Heisman Watch 2021: Highlighting Race’s Front-Runners After Week 11

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Outside of the college football rankings, the most interesting argument of the year relates to the Heisman Trophy race.

And as the season moves through Week 11, the question bubbling to the surface focuses on whether it’s too late for the players on the shortlist to have that Heisman moment that bolsters their campaign.

Most of the front-runners have been steady over the past few weeks, but Kenneth Walker III of Michigan State may have posted the signature game he needed with his team’s 40-21 win over Maryland on Saturday, when he ran for 143 yards and two touchdowns.

For Caleb Williams of Oklahoma, the race is virtually over, as he was benched in favor of Spencer Rattler in the second half of the Sooners’ first loss of the year.

With those shifts in the rankings, here’s the latest look at the top candidates.

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QB Bryce Young, Alabama: +150 (bet $100 to win $150)

RB Kenneth Walker III, Michigan State: +240

QB C.J. Stroud, Ohio State: +300

QB Matt Corral, Ole Miss: +500

QB Caleb Williams, Oklahoma: +3000

        

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

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By the end of the college football season, Bryce Young could be proof positive that being steady and consistent wins the race.

The sophomore quarterback for Alabama threw for 270 yards and a record five touchdowns in the first half of Alabama’s blowout 59-3 win over New Mexico State.

Young is the runaway favorite at this point of the year to take home the trophy, but it’s not a complete lock just yet.

The game against the Aggies won’t move the voters, so he has to separate himself from the pack with standout performances against Arkansas and Auburn.

Another surefire way to cement his case in the race is to be the unquestionable reason the Crimson Tide wins either or both of its final two regular season games.

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Kenneth Walker III put numbers on the board in Michigan State’s 40-21 win over Maryland, but all eyes will be on him when he and the Spartans take on Ohio State next weekend.

Walker will have to post an incredible performance against the Buckeyes and be the reason his team wins to close the gap with Young at Alabama.

To date, the junior running back has 1,330 yards on the ground and 15 touchdowns, which is not on pace to match or surpass Derrick Henry, the last back to win the Heisman.

Henry rushed for 2,219 yards and 28 touchdowns in 2015 and helped the Crimson Tide win the national championship, so he was an easy choice for the award.

Walker, on the other hand, isn’t close to being the lock that Henry was.

But he does have a signature game under his belt to help his case.

“I don’t think anybody’s really had a Heisman moment other than Kenneth Walker when Michigan State played Michigan,” ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit said Saturday during the broadcast of the Ole Miss-Texas A&M game per 247Sports.com. “There was a lot of buzz after the five touchdown performance in East Lansing and the Spartans came back, but I’ve never seen it so wide open with three weeks to play. Anybody gets hot right? Need a good opponent, big stage, get hot and have a big day … you’ve got to steal the hearts of voters.”

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Nothing beats a head-to-head match in a Heisman race.

C.J. Stroud, who is No. 2 or No. 3 in the rankings depending on who’s asked, will put his Heisman case on the line against Walker when Ohio State plays host to Michigan State.

Not only is the Heisman on the line, but both teams will be eyeing the Big Ten title game and the College Football Playoff.

With so much on the line, this is where winners rise to the occasion and where Stroud can make his case for the hardware.

He’s already has 30 passing touchdowns on the year and had a great outing against Purdue with a five-touchdown performance.

If he’s the reason the Buckeyes down the Spartans, he could be on Young’s heels.

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Just like Williams, Matt Corral is another player on the watchlist who has seen his stock go down.

Corral did throw for 247 yards and one touchdown in Ole Miss’ 29-19 win over Texas A&M, but is behind in the count with only 17 passing touchdowns this year.

With those numbers, Corral is definitely a long shot now, even if he puts up record-breaking numbers against Vanderbilt and Mississippi State to close out the season.

Even if he doesn’t make up the ground in the race, the junior is still one of the best quarterbacks in his class and could be one of the first field generals taken in the next year’s NFL draft.

Now that’s quite the consolation prize.