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The 2022 Heisman Trophy ceremony has come and gone, and college football’s top honor went to a player who now will have a chance to become just the second player to win the award twice, joining Ohio State’s Archie Griffin (1974 and ’75).

USC’s Caleb Williams won the award but still has multiple seasons to play before taking his talents to the NFL. Stetson Bennett, C.J. Stroud and Max Duggan had great years and led their teams to the College Football Playoff, but Williams’ outstanding season couldn’t be topped in voters’ minds.

It’s never too early to look ahead at next year’s contenders, led by Williams. A look at the 2023 Heisman race:

Top contenders

Can Williams repeat? It’s unlikely, given it has happened only once in the history of the award, but he’ll surely be a favorite, odds-wise, going into next season. What’s unique about Williams’ case is that he’ll be set up even better than he was this past year to succeed. Williams will now have two years of playing in the Lincoln Riley offense under his belt as well as a plethora of talented options around him once again. USC will need to replace Jordan Addison and most of a strong offensive line, but the biggest challenge might be the fact that Williams will have to surpass the bar he set this season: over 4,000 passing yards, 47 total touchdowns and a surplus of Houdini-like scrambling highlights that helped him secure the award this year. — Paolo Uggetti


Considering he was kinda sorta discussed as a contender in 2022, Maye should be on the preseason list headed into 2023 after a breakout redshirt freshman season. Maye threw for 4,115 yards, 35 touchdowns and seven interceptions to win ACC Player of the Year honors and lead North Carolina to the ACC championship game. Top receiver Josh Downs is headed to the NFL draft, so a new favorite target is needed moving forward. But there is a reason many believe Maye is in position to be a high NFL draft pick in 2024. One ACC coach said this about Maye: “He’s got great pocket presence. He’s special. He’s just got ‘it.'” — Andrea Adelson


Morris beat out Max Duggan in camp and was the Horned Frogs’ starter before an injury. Sonny Dykes loves how he throws the ball, and TCU will reload at receiver. In Morris’ first start against Baylor‘s Big 12 champion team in 2021, he had 531 yards and three TDs. His 461 passing yards were third in Big 12 history for a player in his first career start. After watching Duggan become a Heisman finalist in his senior year, Morris will take the reins, ready to have a breakout season of his own. — Dave Wilson

Up-and-comers

Look, we’re not saying he’s going to win a Heisman as a freshman, but the quarterback spot will be up for grabs after Quinn Ewers‘ struggles in 2022, and the Longhorns will have talented players around him, including outstanding tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders — a quarterback’s best friend. Sarkisian likes to throw it, so if he wins the job, he’ll get a shot to produce. And if there’s anyone who’s used to dealing with the burden of expectations, it’s Manning. — Wilson


Consider this a placeholder for whoever becomes Ohio State’s — or Alabama’s! — starting quarterback next year. There could be some twists and turns in both QB battles, but we know that McCord was C.J. Stroud‘s backup this season, and we know that he was super sharp in tiny doses. He finished the regular season 16-for-20 for 190 yards and a touchdown, and he has the recruiting pedigree (No. 33 overall recruit in 2021, No. 6 pocket passer) to suggest he could put up something approaching Stroud-like numbers for a full season if asked to, especially with the skill corps options he will have at his disposal. — Bill Connelly


He was the No. 1 dual-threat QB in the class of 2022, and when, after weeks of speculation and expectation, he took over for the struggling DJ Uiagalelei in the ACC championship, he proceeded to obliterate North Carolina’s defense, going 20-for-24 for 279 yards and a touchdown. He has all the tools, he has exciting young receivers (Antonio Williams, Beaux Collins, Cole Turner) and he has a workhorse back next to him in Will Shipley. No one would be surprised if he turned himself into a front-runner rather quickly. — Connelly

Momentum players

Now that Travis has announced he is returning to Florida State for his sixth season of eligibility, it is time to truly appreciate what he did in 2022, and what that should mean for 2023. Those outside Tallahassee might regard him as a “running” quarterback,” but that would be disregarding his passing ability — and that was on full display in leading the Seminoles to a 9-3 season while earning second-team All-ACC honors. Travis is the first player in Florida State history with at least 20 touchdown passes and seven rushing touchdowns in a season, and the fourth player in school history with at least 3,000 total yards and 30 total touchdowns in a season. The others happen to be Heisman Trophy winners: Charlie Ward (1993), Chris Weinke (2000) and Jameis Winston (2013). — Adelson


A 6-5, 230-pound senior, the former Oregon transfer could still toy with entering the NFL after starting in the Texas Bowl. The Red Raiders played three different QBs this year, but Shough started all three of Tech’s wins over Kansas, Iowa State and Oklahoma, including passing for 436 yards and two touchdowns in the 51-48 OT win over the Sooners. Against Kansas, he threw for 246 yards and ran for 76 more with a touchdown. A full year in Zach Kittley’s system in Lubbock would result in huge numbers. — Wilson


No quarterback had more passing yards in the nation than Penix, who finished with 4,354 after transferring to Seattle from Indiana. Had it not been for back-to-back losses against UCLA and ASU, Penix would have likely been a Heisman finalist. And there’s a good argument to be made that he should have been in New York regardless. But the Huskies will get their quarterback for one more season. Penix announced he would be returning to school next year, and the way he shined over the course of this season makes him not only a rising contender, but perhaps just one or two games away from being a favorite. — Uggetti


We don’t yet know the intentions of Michigan’s star back, Blake Corum, who recently underwent season-ending surgery on an injured knee. If he chooses to return to Michigan and again finds fifth gear, then he automatically becomes a front-runner. But if he doesn’t, the Wolverines’ run game might not miss a beat with Edwards taking over instead. In two games as the feature back, he rushed 47 times for 401 yards and three TDs against Ohio State and Purdue, and he’s already proved himself one of the nation’s better receiving threats out of the backfield. He’s the total package. — Connelly


The Heisman is generally a quarterback award for obvious reasons, but who was the only non-QB to win in the past seven years? A receiver (DeVonta Smith, 2020)! And who emerged as the scariest receiver in the country down the stretch? Harrison. The sophomore had 1,157 yards and 12 touchdowns for the season but raised his game late, averaging 112 yards per game and 16.4 yards per catch over the final five games of the regular season. He has the pedigree and the production, and he’ll be on just about every preseason All-American list to start 2023. — Connelly


In his first year at a new school, battling a few injuries and learning a completely new system, all the Arizona State transfer did was throw for 2,774 yards and 16 touchdowns, rush for 818 and 11 more scores and lead LSU to an upset of Alabama and an SEC West title. If he chooses to return to Baton Rouge in 2023, he would enjoy solid continuity in the receiving corps with Malik Nabers, Kayshon Boutte and others returning, and he could produce at an even higher level. — Connelly

Redemption stories

NC State launched a Heisman campaign for Leary in August called “D Leary Delivers” after he threw for 3,433 yards, 35 touchdowns and five interceptions the previous season. But his year got off to a slow start before he suffered a season-ending pectoral injury in October. Now he is in the transfer portal, so perhaps he will end up being a Heisman contender after all. — Adelson


After suffering a concussion on a brutal late targeting hit against TCU, Gabriel missed the Texas game the next week as well. He finished the regular season with 2,925 yards passing and 24 TDs to 6 INTs. Most of his numbers were right on track with his consistent career trajectory. If Oklahoma improves and Gabriel produces, he’ll get his time in the spotlight. — Wilson

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Stars’ Hintz remains game-time call for Game 4

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Stars' Hintz remains game-time call for Game 4

EDMONTON, Alberta — Dallas Stars forward Roope Hintz remains a game-time decision ahead of Game 4 of the Western Conference Final on Tuesday.

The club’s top skater has been sidelined since Game 2 in the series when he took a slash to the left leg from Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse. Hintz took part in warmups before Game 3 on Sunday but exited early and was ruled out. He was back on the ice for Dallas’ optional practice on Monday and told reporters he was “feeling good” and “trying to do everything I can” to get back in for Game 4.

It was early in the third period of Game 2 when Hintz — parked in front of the Oilers’ net — shoved Nurse from behind, and the Oilers’ blueliner responded by swinging his stick at Hintz’s leg. Hintz was down on the ice for several minutes after that before being helped off by Lian Bichsel and Mikael Granlund.

Nurse received a two-minute penalty for the slash on Hintz but no supplementary discipline from the league. The blueliner addressed the incident for the first time Tuesday, explaining it didn’t come with malicious intent.

“I was backing up to net and I got shot in the back. And I think it was just a natural reaction [to respond],” Nurse said. “It’s probably a play that everyone in this room, whether you’re a net-front guy or D man, probably happens a dozen, two dozen times in a year. It’s unfortunate that I must have got [Hintz] in a bad spot. You don’t want to go out there and hurt anyone. But it was just one of those plays that happens so often.”

Having Hintz unavailable hurt the Stars in Game 3, a 6-1 drubbing by the Oilers that put Dallas in a 2-1 hole in the best-of-7 series. Hintz is the Stars’ second-leading scorer in the postseason, with 11 goals and 15 points through 15 games. He was hopeful when taking warmups Sunday that he’d feel good enough to get back in but a quick discussion with the training staff made it clear he wasn’t ready.

Coach Pete DeBoer has since classified Hintz’s status as day-to-day.

“Of course you want to go every night, but sometimes you just can’t,” said Hintz. “I don’t know how close I [was to playing]. But I have played many years [and I] know when it’s good and when it’s not. I should be good to know that [when] it comes to that decision.”

The Oilers will have some lineup changes of their own to sort through in Game 4. Connor Brown is out after he took a hit from Alexander Petrovic in Game 3; he’ll be replaced by the incoming Viktor Arvidsson. Calvin Pickard — injured in Edmonton’s second-round series against Vegas — will return to back up for Stuart Skinner. And Edmonton continues to wait on defenseman Mattias Ekholm, who is getting closer to coming back from a lower-body injury.

Puck drop for Game 4 is 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday.

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‘That’s wonderful’: Canes finally see ECF skid end

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'That's wonderful': Canes finally see ECF skid end

SUNRISE, Fla. — Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin is happy to never get another question about his team’s record-setting NHL playoff losing streak.

“Wonderful. That’s wonderful,” he said after Carolina’s 3-0 win over the Florida Panthers in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals on Monday night. “The guys in here worked hard tonight and that’s all you can ask for.”

The Hurricanes avoided a sweep by the Panthers, sending the series back to Raleigh, North Carolina, for Game 5 on Wednesday night. In the process, Carolina snapped a 15-game losing streak in the conference finals — the longest losing streak by a team in a playoff round other than the Stanley Cup Final in NHL history.

The Hurricanes’ last win in the Eastern Conference finals was in Game 7 against the Buffalo Sabres in 2006, a game that saw current Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour score the winning goal.

“It’s been a story. So, yeah, it’s nice to not have to talk about that [anymore],” Brind’Amour said.

When the streak began in 2009, Carolina captain Jordan Staal was helping the Pittsburgh Penguins to a conference finals sweep of the Hurricanes. He said the win over Florida in Game 4 showed how much pride was in the Canes’ locker room, as they refused to allow the Panthers to end their season.

“There’s a lot of guys that didn’t want to go home,” Staal said. “We know we have a huge hill to climb here. We’ve got a great team on the other side that is going to come back with a better effort. It’s a great challenge.”

Florida coach Paul Maurice, whose team had a chance to advance to a third straight Stanley Cup Final with a victory, gave credit to the Hurricanes for a solid and disruptive game while acknowledging that his team could have gotten to its own game better.

“I haven’t been nearly as down on that hockey team as you fine people have been over the last three games, and I won’t be as down on my team tonight,” he said. “[The Hurricanes] were good. They had good sticks. They had good quickness. You see that happen more often when the possessor of the puck’s feet are not moving.”

Three factors changed the vibe for Carolina in Game 4.

Goalie Frederik Andersen had his second shutout of the postseason after being pulled in Game 2 and benched for Game 3. Andersen was 7-2 with a .937 save percentage and a 1.36 goals-against average in nine playoff games before facing Florida. In two games against the Panthers, he gave up nine goals on 36 shots (.750, 5.54). Andersen had given up just 12 goals in his previous nine postseason games.

In Game 4, he was a great last line of defense, stopping all 20 shots.

After the game, Andersen declined to discuss being benched.

“I don’t really want to talk about my feelings. It’s not about that. It’s about the team and trying to put the best lineup on the ice that they feel like gets the job done. So I’m ready for when I’m called upon and glad to be able to play,” he said.

Andersen played a key role in another factor: the Carolina penalty kill. The Panthers were 4-for-5 on the power play in the first two games of the conference finals. The Hurricanes killed off four power plays in each of the past two games.

“Our goalie was great when he needed to be. The penalty kill was phenomenal,” Brind’Amour said. “We gave ourselves a chance, and that’s all we can ask.”

Perhaps most crucially, the Hurricanes scored the first goal. Carolina is now 6-0 when scoring first and 3-5 when it trails first in these playoffs. In the regular season, the Hurricanes were 30-7-2 when scoring first and 17-23-3 when trailing first.

They scored first and then played the type of close, low-scoring game they excel at. As winger Taylor Hall said before Game 4: “We’re thinking about winning the game 1-0. If it’s close, then we’re in a good spot.”

“It’s been a story. So, yeah, it’s nice to not have to talk about that [anymore].”

Rod Brind’Amour on Carolina snapping 15-game losing streak in conference finals

Forward Logan Stankoven opened the scoring at 10:45 of the second period, giving Carolina its first lead of the series. Rookie defenseman Alexander Nikishin made a terrific backhand pass across the neutral zone to spring Stankoven ahead of the Panthers’ defense, and he beat goalie Sergei Bobrovsky for his fifth goal of the playoffs.

Stankoven said he called for the pass from Nikishin, who was playing in his third postseason game.

“The play happened so fast and it was a great feed by him to make that play off the turnover. It all starts with him,” said Stankoven, who was acquired from the Dallas Stars in the Mikko Rantanen deadline trade.

It remained 1-0 until Sebastian Aho and Staal added empty-net goals in the last 2:11 for the 3-0 win.

Slavin said Game 4 was in the Carolina’s comfort zone.

“A thousand percent. It was 1-0 up until the end there. You can’t get any tighter than that,” he said.

With that, the Hurricanes ended their historic losing streak and turned their attention to making more NHL history. Only four teams in the history of the Stanley Cup playoffs have rallied to win a best-of-seven series after trailing 3-0, although two have done it in the past 15 years (Philadelphia Flyers in 2010 and Los Angeles Kings in 2014).

“You watched the way we played tonight. Everyone put their heart on the line,” Slavin said. “We know we’ve got a good group in here. We know we’ve got all the pieces. We just have to bring it every night.”

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Stars-Oilers Game 4 preview: Can Dallas punch back to even it up?

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Stars-Oilers Game 4 preview: Can Dallas punch back to even it up?

The good news for the Dallas Stars is that if the Western Conference finals get to a Game 7, they have the NHL’s master of Game 7s behind their bench.

The bad news is that they need to get to Game 7 for that to matter. And after going down 2-1 in the series to the Edmonton Oilers via a 6-1 loss in Game 3, another defeat could make that difficult.

Can they punch back in Game 4 to knot the matchup at 2-2 heading back home to Dallas for Game 5?

Here are notes on the matchup from ESPN Research, as well as betting intel from ESPN BET:

More from Game 3: Recap | Grades

Matchup notes

Dallas Stars at Edmonton Oilers
Game 4 | 8 p.m. ET | ESPN/ESPN+

Following the Oilers’ win in Game 3, ESPN BET has adjusted the series winner odds to Oilers -375 (previously -140) and Stars +280 (previously +120). The Oilers’ Cup winner odds are now +140, while the Stars’ are +700. Connor McDavid is atop the Conn Smythe odds leaderboard at +175.

The Oilers are now 10-2 in their past 12 games, after losing the first two games of the first round vs. the Los Angeles Kings, and are 20-3 at home in the playoffs since 2017 when leading after two periods.

The Stars lost consecutive games for the first time in the 2025 playoffs, and have one goal total in their past three road games (Games 2 and 5 of the second round against the Winnipeg Jets and Game 3 against Edmonton).

McDavid powered the Oilers to a Game 3 win with his 44th multipoint and sixth multigoal game of his playoff career. McDavid has as many playoff games with multiple points (44) as he does with no points (20) or one point (24).

Teammate Evan Bouchard opened the scoring with his sixth goal this postseason, tying Leon Draisaitl for the team lead. Bouchard is the first defenseman with six goals in consecutive postseasons since Rob Blake in 2001 and 2002. Bouchard also recorded an assist, marking his 24th career multipoint playoff game, which extended his record for defensemen in a four-postseason span.

Stuart Skinner was remarkable in goal once again, stopping 33 of 34 shots to earn his fourth win this postseason. It was his first win of these playoffs that didn’t end in a shutout, as the Stars’ goal with 4:25 left in the second period ended Skinner’s shutout streak at 99 minutes, 33 seconds. With the win, Skinner tied Andy Moog for the third-most playoff wins by a goaltender in Oilers history (23); Bill Ranford is next on the list at 25, and Grant Fuhr is well ahead at No. 1 with 74.

Dallas’ Mikko Rantanen recorded an assist on the goal from Jason Robertson, but has gone without a goal in his past six games. In his previous six games before the drought, he scored nine goals, which remains tied for the NHL lead this postseason.

Jake Oettinger allowed six goals in the loss, tied for the most in a playoff game in his career; the previous occasion was Game 6 of the 2023 Western Conference finals against the Vegas Golden Knights.


Scoring leaders

GP: 14 | G: 5 | A: 17

GP: 16 | G: 9 | A: 12

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