B/R's 2022 Heisman Trophy Rankings: Week 14, We Have a Winner
Step right up, Caleb Williams, and claim your prize.
College football is heading into championship week, and only a monumental collapse will prevent the USC quarterback from taking home the 2022 Heisman Trophy.
Injuries were already affecting the Heisman field. By last week, the race had basically been trimmed to Williams and Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud. But Ohio State's lopsided loss to Michigan pushed Williams ahead of Stroud as the clear favorite for the sport's highest individual honor.
As if that wasn't enough, several more candidates—from Oregon's Bo Nix and LSU's Jayden Daniels to North Carolina's Drake Maye—took another loss. Michigan running back Blake Corum didn't play much, either.
The Heisman is officially Williams' to lose.
10-7. Others Receiving Votes
1 of 4
10. Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina
After ripping off a 9-1 start, the Tar Heels dropped their last two games of the regular season. Maye will likely receive votes for his breakout year, though. He's totaled 4,476 and 41 touchdowns to five interceptions while guiding UNC to the ACC Championship Game.
9. Michael Penix Jr., QB, Washington
Penix is a replacement for LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels. The last-second addition had hung around on our Heisman tiers for about half of the season, but he drifted from the fringe after two UW losses. But the Huskies ripped off a six-game winning streak down the stretch to finish 10-2 while most others lost. Penix is the FBS leader with 4,354 passing yards, and he has thrown 29 touchdowns.
8. Bryce Young, QB, Alabama
Alabama still technically has a shot at reaching the College Football Playoff, though it would take massive chaos in championship week for that to happen. Young's resume can only improve as others ahead of him fall. Even that probably won't be enough to merit a finalist invite, let alone a Heisman win, but Young had a quality season with 3,007 passing yards and 27 touchdowns to five picks.
7. Bo Nix, QB, Oregon
What a tough finish to a brilliant year. Fairly criticized for inconsistency as Auburn's starter, Nix headed to Oregon with a middling reputation. He emerged as a dual-threat force with the Ducks, piling up 3,928 yards and 42 touchdowns while leading them to a 9-3 record. Were it not for a late-season foot injury, Nix might have accomplished even more.
6-4. The Grab Bag
2 of 4
6. Stetson Bennett, QB, Georgia
The perks of being undefeated, huh? Three players ahead of him last week—Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix—each endured a third loss. Meanwhile, Bennett threw for 140 yards and two touchdowns in a comfortable victory over Georgia Tech. His numbers are comparably lesser, but UGA's 12-0 record and trip to the SEC Championship Game buoys Bennett's solid season of 3,341 yards and 23 touchdowns to seven interceptions.
5. Hendon Hooker, QB, Tennessee
Still gutted for him. Hooker's fantastic year abruptly ended with a torn left ACL in the Week 12 loss to South Carolina. The dual-threat standout threw for 3,135 yards and 27 touchdowns to only two interceptions and added 430 yards and five scores as a runner.
4. Max Duggan, QB, TCU
Duggan basically has Hooker's numbers with greater team success. Duggan has thrown for 3,070 yards and 29 touchdowns to three picks and provided 294 yards and five scores on the ground. Meanwhile, TCU is a perfect 12-0 entering the Big 12 Championship Game. While it's admittedly unlikely, there is a world in which everyone else loses during championship week and Duggan soars to a shocking Heisman win.
3-2. The Big Ten Duo
3 of 4
3. Blake Corum, RB, Michigan
How will voters look at Corum's resume? He played 10.5 healthy games and rushed for at least 71 yards in all 11 starts, including eight straight 100-yard performances. Corum was the backbone of Michigan's offense. However, a knee injury limited him to two carries during the victory over Ohio State. If he's again limited in the Big Ten Championship Game, Corum will probably fall behind Max Duggan.
2. C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State
If you've followed the rankings all season, you know a first loss doesn't dramatically alter my perception. Stroud has been a fantastic quarterback. He's thrown for a highly efficient 3,340 yards and 37 touchdowns on a one-loss Ohio State team. He deserves plenty of Heisman votes behind Caleb Williams. The question is how Duggan and Corum finish, because both of them may deservingly leap Stroud here.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
1. The Projected Winner
4 of 4
First, the reason.
Caleb Williams ranks seventh nationally in passing yards (3,712) and yards per attempt (9.1). He's sixth in the FBS with 34 passing scores, and he's thrown only three interceptions in 407 attempts.
Williams also has 351 yards and 10 touchdowns as a runner for a USC squad that is bound for the Pac-12 Championship Game at 11-1. He's the fully-deserving Heisman front-runner.
Second, the warning.
Williams is unquestionably the leader for the Heisman heading into championship week. In golf parlance, he's carrying a seven-shot advantage onto the 18th tee. As long as USC doesn't royally mess up against Utah, Williams will likely hoist the trophy.
It's worth noting that the Utes were the one team to beat the Trojans this season. But Williams, who totaled 438 yards and five touchdowns in that game, should clinch the Heisman if he avenges that loss on Friday night.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
