Heisman Watch 2022: Latest Race Predictions Entering Week 13
As the college football season rounds into Rivalry Week, the 2022 Heisman race is starting to crystalize.
This year's version of the race has featured plenty of twists and turns. C.J. Stroud and Bryce Young started the year as the locks to be featured, but as the season has progressed, it's become clear they have serious competition.
Young is essentially out of the race based on his injuries and Alabama's disappointing season by Alabama standards.
Instead, a quarterback from out west could become the first winner from the Pacific time zone since Marcus Mariota at Oregon in 2014.
With few opportunities remaining for the field to make their case, here are three predictions for how the race is going to turn out.
Blake Corum, Max Duggan Will Be Invited to New York
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Just getting invited to New York for the Heisman ceremony is an honor. It takes a special season just to be a finalist, and both Blake Corum and Max Duggan have done enough to earn that ticket.
Corum has been special all season. His consistency and ability to create big plays in the run game is a big reason Michigan is 11-0 headed into their matchup with Ohio State. He's rushed for over 100 yards in eight consecutive games and has scored at least one touchdown in every contest this season.
He isn't just a product of the Michigan scheme and line, either. He led the nation with 10 forced missed tackles in Week 12 alone against Illinois, per PFF.
Unfortunately, he also suffered a knee injury that took him out of the game. It's unclear whether he'll be available against Ohio State and, if he is, how healthy he will be.
That likely eliminates him from actually having a shot at winning the Trophy.
Max Duggan also has a good shot at getting an invite. The TCU quarterback has been instrumental in their 11-0 season in Sonny Dykes' debut. He's thrown for 26 touchdowns with just three interceptions, and 15 of those touchdowns have come on throws of more than 20 yards—which leads the country, per PFF.
His numbers come a little short of the other quarterbacks who will be in New York, but his ability to guide TCU to an undefeated record to this point with his arm and legs are enough to have a seat at the table.
Caleb Williams Will Be the Runner-up
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If the betting odds are to be believed, Caleb Williams is heading into the final week of the regular season as the slight favorite to take home the hardware.
DraftKings Sportsbook has Williams as the slight favorite at -110 (bet $110 to win $100) over the field.
The USC quarterback has posted huge numbers while leading the one-loss Trojans. He has thrown for 3,480 yards and 33 touchdowns to just three interceptions while chipping in an additional 316 yards and seven scores on the ground.
Perhaps most importantly, he's put up some of his best games when it mattered most, including 470 passing yards and two touchdowns last week in a 48-45 win over UCLA. The Trojans' lone loss of the season can hardly be held against him. He threw for 381 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions in the 43-42 loss to Utah.
He'll have two more chances to cement his case as the favorite. Notre Dame awaits in Rivalry Week, and then the Pac-12 Championship Game—against either Oregon, Washington or Utah—will give him a chance to continue stacking numbers and wins in pursuit of the Trophy.
However, a loss in either of those games could hurt Williams' chances of becoming the latest Linoln Riley-coached quarterback to win the Heisman.
C.J. Stroud Will Win the 2022 Heisman
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C.J. Stroud does not enter the weekend as the favorite to win the award, but he does have the biggest platform to take the lead.
A matchup between an undefeated Ohio State and Michigan is as big a stage as you can find in the college football regular season. The game essentially serves as a play-in to the College Football Playoff, and with Stroud looking to avenge Ohio State's loss last year, the storylines for the Buckeyes and the quarterback abound.
The dominant storyline in last year's matchup was Michigan finally breaking through against their rival and the running game that allowed it to happen. It all overshadowed the fact that Stroud put up huge numbers against the Wolverines.
While Michigan was compiling 297 rushing yards, Stroud was lighting up the Michigan secondary to the tune of 394 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.
According to the odds from DraftKings Sportsbook, the Buckeyes are 7.5-point favorites in this year's version of the rivalry game.
If he puts up a similar stat line and Ohio State wins the game, Stroud and Williams will flip positions in the race going into the conference championship games.
After finishing fourth in the Heisman voting last year, Stroud is going to come on strong and secure the trophy for himself.
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