The Heisman Trophy race will take shape over the next few months, and to be sure, candidates other than Caleb Williams will emerge.
We have already seen Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter of Colorado gain real Heisman attention. Their candidacies will be reshaped, for better or worse, by the upcoming centerpiece games against Oregon (and Bo Nix) and USC (and Caleb Williams).
If, for the sake of argument, we live in a world where the Heisman race is very close in late November, there is something we need to keep in mind. If Caleb Williams has a chance to become just the second two-time Heisman winner in the award’s 88-year history, let’s remember this point:
The USC Trojans have gone nuclear in every game against subpar teams, but the offense is really, really good. Caleb Williams has feasted and has barely played the third or fourth quarters.
When we consider comparisons of statistics among Heisman candidates, Caleb’s numbers are smaller because he has been pulled from multiple games early in the second half. Caleb could have produced double the numbers he has already posted, but USC is focused on giving backups playing time.
If you compare numbers, be sure to account for Caleb accumulating them in roughly half the time spent on the field.
Check out our Pac-12 football predictions roundtable for the 2023 season.