Heisman Watch for Week 1 of College Football

Week 1 of the 2022 college football season has finally arrived and hope springs eternal for every team across the country with a new season getting underway. Several players around the country also have hopes of having a good enough season to hoist up the Heisman Trophy at the end of the year.

We’ll take a look at some of the top candidates for the award heading into Week 1 and their odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.

Frontrunners

C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State

Stroud is the official frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy as he’s installed at +220 odds to win the award on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Buckeye quarterback bursted onto the scene as a redshirt freshman last season and nearly rewrote the Ohio State record books. He completed 72% of his passes for 4,435 yards, 44 touchdowns, and just six interceptions. Those single-season yards and touchdown numbers were the second-most in program history behind Dwayne Haskins’ legendary 2018 season.

He has an opportunity to make a good impression in front of the entire college football world on Saturday when Ohio State hosts Notre Dame at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

Bryce Young, QB, Alabama

Young is the reigning Heisman Trophy winner and has a shot to become just the second two-time winner of the award in history this season. He rewrote the Alabama school record books last season on his way to becoming the second straight Crimson Tide player to win the award. His 4,872 yards and 47 touchdowns were both single-season school records and he only got popped for seven interceptions.

Alabama will host Utah State at 7:30 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.

Caleb Williams, QB, USC

After a whirlwind offseason in Los Angeles, we’ll finally see the USC debuts of both head coach Lincoln Riley and quarterback Caleb Williams on Saturday when the Trojans hos t Rice at 6 p.m. ET on the Pac-12 Network.

Williams entered last season as Oklahoma’s prized five-star quarterback prospect from the 2021 recruiting class. Backing up preseason Heisman frontrunner Spencer Rattler to start the season, the Washington D.C. product took over midway through OU’s rivalry showdown against Texas and led the Sooners to a dramatic comeback win. From there, he supplanted Rattler as the starter in Norman, OK, and ended the year with 1,912 yards and 21 touchdowns through the air while also compiling 442 yards and six touchdowns on the ground. After the season, he promptly followed Riley to USC where he’ll have big expectations right out the gate.

Will Anderson Jr., OLB, Alabama

Anderson is enters the season with hopes of becoming the first Heisman Trophy winner to play exclusively on defense. He emerged as the most dominant defensive player in the country last season, compiling 101 total tackles, 31 TFLs, 17.5 sacks, and three passes defensed last year as the Crimson Tide once again made the College Football Playoff final. The long list of accolades he picked up included 2021 SEC Defensive Player of the Year, the Bronco Nagurski Trophy, and unanimous All-American honors.

Here are the latest odds to win the 2022 Heisman Trophy from DraftKings Sportsbook:

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