Heisman Watch 2022: Examining Odds and Highlights for Finalists

In college football, there's no award more prestigious or more coveted than the Heisman Trophy.

So, yes, winning it is kind of a big deal.

That's why there's so much attention and hype leading up to the ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 10, in New York, which will crown the consensus best player in all of college football.

This year, the finalists are, in no particular order, Caleb Williams (USC), C.J. Stroud (Ohio State), Max Duggan (TCU) and Stetson Bennett IV (Georgia).

All four players have had sensational seasons for their respective teams and, not surprisingly, all but one will be suiting up for the College Football Playoff semifinals.

The odds are no longer up on DraftKings Sportsbook because a favorite has emerged, and it will be interesting to see if that prophecy comes to fruition and how that affects what order the rest of the finalists will finish in.

As always, Bleacher Report is here to deliver some predictions of its own.

Among a field of distinguished college quarterbacks in contention for the Heisman, Caleb Williams has managed to stand out.

And that takes into account that he's the only QB who won't be playing in the College Football Playoff.

So how does the USC quarterback deserve the stiff arm?

The numbers are definitely on his side.

He leads all finalists with 4,075 passing yards and is in a three-way tie with Clayton Tune (UH) and C.J. Stroud (Ohio State) for most touchdowns on the season with 37.

But what really sealed it for Williams was his four-touchdown performance in the Trojans' 38-27 win over Notre Dame.

He was a virtuoso in the victory, engineering a dominant display from the pocket and with his athleticism.

That was his signature Heisman moment and why he will likely receive the bulk of the first-place votes.

Ironically, fellow USC alum, Carson Palmer, won the Heisman in 2002 based on his signature game against the Irish.

If Williams does win in New York, he'll be the eighth USC player to take home the Heisman.

Max Duggan is one of the Heisman finalists because his TCU Horned Frogs are in the CFP.

And while he does have the fewest passing yards in this year's Heisman field (3,321) and the lowest completion percentage (64.9), he does have an impressive 30 passing TDs with only four interceptions.

Duggan does lead the final four in rushing yards with 404 and helped TCU earn a 12-1 record to become the only school from Texas to be in the CFP since its inception in 2014.

No one could have predicted that based on the fact that the Horned Frogs were not a part of the AP Top 25 last season.

Additionally, no one would have predicted that Duggan would be where he is today, considering that he wasn't even a starter at the beginning of the year.

He came off the bench in TCU's first game and hasn't looked back.

Duggan's likely Heisman moment came in a close 31-28 overtime loss to Kansas State in the Big 12 Championship Game.

Before nearly completing a gutsy game-winning drive against the Wildcats, Duggan had engineered four game-winning drives and led his team to win four straight games against nationally ranked teams.

Duggan won't win on Saturday, but he definitely made a solid enough case to be a runner-up.

C.J. Stroud had a great year as Ohio State's signal caller, finishing the season with 3,340 passing yards, 37 passing touchdowns and only six interceptions.

His Buckeyes are back in the CFP after a disappointing consolation prize of the Rose Bowl last year, and he's a Heisman finalist because of it.

But he's not likely to win in New York because he never was able to get that noteworthy Heisman moment this time out, despite his six touchdowns against Michigan State.

That's unfortunate because he was the early favorite to win at the start of the season and held that distinction for most of the year.

But then Max Duggan happened.

And so did Caleb Williams.

Stroud lost his position as the front-runner, and he won't be as celebrated as he would have hoped.

But he's still got a shot at the championship, so there's that.

Stetson Bennett IV is the quarterback for the No. 1- ranked team in the nation, he's undefeated and he's playing for a chance to win back-to-back championships for the Georgia Bulldogs.

That has its privileges, especially when it comes to earning Heisman votes.

To finish off the season, Bennett had 3,425 passing yards and 20 passing touchdowns with six interceptions.

Bennett also had the best completion percentage (67.9) among the finalists.

But there are many who feel he was put in the final four over more deserving contenders like Michigan's Blake Corum or Tennessee's Hendon Hooker.

The fact that he's a borderline finalist says everything about his chances of winning on Saturday.

Bennett is not a serious threat to take home the Heisman, but he and Georgia are the favorites to bring home another title.