Week 14 Heisman Power Ranking | Who Wants to Lift the Heisman?
Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images. Pictured: Bryce Young
A week like this past one is what makes college football so special. Between the ending of the Alabama-Auburn game, the beat down in Ann Arbor and wacky, wild ride that occurred in Stillwater to top off the evening, it was truly a special day in the sport we all love.
However, there is a problem.
We are 14 weeks into the college football season, and it appears that no one wants to win the trophy awarded to the nation's best player.
When everything is all said and done, it is likely the Heisman Trophy winner comes from a two loss, non-College Football Playoff team for the first time since Lamar Jackson in 2016.
With all this said, there is plenty of value on the board, so let's dive into the best bets.
5. Cincinnati QB Desmond Ridder
Being the first quarterback to lead a non-power five team to the College Football Playoff will go down as a rather under-appreciated fact in the history of college football, however it is enough to get him the fifth spot in this week's Heisman Power Rankings.
Ridder had a bit of a blip in the final week of the regular season against East Carolina. Two touchdowns and two interceptions is not the prettiest ending for the star quarterback.
Yet, when looking at the entirety of Ridder's season, the numbers are still very solid. Ridder is looking at 3,000 passing yards, 27 passing touchdowns and eight interceptions while adding 342 yards and six touchdowns via his legs.
It won't win the Heisman, but again, for the circumstances of being the first non-P5 QB, the odds are worth the smallest unit bet for now.
4. Michigan State RB Kenneth Walker III
It truly was a special season for Spartans running back Kenneth Walker III, however, it is going to fall short of the Heisman heading to East Lansing for the first time.
Walker is still my favorite for the Doak Walker Award, and if you can find odds on that, there is plenty of reason to believe there is value regardless of the price.
Had Michigan State made the College Football Playoff, Walker would be in the top two for the Heisman. With over 1600 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns at 6.2 yards a carry, Walker's stat line is the best across the board for running backs in the country.
The lone season at Michigan State for Walker was a special one, but it is likely he heads to the league following this season, and Sparty will be left searching for a replacement for the Heisman hopeful at RB.
3. Ole Miss QB Matt Corral
What a fun game it was Thanksgiving Night in the Egg Bowl. Ole Miss came away with the victory thanks in large part to some slippery hands from Mississippi State receivers, but Matt Corral did his part.
Two total touchdowns on the evening brings Corral's total TD count to 31 on the season. What started off as a very strong beginning of the season fizzled out later in the season, and that is why Corral will not be lifting the Heisman.
It was a fun run, and the duo of Corral and Lane Kiffin will be one that fans in Oxford will have dreams of for the rest of their days.
Should Corral return, we can discuss the Heisman for next fall, but the 2021 campaign has come to an end despite the inviting odds over at WynnBet.
2. Ohio State QB CJ Stroud
I was very close to wrapping up this Heisman Power Ranking last week and all CJ Stroud had to do was defeat his archrival on the road and in the snow. Easy right?
Unfortunately, things did not go that way for Stroud and the Buckeyes Saturday morning. From what was looking like an almost guarantee in the Heisman race about a month ago, now seems like an improbability.
Stroud still had some of the most impressive numbers of any player in the country, but the two losses on his resume are going to be tough to overcome, especially if Alabama is able to defeat Georgia in the SEC title game.
In 2021, Stroud threw for over 3,800 yards with one of the most impressive TD:INT ratios of any quarterback in the nation at 38 touchdowns to just five interceptions.
Right now, I do think there is good value in Stroud's Heisman odds at WynnBet. After all, the entire reason why I am discounting him now may be the same situation Bryce Young finds himself in after the Georgia game. If you like making plus-money bets, take Young's odds for a small unit.
1. Alabama QB Bryce Young
I have talked about Heisman moments in the past and Bryce Young might have just had his this past week against Auburn in the Iron Bowl.
The 97-yard, 12-play drive that took just 1:36 off the clock to tie the ball game and send it to overtime qualifies in my book as the Heisman moment Young has been looking for.
Alabama winning the game was in all honesty, a miracle considering how the first 3.5 quarters had been looking for that offense. At the end of the day, the win and the way in which Alabama won that game will be what is remembered, and it may just be enough for the Heisman to stay in Tuscaloosa.
Young is sitting at 40 touchdowns and four interceptions with 3,901 passing yards. He is my favorite and my best bet right now at WynnBet – even with the juice.
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