Heisman Watch 2022: Leading contenders, current odds and top moments

We're officially implicit halfway done assemblage football's regular season, truthful what amended clip to cheque connected the Heisman Trophy contention than now?

After respective high-profile games this past week, our Heisman ticker has been turned upside down with 3 caller faces connected the database since our past cheque in -- congrats connected making the chopped erstwhile again C.J. Stroud and Bryce Young.

This week, you'll spot our Heisman standings, apical Heisman moments of the week, what to ticker for successful Week 8, positive a Q&A with Michigan RB Blake Corum.

Voting methodology: 13 voters ranked their apical 5 candidates, with 5 points for a first-place ballot down to 1 constituent for a fifth-place vote.

Top 5 candidates

1. Hendon Hooker, QB, Tennessee

Total points: 61 (first-place votes: 9)

Notable: Hooker has been the breakout prima of the assemblage shot play truthful acold and his champion came past Saturday against Alabama. He finished 21 of 30 for 385 yards and 5 touchdowns arsenic the Volunteers bushed the Crimson Tide for the archetypal since 2006.

Heisman odds: +450

Odds courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook

2. C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State

Total points: 56 (first-place votes: 4)

Notable: Stroud has been the representation of consistency this play arsenic the No. 2 Buckeyes are disconnected to a 6-0 start. Stroud has thrown for implicit 350 yards 3 times this season, including his past clip retired erstwhile helium threw for 361 yards and six touchdowns against Michigan State. He's thrown for 4+ touchdowns successful 4 games this season.

Heisman odds: +100

3. Bryce Young, QB, Alabama

Total points: 36 (first-place votes: 0)

Notable: The Crimson Tide whitethorn person taken a nonaccomplishment astatine Tennessee but Young's instrumentality was inactive thing to behold. He threw for 455 yards and 2 touchdowns portion keeping Alabama successful the crippled arsenic Hooker was lighting up the scoreboard. Young is looking to beryllium the 2nd subordinate successful past to triumph back-to-back Heisman trophies.

Heisman odds: +2000

4. Dorian Thompson-Robinson, QB, UCLA

Total points: 19 (first-place votes: 0)

Notable: The Bruins are disconnected to the program's champion commencement nether Chip Kelly and the occurrence starts with the quarterback. Thompson-Robinson enactment UCLA connected the representation connected Sept. 30 erstwhile helium threw for 315 yards and 3 touchdowns successful a 40-32 triumph implicit a ranked Washington team. If Thompson-Robinson wants to thoroughly spot himself successful the Heisman conversation, a large show successful Eugene this week against Oregon volition bash it.

Heisman odds: +1600

5. Caleb Williams, QB, USC

Total points: 12 (first-place votes: 0)

Notable: Much similar Young, 1 of Williams' champion performances of the play came successful loss. The Trojans fell precocious to Utah this past week but Williams threw for 381 yards and 5 touchdowns successful the 43-42 defeat. He besides ran for 57 yards against the Utes.

Heisman odds: +800

Others receiving votes (total points successful parentheses): Blake Corum, RB, Michigan (8); Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina (3)

Q&A with Blake Corum

After Michigan's 41-17 triumph implicit Penn State successful Ann Arbor, ESPN's Adam Rittenberg and Chris Grandstaff talked with Corum astir his play and the Heisman.

ESPN: Reggie Bush has attended your past fewer games [as a Fox analyst]. What person your interactions been similar with him?

BC: I've go truly chill friends with Reggie the past mates weeks. I talked to Reggie aft each game. The respect is mutual. Reggie is 1 of the champion moving backs ever, particularly erstwhile you speech astir college, helium killed it. He told maine what helium thought astir my cutting quality and what benignant of moving backmost I am. He said I'm 1 of the best. He is the best, truthful getting those words from him meant a lot. I talked to them aft the crippled yesterday, and past erstwhile helium was leaving, the constabulary were escorting their cars, and I was walking retired with fans, and helium saw me, helium rolled his model down [and said], 'Keep being great.' Then helium told me, 'You're the champion moving backmost successful the nation.' That meant a lot. If I'm capable to triumph the Heisman similar Reggie, it would beryllium a blessing.

ESPN: Did you spot Charles Woodson astatine the Penn State game?

BC: Yeah, I've met Charles Woodson a mates of times. I talked to him earlier the game, helium came up to me. Desmond Howard, I'm truly chill with him. I cognize a clump of guys who utilized to play here.

ESPN: Obviously those 2 guys won the biggest grant you tin triumph successful the Heisman. What would it mean to beryllium successful that premix and yet person a chance?

BC: It would beryllium amazing, but I'm not looking excessively acold ahead. I'm truly focused connected trying to get better, however tin this squad get amended and support winning? When you're winning, everyone's looking astatine you. Those awards that hap astatine the extremity of the season, they're astatine the extremity of the play for a reason. I'm not going to triumph the Doak Walker [Award] today, I'm not going to triumph the Heisman today. I person to support producing, I person to support eating, and that's going to instrumentality work. Obviously, it would beryllium a blessing to beryllium up determination connected that partition adjacent to the greats. It would beryllium a imagination travel true.

ESPN: Growing up, what was your Heisman Trophy memory? What subordinate bash you retrieve most?

BC: I don't person excessively galore Heisman memories, due to the fact that much times than not, it's a backmost winning it. But erstwhile I committed to Michigan, I went connected YouTube and really looked astatine the [Heisman] ceremonies of Desmond and Charles. Obviously, Johnny Manziel, that was chill with the wealth sign, that was a large year, that was fun, everyone was rooting for him. He was a heck of an athlete.

ESPN: How bash you presumption your relation past twelvemonth arsenic opposed to what they're asking of you this season?

BC: I look astatine it arsenic Donovan [Edwards] took my relation and I took Hassan [Haskins'] role. Hassan past year, helium acceptable it up for me. He got those hard yards, and past I travel successful and interruption a 50-yarder. It's a small antithetic present due to the fact that helium wasn't truly breaking excessively galore 50-yarders. I'm inactive breaking immoderate agelong ones, but helium was getting 20-plus carries a game, truly wrong zone, helium wasn't going extracurricular excessively much. I consciousness similar I'm that thunder with immoderate lightning arsenic well. That's what my relation is. I tin instrumentality the load and past Donovan comes successful and does his thing, too. I was lightning past year. Now I get to the extremity line, similar third-and-1, I'm successful arsenic a powerfulness back. Red zone, I'm in.

ESPN: How important has it been for you to beryllium you tin bash that and inactive interruption a 60-yarder?

BC: It's been precise important. A batch of radical person doubted my durability, possibly my size, it starts with my tallness [5-8], but astatine the extremity of the time I'm 210 [pounds], weighed successful astatine 212 today. So the value isn't a problem. But being capable to get 28 to 30 carries successful the past 4 games, I consciousness has shown a batch to whoever whitethorn person been doubting that.

ESPN: Who person you tried to exemplary your crippled after?

BC: I emotion Barry Sanders. He was a small earlier my time, truthful I didn't truly get to ticker him connected TV, but I emotion watching him connected YouTube, conscionable however elusive helium was and however helium was capable to get retired of cuts and get retired of tackles, interruption tackles, not get touched. I respect his style. Then, erstwhile it comes to power, due to the fact that I similar wrong zone, I similar moving up the middle, I'm not acrophobic of contact, truthful I similar Marshawn Lynch. He likes getting hit, helium likes hitting people. He has that happening wherever helium says, 'Hit 'em implicit and implicit and implicit again.' I similar that mentality.

ESPN: You mentioned earlier that the Heisman is often a quarterback's award. What would it mean to triumph it arsenic a moving back?

BC: It would mean a batch due to the fact that it is benignant of similar a backmost award. Obviously, [Michigan antiaircraft end] Aidan [Hutchinson] went past year, didn't get a accidental to triumph it. If I'm capable to spell [to New York] and triumph it, I don't cognize what I would do, honestly. I conscionable cognize it would mean the satellite to me. I would decidedly person travel backmost and springiness my violative linemen and large ol' present. If I'm capable to triumph it, I don't cognize what the emotions would beryllium like. It would mean a lot, particularly different No. 2 astatine the University of Michigan winning it. They whitethorn person to discontinue the jersey aft that. I thought they would person already retired it aft Charles, conscionable due to the fact that of the fable helium is, but if idiosyncratic other wins it wearing No. 2, ohio man, it would beryllium a blessing.

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Blake Corum gets down to the 1-yard enactment with a 50-yard run. On the adjacent play helium finished the thrust disconnected with a abbreviated touchdown run.

Top Heisman moments this past week

1. Let's beryllium honest, Hooker's full show against Alabama is wherefore he's No. 1 connected the database this week. But here's 1 of his galore dimes from the 52-49 win.

My connection @henhook2 pic.twitter.com/oR8462LFYU

2. When the Michigan Wolverines look to closeout games, they crook to Blake Corum.

Common @blake_corum W pic.twitter.com/FMnQrdWhtD

3. It might've travel successful a loss, but Bryce Young had plentifulness of fans successful Knoxville tense aft his show against the Volunteers.

Heisman crippled of the week

No. 9 UCLA astatine No. 10 Oregon (Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, Fox)

As antecedently mentioned, if Dorian Thompson-Robinson is simply a existent Heisman candidate, this volition beryllium the crippled to amusement it -- until the USC matchup, of course. ESPN's College GameDay is heading to Eugene for the crippled and, with some teams successful the apical 10, UCLA manager Chip Kelly's instrumentality to Oregon should beryllium 1 of the Pac-12's astir electrical games of the season. Oh, and Oregon backmost Bo Nix isn't excessively shabby, either.