Heisman Winner: C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State
C.J. Stroud, with all apologies to Bryce Young, is the most talented, well-rounded quarterback in this year’s class. But talent is not all that is needed to win the Heisman. Stroud, with the weapons surrounding him in Columbus this year should have some of the best numbers in the country. But statistics is not enough to win the heisman. Stroud should be the first overall pick in next year’s NFL draft. But being the slam dunk first round pick has never correlated to winning the Heisman.
A player could have all three of those qualities/accolades to boast that they are the best player in college football and still come up short in winning the Heisman trophy. The best weapon a player can have in winning the Heisman, is to be on the winning side in as many marquee matchups as possible. The more ‘Heisman Moments’ you have the better your chances are of securing the trophy and nobody has more possibilities than C.J. Stroud.
If we can consider that Alabama quarterback Bryce Young is Stroud’s best competition for the 2022 Heisman trophy, and we can assume that Young will not blow out Stroud from a statistical standpoint, then what do we have left to compare? What it always seems to come down to in College Football, and rightfully so, it is about who you play.
Alabama’s schedule in 2022 may be the lightest in recent memory. Despite opening the season against Texas (which is not as glamorous as it used to be) Alabama’s schedule is not as daunting as it usually is when playing a SEC West schedule. They once again avoid playing Georgia, Florida and even upstart Kentucky from the East, and when it comes to their SEC West matchups only Texas A&M, Arkansas and Ole Miss are ranked in the preseason Top 25. Aside from Bama’s matchups against the Longhorns and Aggies, Alabama will not have another marquee matchup this season. Especially with LSU and Auburn in rebuild mode, Alabama won’t have a high profile primetime matchup in the month of November. Alabama will be winning, they will be title contenders, but nothing will really stand out in Tuscaloosa, especially considering how high the bar has been set.
Stroud on the other hand, gets the Irish right out of the gate in their Week 1 matchup. Notre Dame promises to be in the title race once again, and if Stroud is able to put up big numbers and beat the Irish, he instantly becomes the Heisman front-runner. Stroud will not only have Notre Dame to deal with but may have primetime matchups against Wisconsin, Penn State and of course their massive matchup against the Michigan Wolverines which should have major playoff implications. Stroud is going to be on television a lot and these high profile matchups will elevate Stroud amongst his contemporaries.
When you look at the Heisman winners of the past, each one of them had a gauntlet to go through on their schedule that consisted of at least one or two title or playoff impactful games. Stroud will have four of those matchups and if he is able to rise to the occasion, the trophy will be his.
Coach of the Year: Lincoln Riley, USC
When Lincoln Riley left Oklahoma this winter to take the USC job, I at first did not know how to assess the move. Not that there's anything wrong with taking the USC job, it is one of the most coveted coaching positions in the sport, but so is Oklahoma. We all knew eventually Oklahoma was going to leave the Big 12, which they also announced this winter they will do, when they join the SEC in 2024, thus making the job, at the time, much more coveted than USC who was hardly a contender in the mealeger PAC 12. But then we learned USC and UCLA are leaving the PAC 12 to join the BIG 10. Now I assume Riley was privy to all of this information prior to taking the job, but still USC in the BIG and Oklahoma in the SEC, can anyone really distinguish which place is the best spot?
Then you have to think about Lincoln Riley’s time at Oklahoma. Not that anyone would call him a failure, far from it, he averaged over 10 wins a season in Norman. But with the recruiting classes he brought in, the quarterbacks he elevated to Heisman levels year in and year out, it seemed Riley was poised to be considered in the same coaching class as Nick Saban and Dabo Swinney, he was just missing a title. At Riley’s young age of 38, it seemed to be only a matter of time. The only thing that would prevent him from winning a title at Oklahoma would be the eventual reality that the Dallas Cowboys would fire whomever was coaching them to bring Riley to the NFL.
But in the last couple of year’s the shine on Riley’s stock seemed to dim, and when he announced his intentions on taking the USC job, I began to wonder, is Riley this great coach we all expected him to be? The answer is a resounding yes.
Like Nick Saban when he was at Michigan State, or Urban Meyer when he coached at Utah, both of those, which we did not know at the time, were just the final stops to something bigger. When this year is said and done, that’s how we will look at Lincoln Riley’s time at Oklahoma. Riley and USC were meant to be together, and even before Riley coaches a single game in Los Angeles you could tell things were dramatically altered by his hiring. Weeks after Riley took the helm, USC shocked the country when they scooped up Jordan Addison, a high profile receiver from Pittsburgh to join what promises to be one of the best passing attacks in the country.
Not to be too cliche, but Riley didn’t come to LA to be a star, Riley is there to bring in the stars. Much like Pete Carroll did when he arrived in the early 2000s, Riley should have the same immediate impact at USC this season, as the Trojans may surprise many across the country as a sleeper contender this season.
Top Hiring
Dave Clawsen to Nebraska
Wake Forest was dealt a blow when they lost quarterback Sam Hartman to an ‘unrelated football injury’ but Clawsen has built Wake Forest from a laughing stock ACC program, to an ACC contender. Nebraska needs something different Lincoln, and Clawsen could inject some life into this meager Big 10 program.
Jeff Brohm to Louisville
Jeff Brohm has found moderate success at Purdue, which could cause him to stay at Purdue and continue to build. But if his alma mater comes calling, the former Cardinal quarterback could make the jump.
Matt Campbell to Auburn
Auburn has become virtually an irrelevant program in the SEC West and with common cellar dweller programs like Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Arkansas one the rise, Auburn is going to have to make another coach change. Matt Campbell has done a fantastic job at Iowa State and with the Big 12 on the verge of destruction, now would be the time to leave. If Auburn is going to throw big money at someone, Campbell is the guy.
Top Firings
1) Scott Frost, Nebraska
Frost is already off to another bad start with Huskers loss against Northwestern
in Ireland. Let the countdown begin.
2) Bryan Harsin, Auburn
As previously stated, Auburn is about to finish at the bottom of the SEC West,
the alum and the boosters won’t tolerate this losing for long.
3) Herman Edwards, Arizona State
If anything, Herm Edwards made it entertaining at Arizona State, but with the
recent allegations that are being lodged against him, his time will come to an
end in 2022. At least he will make ESPN a little more entertaining again.
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