Heisman Watch 2021: Breaking Down Top Candidates in the Race After Week 10
As we prepare for the home stretch of the college football season, the Heisman Trophy race is shaping up to be an interesting one this year.
Through 10 weeks of the regular season, it's still a fairly wide-open race.
While the odds are starting to shorten for some of the front-runners, there are still plenty of opportunities for a "Heisman moment" and a late push for someone to emerge as the true favorite.
Last week, it was Kenneth Walker III of Michigan State who did that for himself. The Spartans back had 197 yards and five touchdowns against archrival Michigan in a winning effort. This week, his chances took a blow when the Spartans dropped a shocker to Purdue despite 146 rushing yards and a touchdown.
With the latest ebbs and flows in the race, here's a look at the current favorite and a breakdown of the top candidates.
Current Heisman Odds
QB Bryce Young, Alabama: +180 (bet $100 to win $180)
RB Kenneth Walker, Michigan State: +240
QB C.J. Stroud, Ohio State: +400
QB Matt Corral, Ole Miss: +550
QB Caleb Williams, Oklahoma: +800
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
QB Bryce Young, Alabama
Bryce Young has emerged as the odds-on favorite to take home the award this year. While his lead is not insurmountable, it's easy to see why. The sophomore quarterback has connected on 28 touchdown passes to just three interceptions while playing an SEC schedule.
The Crimson Tide have lost one game but are still in line to make the College Football Playoff, and it's fair to note that Young went for 369 yards and three touchdowns to one interception in that loss to Texas A&M.
His Week 10 performance against LSU likely won't separate him from the pack. He put up good numbers with 302 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions, but Alabama put up just 20 points in beating a 4-5 LSU team by six points.
Young doesn't have too many prime-time spots left to make an impact with voters. He has a throwaway game against New Mexico State on tap, followed by Arkansas, which has dropped out of the Top 25, before finishing with No. 13 Auburn in the Iron Bowl.
RB Kenneth Walker III, Michigan State
Kenneth Walker III made a huge case for himself last week against Michigan last week. If it comes down to who had the best Heisman moment, it's hard to beat a performance like that against a previously undefeated Top 10 team. However, Walker is going to have to have a huge season in order to continue to see his name near the top of the odds list.
Losing to Purdue isn't going to help. A running back hasn't won the Heisman since 2015. That was Derrick Henry, who rushed for 2,219 yards and 28 touchdowns while Alabama went 14-1 and ultimately won the national championship.
Walker already has nearly 1,200 yards through nine games, which is impressive, but not on pace to rack up over 2,000. The Wake Forest transfer's best bet to continue his campaign is to go off over the final three games of the season. With Top 25 teams in Ohio State and Penn State still left on the schedule, he has a chance to rebound from the loss to Purdue.
QB C.J. Stroud, Ohio State
C.J. Stroud is a great example of how slim the margin for error is when it comes to winning the Heisman.
The freshman forced his way into the conversation with his last four games coming into Saturday's game after throwing 15 touchdowns and no interceptions while the Buckeyes had four consecutive impressive performances.
However, that streak of nearly perfect games came to a halt against Nebraska. The Cornhuskers defense picked off Stroud twice, allowing a plucky Nebraska team back into the game. Stroud finished the game with 405 yards through the air and did it without Garrett Wilson, his second-leading receiver.
At this point, Stroud is going to have to huge games against Michigan and Michigan State to have a real shot at unseating Bryce Young as the favorite. It's not out of the realm of possibility, but he's going to have to bounce back fast.
QB Matt Corral, Ole Miss
By the odds, Matt Corral still has an outside shot at the Heisman, but those odds are dwindling by the week. Corral likely has better odds of being the first quarterback taken in next year's NFL draft.
Jordan Reid of ESPN reported there were 16 NFL teams in attendance for Week 10's Ole Miss-Liberty game. Both Corral and Liberty's Malik Willis are viewed as top quarterbacks in the class.
Corral threw for 324 yards and one touchdown in an efficient performance in which the Rebels won 27-14, but that's not enough to get him back in the Heisman race. A trip to the SEC Championship Game for Ole Miss (7-2, 3-2) is pretty much out of the question at this point now.
The junior has been incredibly efficient this season with 16 touchdowns to just two interceptions, but the award rarely goes to efficient quarterbacks on teams with two losses. A huge game and upset of Texas A&M on Saturday may reignite his hopes, but Corral is a true long shot.
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