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ESPN staff
The much things change, the much they enactment the aforesaid successful this year's Heisman race.
Quarterbacks Hendon Hooker (Tennessee), C.J. Stroud (Ohio State) and Bryce Young (Alabama) person each solidified their spots successful the apical 5 this play -- portion guiding their teams to a combined 21-1 grounds -- but the last 2 spots person been a revolving doorway truthful far.
Early connected it was Kansas' backmost Jalon Daniels making the chopped earlier an wounded and a pugnacious Big 12 slate slowed down his momentum. Next it was UCLA backmost Dorian Thompson-Robinson's crook successful the spotlight but a unsmooth time successful Eugene each but ended his Heisman campaign.
In Week 9, it's officially USC's Caleb Williams and Michigan's Blake Corum clip to radiance successful the Heisman apical 5.
Now let's get to this week's Heisman standings, apical Heisman moments of the week and what to ticker for successful this weekend's action.
Voting methodology: 12 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: 54 (first-place votes: 6)
Week 8 Notables: It mightiness not person been rather the aforesaid arsenic his 5 touchdowns show against Alabama, but Hooker inactive looked similar the Heisman favourite successful a 65-24 triumph implicit UT-Martin. Hooker threw for 276 yards and 3 touchdowns against the Skyhawks to usher the Volunteers to a 7-0 start. A trial against Kentucky awaits this play earlier a crippled astatine Georgia looms ample Nov. 5.
Heisman odds: +200
2. C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State
Total points: 51 (first-place votes: 6)
Week 8 Notables: Stroud erstwhile again dominated a Big Ten foe done the aerial Saturday, this clip to the tune of 286 yards and 4 touchdowns against an overmatched Iowa team. It was the 5th clip this play that Stroud has thrown 4 oregon much touchdowns and helium presently leads the federation with 28 touchdown passes -- with North Carolina's Drake Maye coming successful 2nd with 24.
Heisman odds: -105
3. Bryce Young, QB, Alabama
Total points: 31 (first-place votes: 0)
Week 8 Notables: Young and the Crimson Tide bounced backmost aft a pugnacious nonaccomplishment against Hooker and Tennessee successful a large mode against Mississippi State. The 2021 Heisman trophy victor threw for 249 yards and 2 touchdowns portion completing 21 of 35 passes successful Alabama's 30-6 triumph implicit the Bulldogs. He whitethorn not presently beryllium the frontrunner, but if Young keeps guiding the Tide to wins, expect his sanction to beryllium successful the premix astatine the extremity of the season.
Heisman odds: +2500
4. Caleb Williams, QB, USC
Total points: 22 (first-place votes: 0)
Week 8 Notables: Williams and USC had a bye successful Week 8 truthful it's clip to look backmost astatine what he's done successful his archetypal play with the Trojans. He presently sits astatine 1,971 yards and 19 touchdown passes arsenic USC is disconnected to a 6-1. He's besides added 3 rushing touchdowns and helium threw for a season-high 5 touchdowns his past clip retired successful a nonaccomplishment astatine Utah.
Heisman odds: +1100
5. Blake Corum, RB, Michigan
Total points: 11 (first-place votes: 0)
Week 8 Notables: Much similar Williams, Corum got to bask a bye successful Week 8 truthful let's look astatine his accolades this season. Corum has rushed for 901 yards and 13 touchdowns truthful acold and Michigan is backmost successful the College Football Playoff hunt erstwhile again. He's tallied astatine slightest 1 touchdown connected the crushed successful each of the Wolverines 7 games this season, including a season-high 5 rushing TDs against UConn connected Sept. 17.
Heisman odds: +1200
Others receiving votes (total points successful parentheses): Bo Nix, QB, Oregon (4); Sam Hartman, Wake Forest (3); Chase Brown, Illinois (2); Max Duggan, TCU (2)
Make the case
Our writers divided this week with fractional the archetypal spot votes going to Hooker and the different fractional to Stroud. Given the results, it's a cleanable clip for the voters to explicate wherefore their campaigner has earned Heisman frontrunner presumption and wherefore 1 extracurricular the apical 5 really has a accidental this year.
The lawsuit for Hendon Hooker: There's thing similar hard information to enactment unneurotic an unassailable argument, and the numbers archer a beauteous clear-cut communicative successful favour of Hooker arsenic the champion subordinate successful the state truthful acold this season.
He's completing conscionable shy of 71% of his throws.
He's accounted for much than 2,400 full yards.
He's tossed 18 touchdown passes, tally for 3 much and has conscionable 1 interception each season.
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Nope, what Hooker has done truthful acold this twelvemonth is unprecedented, and that, successful and of itself, is Heisman worthy.
Of course, arsenic inarguable arsenic the numbers whitethorn be, statistic tin beryllium a spot dispassionate. Indeed, it's understood that the Heisman requires much than numbers. It's astir heart. It's astir narrative. It's astir a Heisman moment.
Well, who has a bigger Heisman infinitesimal this twelvemonth than Hooker? Five touchdowns, 385 yards and a triumph implicit Alabama would beryllium capable regardless, but adhd successful the discourse of a 15-year losing streak against the Tide and the melodramatic finish, with Alabama missing a tract extremity lone to spot Hooker link with Bru McCoy successful the last seconds of the crippled to acceptable up the Vols' winner, the celebration, the extremity posts successful the stream ... that, my friends, is arsenic large arsenic Heisman moments get.
There volition beryllium different signature moments successful the season's last six weeks. That's the quality of assemblage football, the mode it twists and turns and upends destiny conscionable erstwhile we slightest expect it. But it's hard to ideate a script wherever we scope the Heisman ceremonial successful New York successful December, and Hooker's triumph implicit Alabama isn't a captious section successful the communicative of the 2022 season. Add that with the stats and it's beauteous clear: Hendon Hooker is the Heisman front-runner, and it' going to instrumentality immoderate existent magic elsewhere to unseat him. -- David M. Hale
The lawsuit for C.J. Stroud: He was No. 1 successful Total QBR successful 2021, and he's No. 1 successful 2022.
Quarterbacking this Ohio State offense, with this acceptable of receivers, mightiness beryllium a beauteous casual job, but he's doing that occupation astatine a level we haven't seen. J.T. Barrett averaged 7.0 yards per dropback successful Columbus, Dwayne Haskins 7.8 and Justin Fields 8.0. Stroud? 9.5. He's got Haskins' accuracy (72% completion rate) and Fields' big-play propensity (4.1 completions per crippled of 20-plus). He is the astir productive QB we've seen successful this Buckeye era, and it's not peculiarly close. It would beryllium absurd to deliberation of him arsenic thing but the Heisman front-runner.
Even if a Heisman elector someway holds Stroud's unthinkable supporting formed against him -- we sometimes bash that (Mac Jones) and sometimes don't (Joe Burrow, Bryce Young) -- that's beauteous unconvincing considering prima Jaxon Smith-Njigba has hardly played this year. Leading receivers Emeka Egbuka and Marvin Harrison Jr., blue-chippers arsenic they whitethorn be, are sophomores who came into this play with 20 vocation catches. They person 17 TOUCHDOWN catches successful 7 games this season. Stroud has been the champion backmost successful the country, and Ohio State has been the nation's champion team. Making his Heisman lawsuit is awfully easy. -- Bill Connelly
The lawsuit for ... Max Duggan?: Max Duggan wasn't TCU's starting backmost erstwhile the play began. But since taking implicit for an injured Chandler Morris, Duggan has done everything helium tin to support the Horned Frogs rolling.
In his 4th twelvemonth arsenic a starter, helium has blossomed nether caller manager Sonny Dykes and violative coordinator Garrett Riley, throwing for 1,871 yards successful conscionable 7 games (206 down his vocation precocious for a season), 19 TDs (a vocation precocious and 8th nationally) with conscionable 1 interception, connected a Hail Mary effort with 21 seconds near earlier halftime against Kansas. Duggan is completing 68.9% of his passes, ranks 5th nationally successful passing ratio (181.8) and leads the Big 12 successful yards per walk effort (9.7) on with that completion percentage, touchdowns and fewest interceptions.
"Max Duggan continues to play shot arsenic bully arsenic immoderate backmost I've been around," Dykes said. "He conscionable does everything helium tin to assistance your shot squad win."
After coming disconnected the seat successful a season-opening triumph against Colorado, Duggan has led his squad to six wins arsenic the starter (averaging 303 passing yards per crippled successful that span) including 4 consecutive wins implicit ranked opponents which has ne'er been done successful TCU history. He's besides added 274 yards and 4 touchdowns connected the ground, drafting praise from his teammates for his resilience.
"It's brainsick the shots that Max takes," moving backmost Kendre Miller said. "He's a pugnacious dude and has earned my respect conscionable getting backmost up. I consciousness similar it helps different people. If the backmost tin bash it, anybody tin bash it."
The Heisman is often an grant fixed to the champion subordinate connected 1 of the country's champion teams. There's nary uncertainty Duggan is arsenic invaluable to No. 7 TCU arsenic immoderate subordinate is to their squad successful the country.
Top Heisman moments this past week
1. Not that it was wholly needed successful Alabama's blowout triumph but Bryce Young recovered a mode to bargain immoderate clip earlier throwing a dart to kickoff the scoring against Mississippi State.
0:54
Bryce Young shows a glimpse of Heisman magic arsenic helium extends the play and fires a dart to JoJo Earle to enactment the Crimson Tide connected the board.
2. With the Buckeyes already up 40-10 Stroud decided to uncork his champion propulsion of the day.
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C.J. Stroud passes to Julian Fleming for 79-yard Ohio State touchdown.
3. Tennessee didn't request overmuch from Hooker against UT-Martin but helium inactive delivered.
1:52
UT Martin Skyhawks vs. Tennessee Volunteers: Full Highlights
Heisman crippled of the week
Ohio State astatine Penn State (Saturday, noon ET, Fox)
Let's determination distant from the SEC for week and absorption connected the Big Ten. C.J. Stroud is presently the likelihood connected favourite successful the Heisman contention and, arsenic seen by his stats and highlights above, rightfully so. This week Stroud and his high-profile wide receiver corps get a large trial against Penn State successful Happy Valley. Stroud volition person his hands afloat with the talented Nittany Lions secondary led by Joey Porter Jr. But Stroud has typically saved his champion games for the brightest lights truthful achromatic retired oregon not, look retired Penn State fans.
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