Why Ohio State's CJ Stroud is more logical Heisman frontrunner than Alabama's Bryce Young
Depending on your sportsbook of choice, the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy in 2022 is one of two quarterbacks – Alabama's Bryce Young or Ohio State's C.J. Stroud.
Young is the reigning Heisman winner, running away with the voting last year, while Stroud finished fourth. Alabama is expected to be the preseason No. 1, and although playing on the nation's best team isn't a prerequisite to winning the Heisman, it doesn't hurt, either.
So, Young is the logical favorite, right?
Hang on just a second.
On this edition of "SEC Football Unfiltered," a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams make the case that Stroud should be considered the frontrunner for the award.
Subscribe to SEC Football Unfiltered
iTunes | Google Play | Spotify
That's not intended to be a knock on Young. Rather, Alabama's receiving corps faces a few questions, and after the departures of Jameson Williams and John Metchie III, Young cannot be expected to match his production of last season, when he broke single-season program records for passing yards and touchdowns.
[ OPINION: What Georgia football must do to keep ahead of Alabama after NFL Draft | Toppmeyer ]
Plus, Evan Neal is NFL bound, meaning Young needs a new blindside protector, and if Alabama's spring game is any indication, the Crimson Tide's offensive line is an unfinished product.
Ohio State endured key departures in the receiving corps, too, but returned leader Jaxon Smith-Njigba, one of the nation's top threats. The Buckeyes also have three returning offensive line starters.
[ ANALYSIS: Alabama football has questions after sloppy spring game. This player isn't one of them ]
Plus, Toppmeyer notes, never trust Heisman voters to select the same player in back-to-back years. Former Buckeyes running back Archie Griffin is the only player to win the award twice. Tim Tebow, like Young, won the award as a sophomore but did not repeat, despite posting another dazzling season as a junior.
Heisman voters are a sucker for a good narrative, and Ohio State will be on a redemption tour after Michigan won the Big Ten and barred the Buckeyes from the College Football Playoff last season. And Stroud has vocalized that he thought he got snubbed in Heisman voting last season.
A proving-you-wrong tour makes for a great Heisman narrative.
It seems plausible that Stroud may win the Heisman, while Young leads Alabama to a national championship, like Tebow did for his Heisman encore.
Toppmeyer and Adams also offer their top four long-shot picks for the Heisman, among SEC players:
South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler
Alabama linebacker Will Anderson Jr.
Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker
Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson
Later in the episode
Transfers are the shiny new object within the SEC, and quarterback transfers, especially, come with plenty of hype, but Toppmeyer is pumping the brakes on a couple of SEC newcomers. After Saturday's spring games, he's not all-in on the idea that Southern Cal transfer Jaxson Dart is the surefire Ole Miss starting quarterback, or that Arizona State transfer Jayden Daniels is first in line for the job at LSU.
Ed Orgeron seems to be enjoying life in Buyout Land, and he recently ratcheted up expectations for his LSU successor, Brian Kelly, by saying Kelly should win a national title within three seasons. As for Orgeron, Toppmeyer believes he would be wildly entertaining in a television pregame role, but Adams has bigger plans: He thinks Orgeron would be a star on a reality TV show. Imagine Orgeron as a shirtless, barrel-chested Cajun heading a construction crew or swinging a 20-pound sledge amid a home renovation on a show made for the streaming era.
Blake Toppmeyer is an SEC Columnist for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer. If you enjoy Blake’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: Heisman odds: Why CJ Stroud is more sound frontrunner than Bryce Young
