We are past the mid-point of the 2021 college football regular season, and chaos has reigned supreme. Not even finished with October and we've already seen 52 ranked teams lose a game, with everybody in the country (except for Georgia) looking vulnerable at times.
It makes the Heisman Trophy race perhaps the most interesting in years, because, well, there doesn't seem to be an obvious frontrunner. Or even a couple. In the preseason we picked our favorites for college football's highest individual honor, and it doesn't look great! JT Daniels has been hurt for a month, Spencer Rattler got benched and DJ Uiagalelei has had a dreadful season. So who is likeliest to take home the award? Here are the new favorites as we head into the home stretch:
5) Kenneth Walker III, Michigan State: The nation's leader in yards per game, Walker has carried the load for the surprisingly 7-0 Spartans. Already with multiple 200-yard performances this season (albeit against Northwestern and Rutgers), Walker will have multiple shots in the coming weeks for his "Heisman moment". On Saturday it's one of the biggest editions ever in the rivalry with Michigan, as both teams enter undefeated and ranked in the top-six nationally. Then Sparty closes at Ohio State and home to Penn State. If they go 0-3 in those games Walker won't win even if he plays great (sadly, record matters). But even 2-1 and Walker looks unstoppable? Now we're cooking.
4) Kenny Pickett, Pitt: A fifth-year senior who opted to return for a final year instead of being a mid-to-late round NFL Draft pick, the Pitt signal caller is seeing the returns. The Panthers are 6-1 and in the driver's seat to make the ACC Championship Game, led by the electric arm of Pickett. Ninth in the country at 319 yards per game, he has 23 touchdowns to just one interception and just picked apart a very good Clemson defense for 302 yards and a couple of scores. The only thing keeping him from getting more hype is the lack of big games down the stretch -- of its final five games, Pitt might only play one team (Virginia) with a winning record.
3) Matt Corral, Ole Miss: A betting favorite as recently as a few weeks ago, Corral has become a true dual-threat in 2021. He always had the arm talent (273 yards per game, 15 TDs to 1 INT) but now he's lethal with his legs, too, averaging 68 yards rushing per game with nine additional scores. He's twice been named National Player of the Week and still has high-profile games coming up at Auburn (this weekend) and against Texas A&M next month. The big hindrance? The Rebels' lone loss thus far was a curb-stomping at the hands of Alabama in which Corral was vastly outplayed by another Heisman contender...
2) Bryce Young, Alabama: The only player on both our preseason and midseason lists, Young hasn't drawn the attention of Tua Tagovailoa or Mac Jones, but as of today he is the betting favorite to win the award. Because it's Alabama and everyone expects it, the general fan takes his numbers for granted, but they are eye-popping: 307 yards per game, a 70 percent completion percentage, 26 TDs (with at least two in every game) and only three interceptions. If the season ended right now, it would probably be met with an eye-roll, but Young would win the award. But! It's not handed out in October, and come December the winner will be...
1) CJ Stroud, Ohio State: After the Buckeyes' Week 2 home loss to Oregon and a lackadaisical Week 3 win over Tulsa, some folks were calling for Stroud's benching. That was... premature. In the month since, Ohio State has averaged 58 points per game, never scoring fewer than 52. Stroud missed one of those games (Akron), but in wins over Rutgers, Maryland and Indiana he's completed 74 percent of his passes for 1,002 yards, 14 touchdowns and no interceptions. Only Coastal Carolina's Grayson McCall is a more efficient passer, and Stroud will have four big chances to impress voters, as the Buckeyes face Penn State, Michigan State, Michigan and (potentially) Iowa in a Big Ten title game. If OSU keeps humming along like they have been, it's Stroud's award.