The more things change, the more they stay the same in this year’s Heisman race.
Quarterbacks Hendon Hooker (Tennessee), C.J. Stroud (Ohio State) and Bryce Young (Alabama) have all solidified their spots in the top 5 this season — while guiding their teams to a combined 21-1 record — but the final two spots have been a revolving door so far.
Early on it was Kansas‘ quarterback Jalon Daniels making the cut before an injury and a tough Big 12 slate slowed down his momentum. Next it was UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson‘s turn in the spotlight but a rough day in Eugene all but ended his Heisman campaign.
Now let’s get to this week’s Heisman standings, top Heisman moments of the week and what to watch for in this weekend’s action.
Voting methodology: 12 voters ranked their top five candidates, with five points for a first-place vote down to one point for a fifth-place vote.
Top five candidates
1. Hendon Hooker, QB, Tennessee
Total points: 54 (first-place votes: 6)
Week 8 Notables: It might not have been quite the same as his five touchdowns performance against Alabama, but Hooker still looked like the Heisman favorite in a 65-24 win over UT-Martin. Hooker threw for 276 yards and three touchdowns against the Skyhawks to guide the Volunteers to a 7-0 start. A test against Kentucky awaits this weekend before a game at Georgia looms large Nov. 5.
Heisman odds: +200
2. C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State
Total points: 51 (first-place votes: 6)
Week 8 Notables: Stroud once again dominated a Big Ten foe through the air Saturday, this time to the tune of 286 yards and four touchdowns against an overmatched Iowa team. It was the fifth time this season that Stroud has thrown four or more touchdowns and he currently leads the nation with 28 touchdown passes — with North Carolina‘s Drake Maye coming in second with 24.
Heisman odds: -105
3. Bryce Young, QB, Alabama
Total points: 31 (first-place votes: 0)
Week 8 Notables: Young and the Crimson Tide bounced back after a tough loss against Hooker and Tennessee in a big way against Mississippi State. The 2021 Heisman trophy winner threw for 249 yards and two touchdowns while completing 21 of 35 passes in Alabama’s 30-6 win over the Bulldogs. He may not currently be the frontrunner, but if Young keeps guiding the Tide to wins, expect his name to be in the mix at the end of the season.
Heisman odds: +2500
4. Caleb Williams, QB, USC
Total points: 22 (first-place votes: 0)
Week 8 Notables: Williams and USC had a bye in Week 8 so it’s time to look back at what he’s done in his first season with the Trojans. He currently sits at 1,971 yards and 19 touchdown passes as USC is off to a 6-1. He’s also added three rushing touchdowns and he threw for a season-high five touchdowns his last time out in a loss at Utah.
Heisman odds: +1100
5. Blake Corum, RB, Michigan
Total points: 11 (first-place votes: 0)
Week 8 Notables: Much like Williams, Corum got to enjoy a bye in Week 8 so let’s look at his accolades this season. Corum has rushed for 901 yards and 13 touchdowns so far and Michigan is back in the College Football Playoff hunt once again. He’s tallied at least one touchdown on the ground in all of the Wolverines seven games this season, including a season-high five rushing TDs against UConn on Sept. 17.
Our writers split this week with half the first place votes going to Hooker and the other half to Stroud. Given the results, it’s a perfect time for the voters to explain why their candidate has earned Heisman frontrunner status and why one outside the top 5 actually has a chance this year.
The case for Hendon Hooker: There’s nothing like hard data to put together an unassailable argument, and the numbers tell a pretty clear-cut story in favor of Hooker as the best player in the country so far this season.
He’s completing just shy of 71% of his throws.
He’s accounted for more than 2,400 total yards.
He’s tossed 18 touchdown passes, run for three more and has just one interception all season.
Here’s the list of other players in the past 20 years who’ve done that in their first seven games of the season: ERROR 404, File Not Found.
Nope, what Hooker has done so far this year is unprecedented, and that, in and of itself, is Heisman worthy.
Of course, as inarguable as the numbers may be, statistics can be a bit dispassionate. Indeed, it’s understood that the Heisman requires more than numbers. It’s about heart. It’s about narrative. It’s about a Heisman moment.
Well, who has a bigger Heisman moment this year than Hooker? Five touchdowns, 385 yards and a win over Alabama would be enough regardless, but add in the context of a 15-year losing streak against the Tide and the dramatic finish, with Alabama missing a field goal only to see Hooker connect with Bru McCoy in the final seconds of the game to set up the Vols’ winner, the celebration, the goal posts in the river … that, my friends, is as big as Heisman moments get.
There will be other signature moments in the season’s final six weeks. That’s the beauty of college football, the way it twists and turns and upends destiny just when we least expect it. But it’s hard to imagine a scenario where we reach the Heisman ceremony in New York in December, and Hooker’s win over Alabama isn’t a critical chapter in the story of the 2022 season. Add that with the stats and it’s pretty clear: Hendon Hooker is the Heisman front-runner, and it’ going to take some real magic elsewhere to unseat him. — David M. Hale
The case for C.J. Stroud: He was No. 1 in Total QBR in 2021, and he’s No. 1 in 2022.
Quarterbacking this Ohio State offense, with this set of receivers, might be a pretty easy job, but he’s doing that job at a level we haven’t seen. J.T. Barrett averaged 7.0 yards per dropback in Columbus, Dwayne Haskins 7.8 and Justin Fields 8.0. Stroud? 9.5. He’s got Haskins’ accuracy (72% completion rate) and Fields’ big-play propensity (4.1 completions per game of 20-plus). He is the most productive QB we’ve seen in this Buckeye era, and it’s not particularly close. It would be absurd to think of him as anything but the Heisman front-runner.
Even if a Heisman voter somehow holds Stroud’s incredible supporting cast against him — we sometimes do that (Mac Jones) and sometimes don’t (Joe Burrow, Bryce Young) — that’s pretty unconvincing considering star Jaxon Smith-Njigba has barely played this year. Leading receivers Emeka Egbuka and Marvin Harrison Jr., blue-chippers as they may be, are sophomores who came into this season with 20 career catches. They have 17 TOUCHDOWN catches in seven games this season. Stroud has been the best quarterback in the country, and Ohio State has been the nation’s best team. Making his Heisman case is awfully easy. — Bill Connelly
The case for … Max Duggan?: Max Duggan wasn’t TCU’s starting quarterback when the season began. But since taking over for an injured Chandler Morris, Duggan has done everything he can to keep the Horned Frogs rolling.
In his fourth year as a starter, he has blossomed under new coach Sonny Dykes and offensive coordinator Garrett Riley, throwing for 1,871 yards in just seven games (206 behind his career high for a season), 19 TDs (a career high and 8th nationally) with just one interception, on a Hail Mary attempt with 21 seconds left before halftime against Kansas. Duggan is completing 68.9% of his passes, ranks fifth nationally in passing efficiency (181.8) and leads the Big 12 in yards per pass attempt (9.7) along with that completion percentage, touchdowns and fewest interceptions.
“Max Duggan continues to play football as good as any quarterback I’ve been around,” Dykes said. “He just does everything he can to help your football team win.”
After coming off the bench in a season-opening win against Colorado, Duggan has led his team to six wins as the starter (averaging 303 passing yards per game in that span) including four straight wins over ranked opponents which has never been done in TCU history. He’s also added 274 yards and four touchdowns on the ground, drawing praise from his teammates for his resilience.
“It’s crazy the shots that Max takes,” running back Kendre Miller said. “He’s a tough dude and has earned my respect just getting back up. I feel like it helps other people. If the quarterback can do it, anybody can do it.”
The Heisman is often an award given to the best player on one of the country’s best teams. There’s no doubt Duggan is as valuable to No. 7 TCU as any player is to their team in the country.
Top Heisman moments this past week
1. Not that it was totally needed in Alabama’s blowout win but Bryce Young found a way to buy some time before throwing a dart to kickoff the scoring against Mississippi State.
Bryce Young shows a glimpse of Heisman magic as he extends the play and fires a dart to JoJo Earle to put the Crimson Tide on the board.
2. With the Buckeyes already up 40-10 Stroud decided to uncork his best throw of the day.
C.J. Stroud passes to Julian Fleming for 79-yard Ohio State touchdown.
3. Tennessee didn’t need much from Hooker against UT-Martin but he still delivered.
UT Martin Skyhawks vs. Tennessee Volunteers: Full Highlights
Let’s move away from the SEC for week and focus on the Big Ten. C.J. Stroud is currently the odds on favorite in the Heisman race and, as seen by his stats and highlights above, rightfully so. This week Stroud and his high-profile wide receiver corps get a big test against Penn State in Happy Valley. Stroud will have his hands full with the talented Nittany Lions secondary led by Joey Porter Jr. But Stroud has typically saved his best games for the brightest lights so white out or not, look out Penn State fans.
Week 13 is here as we look toward big Saturday matchups that could have an effect on the College Football Playoff rankings, along with what’s going on in the SEC and the success story of a UCLA walk-on who is now leading the FBS in solo tackles.
Starting Saturday’s slate of games, No. 5 Indiana and No. 2 Ohio State will meet in a game that could have Big Ten and CFP implications, while No. 6 Notre Dame and No. 19 Army will face each other in the evening. Army and Indiana enter their matchups undefeated, but will they stay that way?
With conference title games just around the corner, we take a look at what’s going on in the SEC. No. 3 Texas and No. 15 Texas A&M lead in the standings currently, but could we see a potential rematch between No. 7 Alabama and No. 10 Georgia on Dec. 7?
Our college football experts preview big games and storylines ahead of the Week 13 slate.
UCLA’s Carson Schwesinger engineers an extraordinary walk-on story
Before this season, Carson Schwesinger‘s story had the typical markings: walk-on, overlooked in recruiting, worked his way onto the field for a Power 4 program.
Schwesinger was a scout team standout for UCLA. He played on every special teams unit, making the travel squad and catching the attention of running backs coach DeShaun Foster. He earned a scholarship before the 2022 season. Schwesinger had limited opportunities on defense but collected 15 tackles in 2022 and 12 last fall, including a sack.
His was a nice little story. This season, he has become something very different.
Schwesinger, a junior linebacker for the Bruins, leads the Big Ten and is tied for third nationally in total tackles with 109, and also has 2 interceptions, 3 sacks and a forced fumble. A team captain, Schwesinger leads the FBS in solo tackles with 69. He’s even generating NFL draft buzz after recording seven games with 10 or more tackles, including 17 last week at Washington.
“Any opportunity I was going to get, I was going to try and make the most of it,” Schwesinger said. “I don’t like going in with too many expectations about stats or playing time or whatever. I’m not a huge stats guy.”
Schwesinger attributed his production spike to several factors: increased playing time, facing more run-oriented offenses in UCLA’s first season in the Big Ten, and his teammates, especially star tackle Jay Toia and fellow linebackers Oluwafemi Oladejo and Kain Medrano. Ikaika Malloe, who coached the line in 2023, became Schwesinger’s fourth defensive coordinator in as many years but didn’t overhaul the scheme.
“He’s just somebody who you can count on,” said Foster, now UCLA’s head coach. “Just to see him continuously make plays, flying around and really being the quarterback of the defense, is just amazing. We’re not surprised by it, but he just keeps doing more stuff that’s just impressive.”
A native of Moorpark, California, Schwesinger played safety and wide receiver at Oaks Christian School, the football power not far from UCLA’s campus that regularly produces Power 4 recruits. But no one wanted Schwesinger, as he “slipped through the cracks,” Foster said.
Schwesinger came to UCLA to study bioengineering. One of his sisters studied physiological science there, and another was studying engineering “across town” at USC, the team the Bruins host Saturday.
“It’s definitely a little bit more time consuming,” said Schwesinger, who schedules most of his lab classes in the offseason. “It just takes a little bit extra preparedness throughout the week. The professors have been great in terms of being flexible and allowing me to be able to do both of my passions.”
Schwesinger hopes to use his degree and work in the sports science field after finishing with football.
“He’s going to real school, it’s not just showing up and taking TV,” said Foster, quoting fictional coach Pete Bell from the movie “Blue Chips.”
Schwesinger is a semifinalist for the Burlsworth Trophy, given to the top college football player who started his career as a walk-on. He’s also a semifinalist for the Butkus Award, bestowed upon the sport’s top linebacker.
“I’m proud of just being able to continue to work, even when there were times when it didn’t seem like it was going to be going to work out for me,” Schwesinger said. “I’m just thankful for the opportunities that I’ve been given, and want to continue to make the most of any that I keep getting.” — Adam Rittenberg
What’s on the line in the Army-Notre Dame matchup?
Back in August, everybody had the Army-Notre Dame game in the next-to-last weekend of the regular season carrying College Football Playoff implications, right? And the same goes for Army coming into the game unbeaten, correct?
Sounds like fantasy, especially with the game being played at Yankee Stadium and the history of the two institutions, but the winner of this game takes a sizable step toward the playoff. Granted, Notre Dame is a big favorite and has been playing lights out since a shocking loss to Northern Illinois in the second week of the season. Since that loss, the Irish (9-1) have won eight straight games with seven of those wins coming by 18 or more points. After Army comes a trip to the West Coast to face USC, and with wins in both of those games, Notre Dame should be safely in the playoff for the first time since 2020.
Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman wants no part of what might lie ahead for his team, and he also doesn’t want anybody mistaking Army for Navy, which the Irish routed 51-14 back in October. The Midshipmen were unbeaten and nationally ranked at the time.
“I met with the defensive staff, and the first thing we said is the biggest mistake we can make is to think this is Navy 2.0. It’s not. It’s a different offense,” Freeman said. “They do some different things. They have a different identity and present a different challenge.”
The Black Knights (9-0) moved to 19th in the playoff committee’s latest rankings and have already clinched a berth in the AAC championship game against Tulane. The highest ranked Group of 5 conference champion will earn an automatic spot in the playoff. But with such a weak strength of schedule, Army is going to need a marquee win (like Notre Dame) to have a chance to pass Boise State in the final rankings even if it wins a conference championship.
Either way, this is the most anticipated Army-Notre Dame matchup in more than 50 years, although Army coach Jeff Monken has chosen to go down another road with his players, as in emphasizing the things — blocking, sure tackling, winning the turnover battle and winning on special teams — that have gotten them to this point.
“If I’m telling our guys this is the biggest [Notre Dame] game since 1946, I mean, how does that help our team win?” Monken said. “Does it? It just puts undue pressure on them.”
For sure, but it’s the kind of pressure, and the kind of stage, anybody in or around Army’s program would have gladly accepted back in August. — Chris Low
What’s going on in the SEC?
The dream of complete chaos happening in the SEC — an eight-team tie for first place — ended with LSU’s 27-16 loss at Florida last week.
With only two weeks to play in the regular season, there’s still much unknown and plenty of potential havoc that can happen in the deepest Power 4 conference.
No. 3 Texas and No. 15 Texas A&M, the only teams with one conference loss, are in the driver’s seat in getting to the Dec. 7 SEC championship game. If those teams win Saturday (the Longhorns host Kentucky, and the Aggies travel to Auburn), the winner of their Nov. 30 showdown at Kyle Field will punch its ticket to Atlanta.
If either Texas or Texas A&M slips up this weekend and then comes back to win in the regular-season finale, however, there’s potential for a six-way tie for first if the other contenders (No. 7 Alabama, No. 9 Ole Miss, No. 10 Georgia and No. 11 Tennessee) win out.
Another potential scenario: If Texas or Texas A&M lose this week and then bounce back in the regular-season finale, it could potentially be an Alabama-Georgia rematch in Atlanta (as long as the Tide win at Oklahoma on Saturday and against Auburn in the Nov. 30 Iron Bowl).
Still with me?
Georgia’s SEC season is complete after the Bulldogs took down the Volunteers 31-17 last week. Tennessee closes the regular season at Vanderbilt on Nov. 30. The Rebels play at surging Florida on Saturday and host rival Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl on Nov. 29.
Even if the Texas-Texas A&M winner has only one SEC loss, there’s a good chance there could be a multiteam tie for second. Because not everyone played each other in the 16-team league, head-to-head and common-opponent tiebreakers can’t be used.
So the fourth tiebreaker, cumulative conference winning percentage of all SEC opponents, would probably be used to settle the debate. That’s where Alabama has an advantage over the others with a 27-26 record (.509) going into this weekend.
Of course, a couple of upsets over the next two weeks could change everything in the SEC. — Mark Schlabach
What does each team need to capitalize on to win?
Indiana: Led by the electrifying playmaking foursome of running backs TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins and wideouts Emeka Egbuka and Jeremiah Smith, the Buckeyes rank third nationally in offensive efficiency. Operating with those playmakers around him, quarterback Will Howard ranks fourth with a QBR of 85.3.
Still, despite thriving otherwise in his first and only season with the Buckeyes, Howard remains prone to making big mistakes. On Nov. 2 against Penn State, Howard committed two colossal turnovers, throwing a pick-six on Ohio State’s opening drive, then later fumbling away the ball on the way to what would’ve been a touchdown run. The Buckeyes overcame those takeaways on the way to a 20-13 victory. But if the Hoosiers, who rank 10th nationally in turnover margin, can force Howard into those types of mistakes again, they could hang around and, potentially, pull off the upset.
Ohio State: The Hoosiers became the first team in 26 years to open 8-0 without trailing once. Despite winning 10 games for the first time in program history, Indiana has yet to face a ranked opponent. The Hoosiers also haven’t had to play in an imposing venue like Ohio Stadium. Two years ago, while still at Ohio, Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke struggled in such an environment, throwing for just 119 yards in a 46-10 loss at Penn State. In two years with James Madison competing in the FBS, Indiana’s Curt Cignetti never coached anywhere like the Horseshoe. Cignetti is on track to become college football’s coach of the year, and Rourke is having a fabulous season. But Ohio State can make the moment — and the setting — too big for them. Indiana hasn’t had to play from behind all year. Ohio State could put the Hoosiers in an uncomfortable and precarious position with a couple of quick early strikes. — Jake Trotter
Remember Aaron Judge? The guy who hit 58 home runs? Had the highest single-season WAR for a New York Yankees player since 1957? Had a 50-game stretch in which he hit .403 with 26 home runs? With the Most Valuable Player Award being announced today, here’s a reminder that Judge had a season for the ages and that he will win the American League award for the second time.
While the lasting memory of his season will be his struggles in October, when he hit .184 with three home runs in 14 games, Judge had an amazing regular season — and that’s all that counts in MVP voting. He hit .322/.458/.701 with 58 home runs and 144 RBIs. For the second time in three years, Judge topped 10 WAR and advanced metrics point to the historic nature of his 2024 performance: the highest adjusted OPS ever for a right-handed batter, the highest adjusted OPS ever for a center fielder, the highest adjusted runs created for any hitter besides Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Ted Williams and Barry Bonds.
With his third career 50-homer season, Judge became only the fifth player to do that at least three times, joining Ruth and three others whose numbers now exist in a cloud of suspicion (Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Alex Rodriguez).
It’s this fact that raises a fun question as we await the MVP announcement: Is Judge the greatest pure home run hitter of all time? Let’s put his numbers into perspective and compare him to some of baseball’s greatest sluggers.
ESPN baseball reporter. Covered the Washington Wizards from 2014 to 2016 and the Washington Nationals from 2016 to 2018 for The Washington Post before covering the Los Angeles Dodgers and MLB for the Los Angeles Times from 2018 to 2024.
NEW YORK — With uncertainty looming over when Japanese baseball star Roki Sasaki will sign with a major league club, Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred offered some clarity Wednesday, saying that he expected Sasaki to be part of the 2025 international amateur class.
That would mean Sasaki, one of the top pitchers in the world, will be posted after Dec. 2 and will not sign with a club before Jan. 15.
“It kind of looks like the way it’s going to shake out that the signing there, just because of the timing, will happen in the new pool period,” Manfred said at MLB’s Manhattan offices, where the owners meetings are taking place this week.
Earlier this month, the Chiba Lotte Marines made official what was anticipated around the baseball industry for months, announcing it would post Sasaki this winter.
The signing period for international free agents stretches from Jan. 15 to Dec. 15 every year. All 30 clubs have 45 days to negotiate with a player from Nippon Professional Baseball once he is posted. If a deal is not struck in that 45-day period, the player is returned to his NPB team.
In Sasaki’s case, he is considered an international amateur free agent and, as a result, can only sign a minor league deal because he is under the age of 25 and didn’t play six seasons in NPB. That designation, combined with international bonus pools being capped, suppresses the amount of money teams can pay the 23-year-old Sasaki, who surely would have reaped a nine-figure contract in an unrestricted market if he had waited another two years to join an MLB club.
Sasaki would have been eligible for the 2024 signing period only if he were posted before Dec. 2 because the 45-day negotiating window would elapse before the 2025 signing period begins. Most clubs have spent their allotment for the 2024 period. Sasaki waiting until the 2025 period resets each club’s budget. That theoretically could give more teams a better opportunity to land a starting pitcher with a triple-digit fastball, nasty splitter and top-flight slider at a bargain price a year after the Los Angeles Dodgers signed then-25-year-old Yoshinobu Yamamoto to a 12-year, $325 million contract last winter.
The Dodgers have been widely considered the favorites to sign Sasaki, too. They had the most international bonus pool money remaining for the 2024 signing period — about $2.5 million — ostensibly to offer Sasaki. Rules stipulate their 2025 bonus pool is capped at approximately $5.1 million.
The largest bonus pools for 2025 are set at around $7.5 million, though most teams have committed the majority, if not all, of their money to players in nonbinding deals. Clubs could, however, choose not to honor those verbal pacts and trade for international bonus space to offer Sasaki more money.
MLB to test robot umpires in spring
Also Wednesday, Manfred said MLB would test robot umpires as part of a challenge system during spring training at 13 ballparks hosting 19 teams, which could lead to regular-season use in 2026.
MLB has been experimenting with the automated ball-strike system in the minor leagues since 2019 but is still working on the shape of the strike zone.
An agreement for big league use would have to be reached with the Major League Baseball Umpires Association, whose collective bargaining agreement expires Dec. 1.
“I would be interested in having it in ’26,” Manfred said Wednesday. “We do have a collective bargaining obligation there. That’s obviously a term and condition of employment. We’re going to have to work through that issue, as well.”
Manfred said the spring training experiment would have to be evaluated before MLB determined how to move forward.
MLB to give Tampa area time on ballpark
Manfred also discussed the Tampa Bay Rays‘ ballpark situation following Hurricane Milton, saying there has been no thought to allowing the team to explore a relocation.
Manfred said Tampa-area politicians will be given time to sort out the situation.
“Given the devastation in that area, it’s kind of only fair to give the local governments in the Tampa Bay region an opportunity to sort of figure out where they are, what they have available in terms of resources, what’s doable,” Manfred said.
Tampa Bay announced a stadium plan in September 2023 but following Hurricane Milton, which damaged Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg on Oct. 9, the Pinellas County Commission has not approved financing bonds for the new ballpark. The Rays said this week the new ballpark wouldn’t be able to open until 2029, if at all.
“We’re committed to the fans in Tampa Bay,” Manfred said. “Given all that’s happened in that market, we’re focused on our franchise in Tampa Bay right now.”
No 2025 games in Mexico City, San Juan
Manfred announced that MLB has scrapped plans to play regular-season games next year in Mexico City and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The season opens on March 18 and 19 with a two-game series in Tokyo between Shohei Ohtani‘s Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs. The collective bargaining agreement agreed to in 2022 also called for Mexico City games next May, the first Paris games in June and San Juan games in September.
MLB called off the France games in 2023 after failing to find a promoter. It played 49 regular-season games at San Juan’s Hiram Bithorn Stadium from 2001 to 2018. Scheduled games at San Juan and Mexico City in 2020 were canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“We’re not going to San Juan. We did not have, despite a lot of efforts, an arrangement that made economic sense for us,” Manfred said. “We’d like to do San Juan and what’s available kind of changes year to year and I hope it all works out in the future.”