What a wild, wacky and beautiful first weekend of the 2022 college football season. Everything that college football fans could have asked for happened.
One week into the season won’t give us much of an idea of who the frontrunners for the Heisman Trophy will be, but it will give us a pretty good idea of value plays and candidates who deserve a season-long ticket.
One thing I can say is there will be no kickers on this list — looking at you East Carolina and LSU. Nor will there be any fourth-quarter defenders, App State and North Carolina.
Regardless, the five players I have found to have the most intriguing odds for the most coveted trophy in college athletics are here.
5.
Tennessee QB Hendon Hooker (+5000)
I had Hooker on this list last week and love the price even more this week.
The Vols took care of business rather easily against Ball State in a 59–10 victory. That win will not do much to sway voters at the end of the day, but a reason why I'm bullish on the Volunteers' quarterback is due to this weekend’s top-25 matchup against Pitt.
Ranked victories and big performances in prime-time games go a long way in the eyes of Heisman voters.
Should Tennessee take care of business at home, I would expect these odds to plummet to around +1500. That's to assume Hooker plays the entire game and puts together a glowing stat sheet.
I like this price; get it while you can at FanDuel.
4.
Florida QB Anthony Richardson (+2000)
I very much regret not having Richardson on my original five Heisman bets to watch last week. But in my defense, I was a Utah -2.5 backer and expected the Utes to leave the Swamp victorious.
With that said, that exact ranked prime-time victory bump I mentioned above is exactly the jump Richardson made this weekend when Heisman odds updated.
His preseason +4200 ticket now sits at half the value right around +2000 on Bet365. However, a 20-1 price tag is still eye-opening enough for me to see value on the Gator QB lifting the trophy.
Richardson is a unique quarterback prospect. He'll make a lot of noise in his stat sheets with his legs. We saw that last week, as No. 15 scampered for 106 yards on just 11 carries and found the end zone three times.
I like these odds, especially with No, 20 Kentucky coming to town this weekend.
3.
Ohio State QB CJ Stroud (+350)
To be completely honest, the Stroud line is at a bit of a discount after his price sat at +270 to begin the 2022 campaign. It was not a pretty game. Anyone who watched Ohio State squeak out a victory over Notre Dame will agree with me.
However, the ugliness of that game will have little impact on the Heisman race when looking at the season holistically at the end of the year.
A win over a top-five team and an increase in Stroud's price for a Heisman ticket? Sign me up.
Stroud threw for just 223 yards and two touchdowns against Notre Dame, but he did not throw any interceptions. Most importantly, the victory keeps Ohio State in the driver’s seat for a run at the College Football Playoff, which is a big factor in the eyes of voters.
My gut tells me this is the highest we see Stroud’s Heisman odds for quite some time.
2.
Alabama QB Bryce Young (+300)
I surprised myself a little bit when I put Young at No. 2 on this week’s Heisman Power Ranking edition.
A 55–0 drubbing of Utah State won’t be what Young hangs his hat on at the end of the year, but he did showcase some skills that few expected coming into the year.
Young had 31 total rushing yards in all of 2021. Against the Aggies in Week 1, he totaled triple digits on just five carries. Add in five touchdowns through the air, and the Tide rolled easily.
Young’s Heisman odds dropped only a few beans. With everybody and their mothers set to watch this weekend’s game against Texas, those stats are looking to balloon even more.
1.
USC QB Caleb Williams (+800)
I will preface this section with a few thoughts. The first is I was not a big believer in USC coming into the year. I thought the Trojans needed to fill too many positions too quickly and couldn't do so with enough talent.
That may still be the case for the Trojans, but with the top two contenders in the Pac-12 losing Week 1, I'm thinking the road to the conference title is much wider for the Trojans.
Should USC and Lincoln Riley actually make a run at the conference title, I would be remiss to not be holding a ticket on Williams this early in the season. He sits at +800 at PointsBet after Week 1.
A conference title appearance for the Trojans likely puts them into top-10 range in the AP Poll, which is surely enough to keep Williams' Heisman season alive and well.
Williams completed 19 of his 22 passing attempts against Rice as the Trojans cruised to a victory. A road game against Stanford looms this weekend for his first test in a USC uniform, though it shouldn't be much of a contest.
Trojans roll, Williams rolls, those Heisman odds shrink.
