The Heisman Trophy has narrowed down the leading contenders, and they happen to be quarterbacks for the top two shows of the College Football Playoff era.
Ohio State’s CJ Stroud and Alabama’s Bryce Young are the frontrunners going into showdown week. Two midfield quartets have emerged as the easiest answer in the open race in 2021.
Don’t look surprised. Alabama State and Ohio State are the only two FBS programs with better than 90% win rates in the CFP era. Don’t penalize Stroud or Young for the talent around them. It’s not their fault.
Stroud released an emphatic statement during his top 10 showdown against Michigan State on Saturday. He finished 32 of 35 for 432 yards and six TDs in a 56-7 hit before sitting out most of the second half.
Young countered by completing 31 of 40 passes in 559 yards and five TDs in a 42-35 win over Arkansas. The season stats for both quarterbacks are prolific:
Bryce Young vs. stats. CJ Stroud 2021
| PLAYER | COMP | AT | % | YDS | TD | NS |
| Bryce Young | 264 | 368 | 71.7% | 3.584 | 38 | 3 |
| CJ Stroud | 246 | 346 | 71.1% | 3,468 | 36 | 5 |
THAN: Five crazy stats from Ohio State’s first half blitz
The other candidates fell a bit in the race. Michigan State’s Kenneth Walker III was limited to 25 yards in six executions with Ohio State, the fourth time he’s been kept under 100 yards this season. Ole Miss’ Matt Corral didn’t do enough against Alabama. Pitt’s Kenny Pickett wouldn’t get such a big stage.
Stroud will get it next week against Michigan in another top-10 showdown that could set up a Big Ten championship against Wisconsin. Of course, Young had to go through the Iron Bowl at Auburn before winning the SEC against Georgia’s highest ranked team. If Young wipes out those two games, then he could be won by Stroud for Heisman (and they could meet in the CFP semi-finals).
Will it crash the race knowing Stroud and Young are working with skill-position teams with NFL talent? Ohio State has three potential first-round recipients Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave and Jaxon Smith-Njigba and phenom freshman TreVeyon Henderson is running again. Young is working on Jameson Williams and John Metchie III’s 1-2 with re-run veteran Brian Robinson.
So what? Look at the two most recent Heisman winners.
In 2019, LSU’s Joe Burrow was part of an offense averaging 48.4 points per game with a supporting cast that included Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Ja’Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson and Terrace Marshall Jr. That’s four first picks and one second-round pick.
In 2020, Alabama receiver’s DeVonta Smith won the Heisman Trophy and was one of three Crimson Tide players to finish in the top five in the vote alongside Mac Jones and Najee Harris. Those three and Jaylen Waddle are the first picks in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Stroud and Young have the same dynamic supporting cast. That’s why they will be in New York.
It’s definitely not their fault.
Current Heisman Ratio
Here are the current Heisman odds according to FanDuel.com.
| Player | The odds |
| CJ Stroud (QB, Ohio State) | -220 |
| Bryce Young (QB, Alabama) | +200 |
| Matt Corral (QB, Ole Miss) | +2000 |
| Kenneth Walker III (RB, Michigan State) | +2500 |
| Kenny Pickett (QB, Pittsburgh) | +5000 |
When does the Heisman Cup ceremony take place?
The Heisman will be awarded on December 11, a week after the conventions hold their conference championship games. Last year, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ceremony was held virtual and has until January 5. This year, the ceremony returns to normal in mid-December.
Lessons learned from Week 12
– Clemson still ruled Death Valley. The Tigers extended their FBS best home win streak to 34 games with a 48-27 scoreline against Wake Forest. Kobe Pace (24 carry, 191 yard, 2 TD) and Will Shipley (19 carry, 112 yard, 2 TD) led a pounding attack with a total of 333 yards forward. The Demon Deacons could still win the ACC Atlantic with a win over Boston College, but this is a reminder that Clemson will be the team to beat at the ACC in 2022.
The Tigers have a long way to go to reach FBS’s record of 58 consecutive home wins in Miami. Hey, Storm hits Death Valley in 2022.
– Nebraska still has a point. Wisconsin beat Nebraska 35-28 in the Huskers’ fifth one-point loss to a ranked team in 2021. That game ended with no possible interference to the Badgers. Is this a PI?
This will not change the status of trainer Scott Frost. He’s Nebraska’s coach in 2022, like another season at Lincoln. Frost was able to build goodwill by taking down Iowa, who won the last three Husker encounters in the game by one point.
THAN: Not calling back late seals Nebraksa’s fate
– OSU, Michgan and ND all achieved 10 wins. Ohio State, Michigan and Notre Dame won by a total of 170-25 on Saturday. All three traditional Midwest shows have 10 seasons.
It is likely that the Buckeyes, Wolverines and Irish will also be in the top 7 in the next CFP rankings.
Since the BCS era began in 1998, this is the fifth time all three schools have hit the 10-game mark in the same season.
The other years are 2002 and 2006 during the BCS era, the years in which the Buckeyes reached the BCS championship; and 2015 and 2018 in the CFP era. The Irish implemented CFP in 2018.
– The state of Florida-Florida has changed. From 1990-2000, Florida and Florida State played in 13 consecutive top 10 games. On Saturday, the Seminoles and Gators will meet in a match of 5-6 teams trying to be the best qualified. This is a must-have match for Mike Norvell and Dan Mullen under the circumstances.
Norvell did a decent job of steering the ship after a disastrous 0-4 start that included a loss to Jacksonville State. The Gators won their last two meetings in 2018-19 and last year’s match was not played because of COVID-19.
What will happen to Dan Mullen if Gator loses? The Gators fell 24-23 to Missouri on Saturday, continuing the worst downward spiral in the second half in east Texas. Mullen needs this more than Norvell.
