College Football Futures: Best Value Bets To Win The 2022 Heisman Trophy Award

It's hard not to start getting a little excited about the start of college football season. Week 0 begins with an 11-game slate on Saturday August 27, 2022 which means we are less than two weeks away from the beginning of what promises to be an exciting year. With that in mind, why not start thinking about some of the best value bets to take home the 2022 Heisman Trophy?

Last season, Alabama quarterback Bryce Young ended up taking home the honors, as he threw for 4,872 yards with 47 touchdowns and only seven interceptions. Young is one of the two overwhelming favorites to win this year’s award, along with Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud.

However, we’re looking for a juicier payout than the one that either of those players offers. Keep reading for some of our favorite bets to finish the year as college football’s top dog.

Caleb Williams, QB, USC Trojans (+800)

The DimersBOT gives USC a 30.2% chance of winning the Pac-12 this year, and Williams will be the star of the show for the conference favorite after being handpicked by Lincoln Riley to be the face of a new era in Los Angeles.

Last year, Williams stole Spencer Rattler’s starting job for the Oklahoma Sooners in a game in which he was the catalyst of a 21-point comeback win over the Texas Longhorns in the Red River Showdown. In that game, Williams had a 66-yard touchdown run and a 52-yard touchdown pass. That should tell you all you need to know about his dual-threat ability.

Williams now gets to go up against some lousy Pac-12 defenses, which means the numbers should be there—through the air and on the ground. If USC finds a way to win 10 or so games, this trophy could be heading back to California for the first time since Reggie Bush Matt Leinart won it.

Caleb Williams is a BOSS! 😎 @CALEBcsw @Elite11 @247Sports pic.twitter.com/JEPb4aReiW

— MaxPreps (@MaxPreps) June 29, 2022

Will Anderson Jr., LB, Alabama Crimson Tide (+2000)

It would take a perfect storm for a defensive player to win the Heisman Trophy, as it hasn’t happened since cornerback Charles Woodson did it for the University of Michigan back in 1997. However, Anderson just might be the storm, as he is viewed as the top defensive NFL Draft prospect in a very long time.

He’s also unrivaled as the best defensive player on an Alabama defense that should be the strength of a team that the DimersBOT gives a 31.9% chance to win a national championship.

Last season, Anderson had 57 solo tackles and 17.5 sacks for the Crimson Tide, and it’s hard to see him not turning in another year of beastly numbers. He’s a man amongst boys in the college game, and the beauty of his Heisman candidacy is that he enters the year with tons and tons of hype.

That can be a curse for some players, but Anderson has the ability to block out the noise and continue to terrorize opposing offenses. And overall, the fact that people will be talking about him early on means that he can keep himself in the conversation as long as he is making big plays on a weekly basis.

If anybody is going to snap the Heisman-less streak for defensive players, you better believe it’s going to be the guy that’s nicknamed “The Terminator”.

Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas Longhorns (+2000)

Ewers is something of a pioneer in the college football world, as he reclassified for 2021 in order to cash in on a massive NIL deal as a member of the Ohio State Buckeyes. That allowed him to get paid a nice chunk of change instead of being a senior in high school, and it’s hard to blame him for making that decision. Ewers then transferred to the University of Texas in the offseason, so it’s now time to see what he can do on the field.

The Longhorns have one of the most quarterback-friendly offenses in the nation, as it was designed by a renowned offensive mind in Steve Sarkisian. Ewers, who has the ability to make all the throws, should represent a massive upgrade over what Texas was working with under center last year.

He also has the benefit of facing defenses that need to stay extremely honest against the Longhorns running game because of the presence of superstar Bijan Robinson. That’s going to make life on Ewers a lot easier, especially when he opts to take off. Don’t let Ewers’ goofy look fool you: the guy can run.

There’s a lot of unknowns that come with backing Ewers to win this award, but he possesses a ton of upside and there will be a lot of eyeballs on him as he keeps the seat warm for Arch Manning — the nephew of Peyton and Eli, who was the prize of the 2023 recruiting class.

If Texas can steal the Big 12 from Oklahoma, you’ll want to be holding a ticket on Ewers to take this thing home. And the DimersBOT actually gives the Longhorns a 26.5% chance to do that.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Ohio State Buckeyes (+3000)

In last year’s Rose Bowl victory over the Utah Utes, Smith-Njigba had 15 receptions for 347 yards and three touchdowns (no, that isn’t a typo). The star wideout also had 95 receptions for 1,606 yards and nine scores during the regular season, and he did that despite the fact that he was part of a receiving group that also included Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave. Both of those guys ended up being selected in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

With both of those players now playing their football on Sundays, Smith-Njigba figures to have a stupidly high target share for an Ohio State team that the DimersBOT gives a 15.1% chance to win the College Football Playoff.

With that in mind, it isn’t hard to see a scenario in which the 20-year-old posts some gaudy numbers and ends up making a run at this prestigious award. Just two years ago, Alabama wideout DeVonta Smith — who now plays in Philadelphia — became the first wide receiver since 1991 to take home the trophy.