Heisman Watch 2022: Top Contenders in Race for College Football's Biggest Honor

November is an important month for college football.

The College Football Playoff picture becomes clearer with the release of the AP Top 25 rankings for Week 12, fans gear up for Rivalry Week for Thanksgiving, which pits some of college football's biggest rivals against each other and, of course, everyone starts debating about who should be the top contenders for the Heisman Trophy.

Not surprisingly, two of the top candidates in the conversation for the stiff arm hail from four of the last remaining unbeaten teams.

Topping the list is quarterback C.J. Stroud of Ohio State, who continues to help his team light up the score board with his arm and Michigan's Blake Corum who's leading the charge for the Wolverines' running game.

Tennessee's field general Hendon Hooker isn't undefeated, but he's led his program to serious contention for the CFP.

Not too far behind is UNC's Drake Maye. The Tar Heels are a long way from the big game, but their signal caller could make the list of finalists.

There's still two weeks worth of games left in the regular season, but here's a look at the latest odds and a few predictions on who should hear their name called on Dec. 10.

QB C.J. Stroud, Ohio State: +110 (bet $100 to win $110)

QB Hendon Hooker, Tennessee: +360

RB Blake Corum, Michigan: +600

QB Drake Maye, UNC: +650

QB Caleb Williams, USC: +1200

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

It can't be overstated that the Heisman Trophy hinges on a player's ability to win.

That's where C.J. Stroud shines.

As evidenced by Ohio State's 10-0 record, the junior quarterback just keeps finding ways to victory.

Stroud vaulted to the top spot in the Heisman rankings after his five-touchdown performance in the Buckeyes' 56-14 win over Indiana.

His performance, which included completing 17 of 28 passes for 297 yards, really made Ohio State's offense explode and pushed him back over Tennessee's Hendon Hooker in the race for the Heisman.

"He's the leader of our offense, there's no question about it," Ohio State head coach Ryan Day told Sam Marsdale of 247Sports.com. "And when your leader is just into it and pushing the guys and he understands how important balance is in your offense, you know, that's important.

"And there was a little bit of an edge to the offense this week. I think that was all week in practice and we're gonna keep that going. That's the only way we're going to reach our goals here."

For those keeping count, that makes 34 touchdowns and just four interceptions on the season for Stroud.

Couple that with 2,750 yards passing with an efficiency rating of 188.16 and it's easy to see why Stroud is at the top of the leaderboard.

Hendon Hooker originally made his case for the Heisman last month during Tennessee's 52-49 win over Alabama.

Hooker put together 441 yards of offense and have five touchdown passes to help the Volunteers beat the Crimson Tide for the first time since 2006.

That's what's known as a breakout performance in college football.

Since then, he's mostly been the frontrunner for the sport's most coveted individual award.

That was until he struggled in the Vols 27-13 loss to Georgia and Stroud's big time game against Indiana last week.

"Hooker is playing at as high of a level as anyone I’ve had, and I’ve had Heisman guys," Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel told Adam Sparks of the Knoxville News Sentinel.

"We don’t look like what we do offensively without him. He’s certainly deserving of being in that (Heisman) conversation."

Stroud has a grip on the trophy right now, but Hooker is right there and he still has a chance to offer up a couple of top-flight performances against South Carolina and Vanderbilt, even if those games are largely meaningless.

So far this year, Hooker has 2,888 passing yards, 24 touchdowns with only 2 interceptions.

He's also No. 2 in passing efficiency with 181.8 and has been instrumental in guiding Tennessee to its ranking as the No. 1 scoring offense.

In any other year, Hooker runs away with the trophy.

It'll be interesting to see how the race ultimately is decided.

It's not surprising that four of the top five candidates for the Heisman are quarterbacks.

What is unusual is right there in the thick of it is a running back.

A player really has to have an impact from that position to be in this conversation and for Michigan, no one's been more of a difference maker than Blake Corum.

So what's so great about what Corum's doing in the backfield?

How about he's tied for second most rushing touchdowns in college football with 17, leads the FBS in first downs and has 1,349 rushing yards, good enough for fourth most in the nation.

What could help his case is going head-to-head with Chase Brown when the Wolverines face Illinois this weekend.

Brown leads the nation in yards with 1,442 and rushing attempts with 280.

The Fighting Illini back even went viral this past week for striking the Heisman pose when he scored against Purdue.

But its Corum that carries the heavy load for the undefeated Michigan offense.

He's fast, electric and elusive and thus far, must-see TV.

"The amount of first downs he picks up, the amount of yards he gets after contact – there was a time there maybe four or five games ago where I would have thought, ‘Yeah, he deserves to be in New York for the Heisman Trophy (presentation),’" head coach Jim Harbaugh said on the Inside Michigan Football radio show.

"Now, I think he’s the frontrunner for it. I don’t think there’s a better back in the country right now than Blake Corum."

Corum may be the best back in college football, but it remains to be seen if that'll be enough to beat out all of the ranked QBs for the Heisman.