Heisman 2021 – Making the cases for and against C.J. Stroud, Bryce Young and other contenders

The Heisman Trophy will be awarded in less than three weeks, and no one has run away with it.

A quarterback has won the award in four of the past five years, nine of the past 11 years and 12 of the past 15 years. A defensive player hasn’t won the award since 1997.

Maybe this year is different. Georgia defensive tackle Jordan Davis and Alabama linebacker Will Anderson Jr. have stood out on defense with stellar seasons of their own. Michigan State running back Kenneth Walker III turned in a legendary five-touchdown performance against rival Michigan.

Or maybe this year won’t be an anomaly. Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud and Alabama QB Bryce Young went from reserves for College Football Playoff teams in 2020 to bona fide stars in 2021. Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett, in his fifth season of eligibility, has thrown for nearly as many touchdowns this year (36) as he had from 2017 to 2020 combined (39). Ole Miss QB Matt Corral helped take the Rebels from unranked before the season to the top 10 of the AP poll entering Thanksgiving.

Before the season, Oklahoma’s Spencer Rattler and North Carolina’s Sam Howell — both quarterbacks — were among the favorites to win college football’s prestigious award. But neither of them is in the conversation this year.

Our team of reporters break down the cases for — and the cases against — each Heisman contender this year.

The case for: Is this even a question after the Michigan State game? Stroud set a team record with 17 consecutive completions and had 294 passing yards and four touchdowns in less than 20 minutes. He finished with 432 passing yards and six touchdowns, while not playing in the fourth quarter.

The Heisman should be about a player’s evolution, and no candidate has improved more since the start of the season. Stroud had the…