In just a few weeks, the race for not only the National Championship will get underway but the Heisman Trophy as well. Like in the way-too-early odds, three quarterbacks take up the top spots, but this time around two non-quarterbacks wrap up the list. It’s going to be a tight battle all around with teams and players having chips on their shoulders heading into the season. We’re headed down the stretch of the offseason and that means college football is almost here!
Best Odds to Win the 2022 Heisman Trophy
C.J. Stroud (+250)
As a redshirt freshman for Ohio State, C.J. Stroud showed everyone why he is the right quarterback to lead Ohio State in 2022. He performed very well last season, especially down the stretch. For the season, Stroud threw for 4435 yards (7th), with an impressive 44 touchdowns (3rd) and only six interceptions. His performance earned him the 2021 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and allowed him to finish fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting. Even with the Buckeyes missing the playoff last season, they’re one of the favorites to win the National Championship and this offense is a huge reason why.
Stroud will have multiple starters returning by his side on offense, including 1000-yard rusher TreVeyon Henderson. He’ll also have a couple of 4-star recruits at wide receiver. The moral of the story is, Stroud will be even better this year than in 2021 and that’s why he’s viewed as the odds-on favorite to win the Heisman Trophy.
Bryce Young (+350)
After winning the Heisman Trophy last season, Alabama quarterback Bryce Young finds himself just behind Stroud for the best odds to win the award. In 2021, Young threw for 4827 yards with 47 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He won seven awards/honors last season and led Alabama to the National Championship Game as the number one seed, eventually falling short to Georgia. Like other Crimson Tide quarterbacks in the past, Young is loaded with talent around him. He has a great chance to win consecutive Heisman Trophies and bring the 3rd straight to the quarterback position at Alabama.
Caleb Williams (+700)
In 2021, Caleb Williams served as a backup to Spencer Rattler at Oklahoma under Lincoln Riley. Fast forward to 2022, Williams is now starting at USC for Riley after both left for the West Coast in the offseason. The 19-year-old quarterback did however play in 11 games in 2021 for Oklahoma and even took over the starting job during the season. In those 11 games, Williams threw for 1912 yards and threw 21 touchdowns to only four interceptions. He also rushed for 442 yards and added six touchdowns. Expectations are high for Williams after following Riley to USC and getting a fresh new start in what’s projected to be a very explosive offense.
Will Anderson Jr. (+2000)
Because of the award favoring quarterbacks, there’s a huge drop in the odds from Williams at three to Will Anderson Jr. at four. With that being said, Anderson Jr. should not be slept on whatsoever when it comes to the Heisman Trophy. He finished fifth in the voting last year as a linebacker at Alabama after recording 17.5 sacks in 2021 with 101 total tackles (31 for loss). The year before that as a freshman, he tallied seven sacks and 52 total tackles. Anderson Jr. is the best defender in the country and he quite possibly could have an even better season in 2022.
Bijan Robinson (+2000)
Yet another non-quarterback enters the top five and that’s running back Bijan Robinson out of Texas. He might be the best running back in the nation heading in 2022 after an 1127-yard and 11 touchdown season on the ground last year. Robinson also brought in 295 yards with four touchdowns through the air. He should have an even better season not only on the ground but through the air as Texas brought in quarterback Quinn Ewers to start under center, potentially giving an even bigger boost to Robinson’s game. Texas has some energy headed into this season and Robinson is a huge reason why.
Next Best Odds
D.J. Uiagalelei (+2500)
Dillon Gabriel (+3000)
Quinn Ewers (+3000)
Jaxon Smith-Njigba (+3300)
Jahmyr Gibbs (+3300)
TreVeyon Henderson (+4000)
Tyler Van Dyke (+4000)
