Heisman Watch after Week 7 of college football

Week 7 of the college football season gave us the game of the year as Tennessee took down Alabama in a 52-49 instant classic. The emotional last-second victory led to Vols fans tearing down the goal posts and later chucking them into the Tennessee River. I love this sport.

On the Heisman front, Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud still stands atop the leaderboard, but a strong contender is nipping at his heels. We’ll take a look at who rose and fell coming out of last weekend and analyze where the Heisman race stands heading into Week 8. Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.

Stock Up

Hendon Hooker, QB, Tennessee

By leading Tennessee to its first victory over Alabama since 2006, Hooker has officially solidified himself as a Tennessee football legend and a full fledged threat to win the Heisman Trophy in December. The Vols QB was excellent against the Crimson Tide defense, going 21-30 through the air for 385 yards, five touchdowns, and one interception. He also added an additional 56 yards in the 52-49 victory.

As a result, he now has the second-highest odds to win the award at +500. He’ll get a chance to pad his stats a bit when the Vols host UT-Martin this Saturday at noon ET on the SEC Network.

Blake Corum, RB, Michigan

A top 10 battle that got overshadowed by Bama-UT was Michigan flattening Penn State in a 41-17 beating in the Big House. Once again serving a huge catalyst for the Wolverines’ success was Corum, who took 28 carries for 166 yards and two touchdowns. The kicker here is that he wasn’t even the most explosive UM running back in this game! Donovan Edwards had 173 yards and two touchdowns.

Nevertheless, Corum continues to inch his way up the Heisman odds board, going from +1800 a week ago to +1200 at the moment. That plants him with the fourth-highest odds entering Week 8, where the Wolverines will be off on a bye.

Stock Down

Bryce Young, QB, Alabama

Listen, someone had to come out the loser in that Bame-UT game and unfortunately for Young, it was him. Coming off a sprained AC joint injury, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner put forth a Heisman-esque performance, going 35-52 through the air for 455 yards and two touchdowns, getting the Crimson Tide into field goal range in the final minute. At points in the fourth quarter, Young was actually trading the second spot on the Heisman odds board with Hooker as the game was happening.

However, the loss hurt his stock as he has fallen from +1400 a week ago to +1800 at the moment. Young and the Crimson Tide will try to regroup this Saturday when hosting Mississippi State at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Will Anderson Jr., OLB, Alabama

I’m throwing Anderson Jr. in here because I think we can officially shut the door on him actually being a Heisman threat this season. The dynamic edge rusher had a quiet evening stat wise against Tennessee, recording just three tackles and half a TFL against the Vols on Saturday. His odds have plummeted from +4000 a week ago to +7000 at the moment.

Don’t get me wrong, he absolutely should still be the consensus No. 1 overall pick in next year’s NFL Draft. But the defensive Heisman Trophy dream isn’t happening.

Here are the odds as of October 16 to win the 2022 Heisman Trophy from DraftKings Sportsbook:

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL/IN/MI/NJ/PA/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/KS/NH), 888-789-7777/visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 1-877-770-STOP (7867) (LA), 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY), visit OPGR.org (OR), call/text TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN), ConnexOntario 1-866-531-2600 (ONT), or 1-888-532-3500 (VA). 21+ (18+ NH/WY). Physically present in AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/KS/LA(select parishes)/MI/NH/NJ/NY/OR/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. Eligibility restrictions apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for full terms and conditions. DraftKings operates pursuant to an Operating Agreement with iGaming Ontario. Please play responsibly.