Heisman hot board after Week 9: Hendon Hooker atop the lists
Heisman voters Matt Zenitz and Mike Huguenin provide weekly updates on who leads the Heisman race for them. Here is how each has the field after Week Nine.
Matt Zenitz’s list
1. Tennessee QB Hendon Hooker: In Tennessee’s five games against ranked opponents, Hooker has 16 total touchdowns and only one interception.
+ Season stats: 156-of-219 (71.2 percent), 2,338 yards, 21 TDs, 1 interception, 338 rushing yards, 4 TDs
+ Week 9 stats: 245 passing yards, 3 TDs, 23 rushing yards, 1 TD in 44-6 rout of Kentucky
2. USC QB Caleb Williams: In USC’s past two games, Williams has racked up 863 total yards and 10 touchdowns.
+ Season stats: 178-of-275 (64.7 percent), 2,382 yards, 24 TDs, 1 interception, 249 rushing yards, 3 TDs
+ Week 9 stats: 411 passing yards, 5 TDs, 14 rushing yards in 45-37 victory over Arizona
3. Alabama QB Bryce Young: Coming out of an off-week, Young and Alabama are heading into a fourth consecutive game against a ranked opponent.
+ Season stats: 146-of-221 (66.1 percent), 1,906 yards, 8 TDs, 3 interceptions, 137 rushing yards, 3 TDs
+ Week 9 stats: Idle
4. Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud: With Ohio State trailing Penn State at halftime, Stroud led the way to 31 second-half points, including 28 in the fourth quarter, as the Buckeyes pulled away to win.
+ Season stats: 159-of-223 (71.3 percent), 2,377 yards, 29 TDs, 4 interceptions
+ Week 9 stats: 354 yards, 1 TD in 44-31 victory over Penn State
5. Illinois RB Chase Brown: Brown has run for at least 108 yards in each of Illinois’ first eight games, including at least 129 in seven contests.
+ Season stats: 1,208 yards (5.4 yards per carry), 5 TDs, 18 receptions for 120 yards, 3 TDs
+ Week 9 stats: 149 yards (4.7 yards per carry), 1 TD, 3 receptions for 13 yards, 1 TD in 26-9 victory over Nebraska
6. Michigan RB Blake Corum: Corum has rushed for 843 yards and seven touchdowns through Michigan’s first five Big Ten games.
+ Season stats: 1,078 yards (6.0 yards per carry), 14 TDs, 8 receptions for 37 yards, 1 TD
+ Week 9 stats: 177 yards (5.4 yards per carry), 1 TD, 1 reception for 2 yards, 1 TD in 29-7 victory over Michigan State
7a. Oregon QB Bo Nix: Nix has accounted for 11 touchdowns in Oregon’s past two games.
+ Season stats: 180-of-249 (72.3 percent), 2,221 yards, 20 TDs, 5 interceptions, 441 rushing yards, 11 TDs
+ Week 9 stats: 412 passing yards, 3 TDs, 2 interceptions, 59 rushing yards, 3 TDs in 42-24 win over California.
7b. Texas RB Bijan Robinson: Robinson has at least 111 scrimmage yards in each of Texas’ first eight games.
+ Season stats: 920 yards (5.7 yards per carry), 11 TDs, 17 receptions for 280 yards, 2 TDs
+ Week 9 stats: Idle
Mike Huguenin’s list
1. Hendon Hooker: Hooker makes the nation’s No. 1 scoring offense go. He has thrown multiple TD passes in all eight games and has just one interception.
2. C.J. Stroud: Stroud is tied for the national lead (with North Carolina’s Drake Maye) with 29 TD passes and has had four games this season with 350 passing yards.
3. Bo Nix: Nix had a career-high 471 yards in the Week Nine win at California and has accounted for 18 TDs in the past four games.
4. Caleb Williams: Williams has had back-to-back games with 425 yards of total offense, and his 411 yards passing against Arizona in Week Nine was a career-high.
5. Bryce Young: Young can make a big move in the Heisman “race” in the next two weeks with road games against ranked teams LSU and Ole Miss.
6. North Carolina QB Drake Maye: Maye leads the nation with 388.8 yards of total offense per game. Only nine times has a Power 5 player averaged more in the past decade; three won the Heisman (Johnny Manziel, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow) and another was Patrick Mahomes (who did it twice, as did Jackson).
+ Season stats: 196-of-275 (71.3 percent), 2,671 yards, 29 TDs, 3 interceptions, 439 rushing yards, 3 TDs
+ Week 9 stats: 388 yards, 5 TDs, 61 rushing yards in 42-24 victory over Pitt.
7. Chase Brown: Brown leads the nation in rushing (1,208 yards) for a team that runs the ball on 60 percent of its offensive snaps. And Brown has had 61 percent of the team’s 365 rushing attempts. In short, he’s a productive workhorse.