2022 Heisman finalists (Stetson Bennett, really?): Here’s who should win CFB’s top individual prize

Not a quarterback award, huh?

We now know the four Heisman Trophy finalists who will travel to New York City next weekend with hopes of receiving the most prestigious individual award in college football.

The Heisman has been criticized for having a bias toward quarterbacks, and this year’s group certainly does nothing to dissuade those aspersions. All four of this year’s finalists are signal-callers: USC’s Caleb Williams, Ohio State’s CJ Stroud, TCU’s Max Duggan and Georgia’s Stetson Bennett.

As you’ll soon see, one of these is not quite like the others. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Here’s a recap of how each of these four got here (with their odds to win the award).

All odds and ends via BetMGM.

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Heisman Finalists Announced: Who Will Come In Second? Predicted Finish

The finalists for the 2021 Heisman Trophy were announced? Who are the four in the hunt for the best individual trophy in all of sports?

The finalists for the 2021 Heisman Trophy were announced? Who are the four in the hunt for the best individual trophy in all of sports?


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2021 Heisman Finalists Announced

Contact/Follow @PeteFiutak

Alabama QB Bryce Young is going to win the 2021 Heisman Trophy, and if he doesn’t it might be the biggest upset in the history of the award – at least, that seems to be the case if you go by the social media buzz.

The sophomore threw 43 touchdown passes with just four picks, ran for three touchdowns, led the team on the must-have 97-yard touchdown drive to force overtime in the win over Auburn, and then he smoked Georgia’s No. 1 defense for 421 yards and three touchdowns in the SEC Championship victory to earn the the Tide the top seed in the College Football Playoff.

So assuming he’s going to win, who’ll finish No. 2?

Young is obviously one of the four Heisman finalists, and here are the other three (in alphabetical order)

DE Aidan Hutchinson, Michigan

Why Aidan Hutchinson Will Finish 2nd For The Heisman: The heart-and-soul leader and tone-setter for the Michigan team that finally got over the hump in the Jim Harbaugh era, Hutchinson came up with 58 tackles, 14 sacks, and 15.5 tackles for loss.

He showed up large in some of the biggest games when everyone was watching, coming up with three sacks against Penn State, three more against Ohio State, and he even got one in the Big Ten Championship win over Iowa.

Why Aidan Hutchinson Won’t Finish 2nd For The Heisman: Alabama’s Will Anderson was the nation’s best pass rusher this season and was probably – along with a few Georgia stars in the mix – the best defensive player in college football.

Was Hutchinson 2019 Chase Young? Not really, but he was the signature star on a team that was very, very close to being the College Football Playoff No. 1 .

2021 Heisman Finalists
Bryce Young | Aidan Hutchinson
Kenny Pickett | CJ Stroud
2021 Heisman Trophy Prediction

NEXT Heisman Finalist: Kenny Pickett, Pitt

Heisman Trophy: Final Thoughts On Who Will Win, How The Vote Will Go

Who’s going to win the 2020 Heisman Trophy? How will the vote go? Here are the Final Thoughts before tonight’s ceremony.

Who’s going to win the 2020 Heisman Trophy? How will the vote go, and why does each finalist deserve to win – or not? Here are the Final Thoughts before tonight’s ceremony.


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2020 Heisman Trophy Broadcast

Date: Tuesday, January 5
Time: 7:00 ET
Network: ESPN


2020 Heisman Prediction: The Top 6 Will Be …

Before we get going, I have a Heisman vote. Under penalty of being forced to have a discussion about The Bachelor, I’m not allowed to reveal anything about my ballot until after this thing is done.

– I do, however, think it’s okay to reveal that I didn’t put RB Reggie Bush, USC in the third slot – as I’ve always sort of wanted to do – as a protest over his 2005 honor being vacated for silly reasons.

– I wouldn’t actually do that 1) because in hindsight, I wish I had voted for Vince Young, and 2) I would never dishonor the Heisman ballot process.

– No one is more cynical and less squishy about stuff than I am, but voting for the Heisman is one of those things I still totally geek out over.

– This year was the hardest voting process ever. I changed my mind and my order four different times before hitting submit. However, I will say this – my top three guys never changed.

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– With that said, I SO wish we could do the voting after the bowls are done. This is for another time and another article, but the line still works – it’s like assigning a grade for a class before the final exam.

– To all those “it’s a regular season award” types – who I don’t for the life of me understand – would awarding the national championship before the bowl games seem insane? Of course it would, but that’s what happened with the AP national champion before 1968 and the UPI/Coaches before 1974 until they realized how wacky that was.

– Sorry. That’s not why you called. Who’s going to win the 2020 Heisman Trophy? (The final prediction is at the bottom of all this.)

– Again, not to reveal anything on my ballot, and this is obviously anecdotal, but I know one person who voted for odds-on favorite DeVonta Smith in the top spot. I know around ten other people who didn’t.

– It’ll be fascinating to see how this all turns out. I get the sense that Smith is more of a broadcaster shoo-in pick than a real world sure-thing No. 1, but no matter what, this should be extremely tight. More on this later.

– In Smith’s favor, though, the Heisman quarterback fatigue is absolutely real. That’s not to dismiss or disrespect Smith if he wins it, but there isn’t a Joe Burrow, Kyler Murray or Baker Mayfield who’s a totally obvious pick this time around.

– For the record, I voted for Ndamukong Suh in 2009 and Manti Te’o in 2012. To me, it’s about 1) who the signature player is in a college football season – who’s THE guy, and 2) who’s the best combination of MVP and MOP, and …

– Sorry. The 2020 Heisman …

– Remember, and this is going to be totally forgotten in the final tally, the voting was all done before the bowl games. So throw out any preconceived notions from Kyle Trask’s disastrous day against Oklahoma, and the Trevor Lawrence’s night – even though he wasn’t bad – in the loss to Ohio State.

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– Again, here’s the problem. If Justin Fields throws six touchdown passes and Ohio State obliterates Alabama in the national championship, historically, the 2020 Heisman tally will look weird.

– The whole career honor thing never really works. It’s a talking point, and it’s enough to get some great players on a ballot, but it’s never enough to get a player over the top, at least not anymore. That used to be how this worked back in the day – it went to the top upperclassmen – and then Tim Tebow in 2007 shattered that as the first sophomore to win it. Which means …

– I’ll be shocked if Trevor Lawrence finishes in the top three. I’m going to guess he wasn’t higher than three on most of the ballots that put him in the mix.

– Kyle Trask will be the most fascinating finisher. It’s been memory dumped after the bowl season, but his last argument came on the Saturday night just before most voters submitted their ballots. Remember, he lit up Alabama for 408 yards and three touchdowns with a rushing score and no picks in a heroic effort in the loss. However …

– DeVonta Smith was pretty good against the Gators – 15 catches for 184 yards and two scores. Mac Jones completed 77% of his passes for 418 yards and five touchdowns and one pick – and won.

– The other guy no one talks about could screw this up – Alabama RB Najee Harris. The Heisman used to be a running back award, and he was a rock all season long. The mass numbers aren’t there, but he ran 31 times for 178 yards and two scores with three touchdown catches and 67 yards against Florida. He’s not a finalist, so why does he matter?

– It’s possible he splits the Alabama vote that much more. I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t finish fifth, and there’s a chance that everyone watching Alabama games had different opinions on who the main man for that team really was.

– If 45ish% of the Bama voters like DeVonta, and 45ish% like Mac, that 10% who liked Najee – but not enough to make him a finalist – might be enough to squeak in Trask if the vote is split.

If you want to see, hear, read what college football hair-on-fire reactions look like, watch what happens if the Bama guys cancel each other out and Trask gets this.

– Remember, Peyton Manning, Adrian Peterson, Aaron Rodgers, Tommie Frazier, and legendary college player after legendary player never won the Heisman. It’s really, really hard to get this thing. How hard? No Alabama quarterback has ever won it, and Desmond Howard in 1991 was the last wide receiver to get it.

– However, when Howard won, there really wasn’t another option. Florida State’s Casey Weldon was fine, BYU’s Ty Detmer wasn’t going to win it twice, and Washington DT Steve Emtman didn’t have a shot. There are a few amazing options this year, so if DeVonta Smith gets it, it’ll be a fantastic win.

– So after all of that blather, here’s what’s going to happen …

2020 Heisman Prediction: The Top 6 Will Be …

NEXT: 2020 Heisman Trophy Prediction

College Football Expert Picks, Predictions: Heisman Trophy. Predicted Finish, Top 3 Choices

Heisman Prediction: Who will win the 2020 trophy, and what would the picks be from each of the CFN college football experts?

2020 Heisman Prediction: Who will win the trophy and what would the picks be from each of the CFN college football experts?


Heisman Prediction: Who Will Win and What Would Your Vote Be?


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Tuesday, January 5

HEISMAN FINALISTS

QB Mac Jones, Alabama

QB Trevor Lawrence, Clemson

WR DeVonta Smith, Alabama

QB Kyle Trask, Florida


Gill Alexander@beatingthebook, VSIN
Bowl Picks: SU 13-12, ATS 10-15

TOP 3 WILL BE
1. Mac Jones
2. DeVonta Smith
3. Kyle Trask

MY VOTE WOULD BE
1. Mac Jones
2. Najee Harris
3. Kyle Trask


Patrick Conn:@PatSportsGuy, LonghornsWire.com
Bowl Picks: SU 11-14, ATS 13-12

TOP 3 WILL BE
1. Mac Jones
2. DeVonta Smith
3. Trevor Lawrence

MY VOTE WOULD BE
1. DeVonta Smith
2. Mac Jones
3. Trevor Lawrence


Jeff Feyerer@JeffFeyererFightingIrishWire.com
Bowl Picks: SU 15-10, ATS 13-12

TOP 3 WILL BE
1. Mac Jones
2. DeVonta Smith
3. Kyle Trask

MY VOTE WOULD BE
1. DeVonta Smith
2. Najee Harris
3. Kyle Trask

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Pete Fiutak@PeteFiutakCFN
Bowl Picks: SU 18-7, ATS 13-12

TOP 3 WILL BE
1. DeVonta Smith
2. Mac Jones
3. Kyle Trask
(NOTE: I’m a Heisman voter. This is my prediction and not necessarily my order)

MY VOTE WOULD BE
Coming after the announcement … not allowed to discuss my Heisman vote under penalty of being benched for Nate Sudfeld.


Phil Harrison@PhilHarrisonBW, BuckeyesWire.com
Bowl Picks: SU 13-12, ATS 8-17

TOP 3 WILL BE
1. Mac Jones
2. DeVonta Smith
3. Trevor Lawrence

MY VOTE WOULD BE
1. Kyle Trask
2. DeVonta Smith
3. Trevor Lawrence


Jeremy Mauss@MWCWire, MWwire.com
Bowl Picks: SU 16-9, ATS 15-10

TOP 3 WILL BE
1. Mac Jones
2. Trevor Lawrence
3. Kyle Trask

MY VOTE WOULD BE
1. Kyle Trask
2. Mac Jones
3. DeVonta Smith

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Big Game Ben Niewoehner: CFN
Bowl Picks: SU 13-12, ATS 17-8

TOP 3 WILL BE
1. Mac Jones
2. Kyle Trask
3. DeVonta Smith

MY VOTE WOULD BE
1. Mac Jones
2. Kyle Trask
3. DeVonta Smith


Johnny Rosenstein@JohnnyParlay11, SportsBookWire.com
Bowl Picks: SU 15-10, ATS 14-11

TOP 3 WILL BE
1. DeVonta Smith
2. Trevor Lawrence
3. Mac Jones

MY VOTE WOULD BE
1. DeVonta Smith
2. Mac Jones
3. Trevor Lawrence


Nick Shepkowski@Shep670, FightingIrishWire.com
Bowl Picks: SU 15-10, ATS 10-15

TOP 3 WILL BE
1. DeVonta Smith
2. Trevor Lawrence
3. Kyle Trask

MY VOTE WOULD BE
1. DeVonta Smith
2. Trevor Lawrence
3. Kyle Trask


Keith StewartWinnersandWhiners.com
Bowl Picks: SU 13-12, ATS 13-12

TOP 3 WILL BE
1. Mac Jones
2. DeVonta Smith
3. Trevor Lawrence

MY VOTE WOULD BE
1. DeVonta Smith
2. Mac Jones
3. Trevor Lawrence


Brian Stultz@BrianJStultz, AuburnWire.com
Bowl Picks: SU 17-8, ATS 16-9

TOP 3 WILL BE
1. DeVonta Smith
2. Mac Jones
3. Kyle Trask

MY VOTE WOULD BE
1. DeVonta Smith
2. Mac Jones
3. Kyle Trask


Clucko The Chicken (a coin flip)
Bowl Picks: SU 12-13, ATS 15-10

(put the four names in a hat and pulled them out, once for each one)

TOP 3 WILL BE
1. Kyle Trask
2. Trevor Lawrence
3. Mac Jones

MY VOTE WOULD BE
1. Mac Jones
2. DeVonta Smith
3. Kyle Trask


CONSENSUS PICK
Bowl Picks: SU 14-11, ATS 13-12

TOP 3 WILL BE
1. Mac Jones
2. DeVonta Smith
3. Trevor Lawrence

MY VOTE WOULD BE
1. DeVonta Smith
2. Mac Jones
3. Kyle Trask

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Mac Jones, DeVonta Smith announced as Heisman finalists

Alabama football’s Mac Jones and DeVonta Smith are both Heisman Trophy finalists. The list was announced on Thursday night.

The finalists for the Heisman Trophy were announced on Thursday night, as was the finish of the rest of the top 10. On that list was three different Alabama players, including two that are finalists.

First off, running back Najee Harris checked in at No. 5 on the list. He came close after an impressive season, but ultimately didn’t crack the top 4. Quarterback Mac Jones and wide receiver DeVonta Smith did, however.

Here is the way things shook out during the announcement show on Christmas Eve:

The actual Heisman Trophy ceremony won’t be until Tuesday, Jan. 5, so there is still going to be a sizable gap before we find out the victor. In the meantime, let’s appreciate this special trio of talented players.

Let’s also make sure we don’t forget wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, who probably would have been a factor in this conversation as well — had it not been for a severe ankle injury suffered against Tennessee earlier in the season.

Stay tuned for more updates from Roll Tide Wire, part of the USA TODAY Sports College Wire Network!

Follow Clint Lamb on Twitter @ClintRLamb.

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Ohio State’s Justin Fields, Chase Young named Heisman finalists

Justin Fields and Chase Young have been named Heisman finalists and will represent Ohio State in New York.

For the first time in its illustrious history, Ohio State will have two players going to New York as Heisman finalists. Both quarterback Justin Fields and defensive end Chase Young were announced as two of four finalists Monday. LSU quarterback Joe Burrow and Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts will be joining them.

Fields has far exceeded expectations as a undergraduate transfer from Georgia. He has accounted for 50 total touchdowns this year — 40 through air, and ten on the ground — to be the first ever in the Big Ten to accomplish that feat.

Young’s Heisman campaign started to gain some serious steam when he had a game for the ages against Wisconsin in late October. Despite sitting out two games after that, he still led the nation in sacks and was a disruptive force for an Ohio State defense that is one of the best in the country.

The inclusion of the two Buckeye players is the first time two teammates from the same team have been invited to the ceremony as finalists since Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart both went in 2005.

The Heisman will be handed out December 14th at 8PM on ESPN. It’s assumed that Joe Burrow will run away with the award, but it’s still more significant notoriety for an Ohio State program that has had a truly outstanding season.