2022 Heisman Trophy Odds: Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud the New Betting Favorite
The 2022 college football season is still seven weeks away but the action on the Heisman Trophy future odds is already heating up.
If you are looking to cash in on your investment, you need to focus on quarterbacks as only three skill players have won the award since 2000 (four if Reggie Bush, who vacated the 2005 award, is included). Ohio State‘s C.J. Stroud and Alabama’s Bryce Young, the 2021 winner, are well ahead of the field in the early 2022 markets.
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Predicting who will win the award is never an easy endeavor but the potential payouts can be immense.
LSU’s Joe Burrow rewarded bettors in 2019 with an astronomical return at +12500 odds. In 2020, Alabama’s DeVonta Smith became the first wide receiver to garner Heisman honors since Desmond Howard in 1991. With all the focus on his quarterback, Mac Jones, Smith was still being offered in mid-November at odds as high as +7000, proving that late volatility can exist in the market.
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This season, Young aims to become only the second player in NCAA football history to win the award twice by matching Archie Griffin (1974, 1975).
Young won the award last year at +800 odds after finishing second in the nation in passing yards (4,872) while accounting for 50 total touchdowns en route to an SEC championship and the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff.
The Heisman market has often proven to be a wide-open betting affair and bettors find a plethora of options for the upcoming season!
Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
FAVORITES: Three Quarterbacks Well Ahead of Field
Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud +250
Ohio State is favored to win the Big Ten and the player it is depending on to lead the program to a potential ninth national championship sits atop the betting board in the Heisman futures market. The First-team All-Big Ten quarterback threw for 4,435 and 44 touchdowns in his freshman season in Columbus and the bar has been raised in 2022 after missing out on the College Football Playoff last season.
Ohio State is loaded with playmakers like Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Marvin Harrison Jr., Julian Fleming and TreVeyon Henderson, and they should make up for the losses of first-round draft picks Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave.
Stroud is by far the most popular Heisman Trophy bet in early wagering, which has thrust him ahead of Young after initially opening as the second betting choice.
Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Alabama QB Bryce Young +350
After winning the Heisman last season, the level of pressure on Young to join Griffin as the only two-time recipient of the award is immense.
Playing for the Crimson Tide, who are the overall betting favorites (+200) at SI Sportsbook, will have last season’s Maxwell Award winner in a strong position to join the elite company alongside Griffin. The SEC Offensive Player of the Year, who set the school’s single-season record for passing yards (4,872) and touchdowns (47), will likely need to match or exceed that production in order to repeat.
The only quarterback in Alabama’s prestigious history to win the Heisman also faces the prospect of losing votes to teammates Will Anderson Jr. and Jahmyr Gibbs.
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Caleb Williams, QB, USC +800
After spending half of last season as Oklahoma’s starting quarterback, Caleb Williams followed his former head coach Lincoln Riley to USC. The dual-threat quarterback threw for 1,912 yards and 21 touchdowns after replacing a struggling Spencer Rattler.
On the ground is where Williams—who gained 442 rushing yards and six touchdowns—excels over the two top options in this field. Riley’s system has produced two of the past five Heisman winners (Kyler Murray, 2018; Baker Mayfield, 2017), along with 2019 runner-up Jalen Hurts.
Last season’s Biletnikoff Award winner Jordan Addison, who hauled in 100 receptions for 1,593 yards and 17 touchdowns running routes for Kenny Pickett and Pittsburgh, could see even bigger numbers as William’s top target in Riley’s system.
SLEEPERS: Under-The-Radar Quarterbacks Offer Value
Miami QB Tyler Van Dyke +3500
Former Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal is taking over the reins of Miami and he inherits a potential rising star in quarterback Tyler Van Dyke.
After taking over for an injured D’Eriq King, Van Dyke shined as a freshman. The strong-armed signal caller posted a 5-1 record over the final six game as the starter, surpassing 316 passing yards and three-plus touchdowns in every game.
SI Sportsbook has Miami as the second betting choice (+600) to win the ACC (behind Clemson) with a regular-season win total of 8.5 games. If Van Dyke builds upon his late-season production, bettors could be sitting on tremendous value at +3500 odds.
Oklahoma QB Dillon Gabriel +3500
Dillon Gabriel left UCF and brings vast experience and production to Norman. The veteran quarterback makes the move to Oklahoma to start for Brent Venables in the coach’s first season leading the Sooners. Gabriel shined in this three seasons with the Knights, throwing an eye-popping 70 touchdowns while rushing for eight scores.
SI Sportsbook has installed Oklahoma as the favorites (+160) to win the Big 12, as well as the fifth betting choice to win the national championship at +2500 odds. If Gabriel can lead Venables to a berth in the College Football Playoff in his first season, then you could be looking at a top sleeper in the market at +3500 odds.
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LONG SHOTS: Elite Talents Face Uphill Battle
Alabama LB Will Anderson Jr. +2500
Anderson, Alabama’s stud linebacker, is the most interesting name to watch.
The dominant defender finished fifth in the Heisman voting last season after leading the country with 17.5 sacks and 101 tackles, including 33.5 tackles for a loss (TFL).
The reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Year lands as a “long shot” since college football has not garnered a defensive player with Heisman honors since Charles Woodson in 1997. Michigan’s Aiden Hutchinson (second) finished ahead of Anderson in voting last season despite posting fewer sacks (14) and TFL (16.5).
Last season’s Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner has received solid support in early wagering, resulting in his initial odds of +5000 being cut in half to +2500.
Ohio State WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba +2800
Following Wilson and Olave’s move to the NFL, Jaxon Smith-Njigba now becomes Stroud’s top receiving weapon in arguably the best offense in the country.
The sophomore was last seen hauling in 15 receptions for 347 yards and three touchdowns to spark Ohio State’s 48-45 come-from-behind win over Utah in the Rose Bowl. Smith-Njigba has steep odds to overcome as only two wide receivers (Smith, 2020; Howard, 1991) have won the Heisman in the last 30 years.
Frankie Taddeo is a successful high-stakes fantasy football player who created the first-ever DFS program ever offered in a Las Vegas sportsbook. Frankie is SI Betting's Senior Analyst and provides his significant experience and resources in the sports betting scene. You can follow Frankie on Twitter @Frankie_Fantasy for his latest betting and fantasy insights from Las Vegas.
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