Heisman Trophy watch: Top quarterbacks struggle in Week 10

Bill Bender

Heisman Trophy watch: Top quarterbacks struggle in Week 10 image

The two front-runners for the Heisman Trophy entering Week 10 did not help their causes.

Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker and Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud both had arguably their worst performances of the season, which is sure to shake up the odds when they are updated on Monday. Those two players will likely still be at the top, but the race will have certainly tightened up thanks to some other top performances from standout quarterbacks.

Current Heisman Trophy Odds

A look at the Heisman Trophy odds ahead of Week 10, courtesy of BetMGM

PLAYER SCHOOL ODDS
Hendon Hooker Tennessee +100
C.J. Stroud Ohio State +175
Caleb Williams USC +1400
Blake Corum Michigan +1400
Drake Maye North Carolina +2500
Bo Nix Oregon +2500
Max Duggan TCU +3000
Bryce Young Alabama +3300
Chase Brown Illinois +4000

Heisman candidates

Hendon Hooker, QB, Tennessee (+100) 

Week 10 stats: 23 for 33, 195 yards, 0 TDs, 1 INT, 7 sacks

2022 stats: 2,533 yards, 21 TDs, 2 INTs, 355 rushing yards, 4 rushing TDs

Hooker was kept in check by the Georgia defense, throwing for a season-low in yardage despite 33 attempts. Hooker has been exceptional with the deep ball, but he did not have a completion over 20 yards until less than 5 minutes remained. Having a bad day against Georgia by no means kills your Heisman chances, and he still has that transcendent performance against Alabama on his resume, but the race has tightened up.

C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State (+175)

Week 10 stats: 10-for-26, 76 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT, 6 carries, 79 yards, 0 TDs

2022 stats: 2,453 yards, 67.9 %, 29 TDs, 4 INTs

Stroud and the rest of the Buckeyes offense suffered through their worst performance of the season in a 21-7 win at Northwestern. In windy and sometimes rainy conditions, Stroud did more damage with his legs than his arms, which is not his M.O. You can win the Heisman with one bad game. For Stroud, this was it.

Caleb Williams, QB, USC (+1400) 

Week 10 stats: 26-for-41, 360 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INT, 1 rushing TD

2022 stats: 2,742 yards, 64.6%, 28 TDs, 1 INT 

Williams had another big day for the revived Trojans, throwing for four touchdowns in a tougher-than-expected contest with Cal. It is the fourth game this season Williams has thrown at least four touchdowns. He will have a chance to play on the big stage against UCLA, Notre Dame and possibly Oregon in the Pac-12 championship game.

Blake Corum, RB, Michigan (+1400) 

Week 10 stats: 20 carries, 109 yards, 2 TDs

2022 stats: 1,187 yards, 16 TDs, 1 receiving TD

Corum racked up his sixth straight 100-yard game in a lopsided win over Rutgers. He has scored at least one touchdown in every game this season. With the QBs struggling in Week 10, Corum may make up some ground.

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Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina (+2500) 

Week 10 stats: 26-for-37, 293 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INT, 74 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD

2022 stats: 2,964 yards, 71.2%, 29 TDs, 3 INT, 4 rushing TDs

Maye was outstanding once again in a 31-28 win over Virginia. He is far and away the best freshman quarterback in the country and his number stack up with anyone on this list. North Carolina sits at 8-1 and has a good chance to meet Clemson in the ACC Championship Game.

Bo Nix, QB, Oregon (+2500) 

Week 10 stats: 20-for-24, 274 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs, 2 rushing TDs, 1 receiving TD

2022 stats: 2,495 yards, 73.3%, 22 TDs, 5 INTs, 11 rushing TDs, 1 receiving TD

Nix piled up five touchdowns in a 49-10 rout of Colorado. He threw for two, ran for two and caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from running back Bucky Irving. That makes three straight weeks he’s accounted for at least five touchdowns. Will the former Auburn QB get himself to New York? Spotlight games remain against Utah and possibly USC in the Pac-12 title game.

Max Duggan, QB, TCU (+3000)

Week 10 stats: 12-for-23, 195 yards, 2 TDs

2022 stats: 2,407 yards, 66.9%, 24 TDs, 2 INTs, 4 rushing TDs

Duggan was missing his top receiver in Quentin Johnson, and his numbers were slightly down, but he still had his fourth-quarter magic as the Frogs rallied again. This time, a 21-point blitz against Texas Tech turned a 17-13 deficit into another win. Spotlight game next week at Texas for Duggan.

Bryce Young, QB, Alabama (+3300) 

Week 10 stats: 25-for-51, 328 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT

2022 stats: 2,234 yards, 62.9%, 19 TDs, 4 INTs, 137 rushing yards, 3 rushing TDs

Young completed less than 50 percent of his passes for the first time this season and Alabama was held out of the end zone until the fourth quarter in a loss to LSU. But Young had his moments, such as this touchdown to Ja’Corey Brooks.

With two losses, it will be tough for Young to win his second Heisman, although he threw for an average of 392 yards in those two losses.

Chase Brown, RB, Illinois (+4000) 

Week 10 stats: 33 carries, 136 yards, 0 TDs, 2 catches, 21 yards, 1 fumble

2022 stats: 1,344 rushing yards, 5 TDs, 141 receiving yards, 3 TDs 

Brown will still likely lead nation in rushing yards when the numbers are tallied at the end of the weekend, but a 23-15 loss might knock Illinois out of the Top 25. The Illini can still reach the Big Ten championship game, but Brown will have a hard time overcoming the QBs on this list unless his team does something special.

When is the Heisman Trophy Ceremony?

The Heisman Trophy will be awarded on Dec. 10, one week after the conference championship games. The ceremony will be televised at 8 p.m. on ESPN.

 

Bill Bender

Bill Bender Photo

Bill Bender graduated from Ohio University in 2002 and started at The Sporting News as a fantasy football writer in 2007. He has covered the College Football Playoff, NBA Finals and World Series for SN. Bender enjoys story-telling, awesomely-bad 80s movies and coaching youth sports.