Yes, you can already bet on the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner.
It’s essentially a law that when anyone starts a Heisman Trophy season preview, they must mention that the only repeat winner of college football’s biggest individual award was Ohio State running back Archie Griffin in 1975.
Why is it so hard to repeat? Obviously, some players run out of eligibility. Or they might regress statistically the next season. However, this writer believes it’s more voter fatigue. In the NBA, Michael Jordan should have won the MVP Award probably 10 times instead of five but voters got tired of the same thing and chose other people once in a while like Charles Barkley or Karl Malone, etc.
There’s also the fact voters hold the reigning Heisman winner to a higher standard. That person has to far surpass his achievements from the previous season to warrant another first-place vote.
All that said, Alabama quarterback Bryce Young is the early +325 favorite to repeat in 2022, and he will be back in Tuscaloosa barring the most unlikely transfer in college football history or some other issue.
Four Straight For SEC?
Young became the fourth-ever Heisman winner from Alabama and first quarterback. He was the 15th player from the SEC to do so and third straight – no other conference had produced three consecutive Heisman winners. No doubt the Tide will open preseason No. 1 in the polls next summer. If you are a quarterback on a national title contender, your chances of winning the Heisman are very good.
For a few weeks, Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud was the betting favorite before the Buckeyes lost their regular-season finale convincingly at Michigan – not that Stroud was to blame as he threw for 394 yards and two scores. Stroud will lose two spectacular receivers to the NFL in Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave. They combined for 25 TD catches and nearly 2,000 yards this year. Like Alabama, Ohio State simply reloads. Stroud and Ohio State open on Sept. 3, 2022, with an early Heisman showcase game vs. Notre Dame.
Former Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler opened the 2021 season as the betting favorite but eventually lost his job to Caleb Williams and has since transferred to South Carolina. Rattler is the +700 third-favorite for 2022; the only Gamecocks winner of the award was running back George Rogers in 1980. Williams is +1200. Sadly, the Sooners and Gamecocks don’t play next year. That would have been fun.
While Miami (Fla.) had a moderately disappointing season, the Hurricanes found their answer at quarterback as freshman Tyler Van Dyke (+1200) eventually took the starting job and would win ACC Rookie of the Year. In his final six games – UM didn’t compete in a bowl due to COVID – Van Dyke threw for at least 300 yards and three scores in each.
The top running backs on the board are Ohio State’s TreVeyon Henderson at +1600 and Texas’ Bijan Robinson at +1800. The top defender: Alabama linebacker Will Anderson Jr. at +2500.
