How the 2022 Heisman Trophy race changed by the hour during a Wild Saturday

Peculiar things typically happen after the College Football Playoff committee releases its initial rankings. Moving and shaking isn’t just for teams jockeying to make college football’s final four, but players in the Heisman race see highs and lows.

Saturday was moving day for many players in contention for college football’s most-coveted individual honor. The day started with Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker in the lead, and it got even wider as Ohio State and quarterback C.J. Stroud struggled on the road at Northwestern.

Hooker then had his own struggles at Georgia in the anticipated SEC showdown while Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett soared into the top 10. Then there were night matchups where Notre Dame upset Clemson and LSU upset Alabama in an overtime thriller. During that stretch, Alabama quarterback Bryce Young had his stock dropping among bettors, according to the sportsbook fanduel.com, while LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels skyrocketed into the top seven. Daniels wasn’t even among the top 12 when the day started.

Here’s a breakdown of how the day unfolded in the 2022 Heisman Trophy race.

(Note: a $100 bet would win $200 for +200 odds, and $2,500 for +2500 odds, etc. In other cases, a minus-105 odd would mean that $105 would need to be wagered to win $100.)

How the day started before the first snap:

Hendon Hooker, Tennessee QB: +100
C.J. Stroud, Ohio State QB: +200
Caleb Williams, USC QB: +1400
Blake Corum, Michigan RB: +1400
Bo Nix, Oregon QB: +2000
Drake Maye, North Carolina QB: +2000
Max Duggan, TCU QB: +3000
Bryce Young, Alabama QB: +4000
Chase Brown, Illinois RB: +4000
Jahmyr Gibbs, Alabama RB: +5000

12 p.m. game window

Ohio State struggled against the Northwestern defense in the high winds and chilly weather in Evanston, Illinois. Stroud had his worst performance of the year, and Hooker passed him in the betting odds.

Prior to 3:30 p.m. kickoff
Hooker -250
Stroud +400
Nix +1800
Bennett +6000

3:30 window of games (Notably Tennessee at Georgia)

With 9:53 remaining in the third quarter, Georgia led Tennessee, 24-6. Hooker’s odds of winning the Heisman began shrinking while Stroud’s and Bennett’s got better.

Hooker +115
Stroud +180
Corum +1200
Bennett +2500
Bryce Young +3500

At the end of the third quarter and Georgia leading, 27-6, and looking to salt away the game in a driving rain:

Hooker +150
Stroud +180
Corum +1000
Bennett +2500
Young +3500
Jayden Daniels (not in the top 20)
Bijan Robinson ++20,000

Tennessee scored to make it 27-6 with 6:17 to go in the game, and Hooker had already slipped in betting odds. Here’s where they stood at that time:

Stroud +150
Hooker +180
Corum +1000
Bo Nix +1200
Bennett +2500
Young +3500

The game ended with Georgia winning, 27-13. Then, LSU took an early 7-0 lead over Alabama and Oregon quarterback Bo Nix began one of the best game’s of his life. Here’s where the odds stood at 8:12 p.m. Saturday night during the second quarter of LSU-Alabama:

Stroud +200
Hooker +360
Corum +750
Nix +900
Caleb Williams +1200
Drake Maye +1400
Bennett +2500
Young +5000
Jayden Daniels (Not among the top 15)

LSU went on to knock off Alabama, 32-31, in overtime. Here are the odds on Sunday evening:

C.J. Stroud +180
Hendon Hooker +300
Blake Corum +600
Bo Nix +800
Caleb Williams +800
Drake Maye +1200
Jayden Daniels +1600
Stetson Bennett +1800
Bryce Young +4000
Max Duggan +4000

The Heisman Trophy is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Voting is comprised of 870 media members spread across six geographic regions, 58 living Heisman winners and one ballot from a collective fan vote.

Heisman voters get to choose their top three candidates (in order) for the most-coveted individual trophy in college football.

Heisman Trophy finalists for 2022 will be named on Dec. 5, which is the same day as the voting deadline. The ceremony will take place Saturday, Dec. 10 when the winner is announced.