Heisman power rankings: Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud and the top 10 preseason candidates

Heisman power rankings, No. 2: Bryce Young, QB, Alabama

Yep, we have the reigning Heisman winner as the No. 2 candidate entering the 2022 season. Part of that is the fact that no one has repeated as the winner in almost 50 years, but another part of it is that our No. 1 candidate in C.J. Stroud (spoiler alert) is just in a slightly more favorable situation to put up crazy numbers.

There’s no question what Young is capable of and what the path to another Heisman looks like for him. He threw for an unreal 4,872 yards and 47 touchdowns last season with only seven interceptions.

But now Young is without Jameson Williams and John Metchie and, in essence, has an entirely new group of weapons around him. He’ll still put up numbers, but there’s a chance they are lesser than they were a year ago. Alabama’s overall success, however, should buoy his candidacy to some degree.

Heisman power rankings, No. 1: C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State

For me, having C.J. Stroud as the Heisman Trophy frontrunner coming into the 2022 season is an absolute no-brainer. He was a finalist last year and now comes into the season in an even bigger spotlight and with a situation tailor-made for him to be holding the hardware in early December.

Stroud threw for 4,435 yards with 44 touchdowns and six interceptions as a redshirt freshman. Now he comes into the 2022 campaign with Smith-Njigba as his top weapon but also with highly touted prospects in Marvin Harrison Jr. and Julian Fleming stepping into bigger roles.

What’s most important, though, is that Stroud and Ohio State are in a better situation as a team. The letdowns against Oregon and Michigan cost Stroud a bit, but those slip-ups seem less likely this time around. As such, Stroud should have an infallible case to take home the Heisman.

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