Notre Dame to face three of top five early Heisman favorites in 2022
The 2022 Notre Dame football schedule is loaded with talented players. The Fighting Irish will face three of the current top five favorites to win the Heisman Trophy according to Vegas Insider.
Alabama quarterback Bryce Young is the overall favorite to retain the trophy at +200. No player has won the Heisman in back-to-back years since Ohio State running back Archie Griffin (1974-75).
The first Notre Dame opponent appears on the list right behind Young. It’s Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud at +350. The Irish open the season against Stroud and the Buckeyes in Columbus at Ohio Stadium on Sept. 3.
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Stroud had an electrifying redshirt freshman season in 2021. He finished fourth in Heisman voting after completing a staggering 317 of 441 pass attempts (71.9 percent) for 4,435 yards and 44 touchdowns with just six interceptions.
Had the Buckeyes not lost to Oregon or Michigan and made the College Football Playoff, Stroud might have pushed Young for the most coveted individual award in the sport. Young completed 366 of 547 pass attempts (66.9%) for 4,872 yards with 47 touchdown passes and seven interceptions.
USC quarterback Caleb Williams sits in third on the Vegas Insider list at +1000. Williams wrestled the starting job away from Spencer Rattler, an early Heisman candidate in his own right, mid-season. In 11 games and seven starts, Williams completed 136 of 211 pass attempts (64.5%) for 1,912 yards with 21 touchdowns and four interceptions.
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Williams is more of a dual-threat than Young or Stroud. He rushed 79 times for 442 yards and six touchdowns. Young and Stroud combined for 113 recorded rushing attempts and a net loss of 20 yards. Young had three scores on the ground. Stroud had zero.
Williams is going to be a handful for Notre Dame when the Irish travel to Los Angeles to take on the Trojans in the regular season finale on Nov. 26. USC also added wide receiver Mario Williams from Oklahoma, and the Trojans are considered the favorite to land Pitt wide receiver Jordan Addison from the transfer portal.
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Clemson quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei is tied for fourth with Texas running back Bijan Robinson on the Vegas Insider odds list at +2500. Uiagalelei didn’t have the type of season he wanted or many expected in his first season as the Tigers’ starter. He completed 208 of 374 pass attempts (55.6%) for 2,246 yards with nine touchdowns and 10 interceptions. But like Williams, he’s a threat to move the ball with his feet. He rushed 105 times for 308 yards and four touchdowns.
Notre Dame faces Clemson in South Bend on Nov. 5. The last time the Tigers trekked to Notre Dame Stadium, the Irish upset them in a double-overtime thriller in 2020. Uiagalelei dazzled in his first career start. He threw for 439 yards and two touchdowns while adding one more score on the ground.
The Vegas Insider list included 61 players. Eight of them, including Stroud, Williams and Uiagalelei, are on the Notre Dame schedule. Here’s a full list of those players and their odds.
2022 Notre Dame opponents Heisman Trophy odds (per Vegas Insider)
- Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud (+350)
- USC quarterback Caleb Williams (+1000)
- Clemson QB D.J. Uiagalelei (+2500)
- Ohio State RB TreVeyon Henderson (+5000)
- Ohio State WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba (+5000)
- Boston College QB Phil Jurkovec (+8000)
- Clemson QB Cade Klubnik (+15000)
- Syracuse RB Sean Tucker (+15000)
