Even when it wasn’t going great, it was still going good for Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud. The Buckeyes lost a game to Oregon and all the calls for a new quarterback got louder, but all the freshman did was take home the Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors on a routine basis. Sure, there were a few overthrows, but the kid is a freshman learning how to play on the big stage.
Stroud threw for 294 yards in game one against Minnesota, backed that up with almost 500 yards through the air against Oregon, fell back a bit against Tulsa as the running game got going, then threw for 330 and 406 yards against Rutgers and Maryland. Needless to say, he’s on a torrid pace.
And most recently, Stroud has hit another level after sitting out the game against Akron to rest an ailing shoulder. In fact, over the last two games, Stroud has completed 73 percent of his passes (41-of-56) for 736 yards with 10 touchdowns and zero interceptions.
And people are starting to notice, so much so that he’s now beginning to figure into some of the shortlist conversations with the Heisman. According to the online sportsbook Tipico, Stroud now has the third-best odds at taking home the bronze statue at +700. Right in front of the OSU signal-caller is a pair of other quarterbacks, Alabama quarterback Bryce Young (+150) and Matt Corral (+200) of Ole Miss.
All Betting Lines are Courtesy of Tipico Sportsbook
Stroud has yet to have a statement game in front of a national audience and will likely need it to continue to make a move, but he should get ample opportunity with games against Penn State, Michigan State, and Michigan still to go. He may also get a shot to play in Indy for the Big Ten Championship game.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Stroud and Ohio State have to travel to Indiana for a road contest against the Hoosiers first in a nighttime affair next weekend first. As a side note, TreVeyon Henderson is also starting to get some buzz, and tied for the sixt-best odds.
Here’s the rest of the top ten according to Tipico’s Heisman odds: