal division that no other team seems capable of winning.
The Tar Heels wrap up the regular season against Virginia, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech and NC State. At least two of those opponents look ideal for Maye to continue burning defenses through the air.
4
Michigan RB Blake Corum (+1400)
No one on Michigan’s offense was asked to do more than Corum in rivalry game against Michigan State.
The tailback rushed 33 times for 177 yards and one touchdown—but he’s still averaging 6.0 yards per carry on the season and gets pretty weak teams to beat up on over the next two weeks with Rutgers and Nebraska. He’s in a prime position to turn some heads before closing the season against ranked Illinois and Ohio State.
3
USC QB Caleb Williams (+1400)
Arizona tried to give USC a scare, but instead provided another canvas for Williams to show off his arm. The OU transfer went 31-for-45 passing with 411 yards and five touchdowns.
He averaged 9.1 yards per completion and keeps USC alive in the playoff race. Next Williams gets to beat up on the same Cal defense Nix just throughly demolished.
2
Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud (+175)
It’s not like C.J. Stroud can control which teams he gets to face, but you have to wonder if Ohio State’s lack of challenges is what’s keeping the QB from the driver’s seat in the Heisman race.
The Buckeyes faced their toughest test yet in Week 9—at No. 13 Penn State—and came away with a convincing 44-31 victory, but Stroud only threw one touchdown despite 354 passing yards.
Instead it was defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau who provided the main talking points for Ohio State after this one. The Buckeyes have just one ranked team left on their schedule at the moment—the regular season finale against No. 4 Michigan.
1
Tennessee QB Hendon Hooker (+100)
Here comes the make-or-break week for Hooker’s Heisman campaign.
A trip to No. 1 Georgia should answer any remaining questions about the Volunteers’ savior. It sure helps that Hooker is coming off a 44-6 beatdown of No. 19 Kentucky that saw him pass for 245 yards and three touchdowns with another score on the ground.
Everything is setting up for a signature performance against the Bulldogs—which means this may be one of the last times bettors can grab Hooker to win the Heisman at even or plus money.
