C.J. Stroud vs. Hendon Hooker: Who’s the Real Heisman?

Heading into week nine of the college football season, C.J. Stroud and Hendon Hooker have separated themselves from the pack as the runaway favorites for the Heisman trophy.

According to Vegas Insider, Stroud is the clear favorite to win at -100, with Hooker just behind him at +200. The player with the next best odds is Caleb Williams at +1200. Vegas has made it extremely clear; Stroud and Hooker are in a league of their own.

So who actually deserves to win the Heisman? Truth be told, there is no easy answer. This is a tight race with two quarterbacks who are playing out of their minds.

Only one of them can win, though, so here is C.J. Stroud and Hendon Hooker’s case for the most prestigious hardware in college football.

C.J. Stroud

You can make a strong argument that Stroud has been the best quarterback in the entire country this season. Through seven games, the junior gunslinger has thrown for 2,023 yards, 28 touchdowns, and four interceptions while completing 70% of his passes.

His counting stats are pretty good, as he currently ranks first in touchdown passes, 19th in total passing yards, and 14th in completion percentage. However, his advanced stats show just how dominant he’s been this year.

His passing efficiency has been off the charts, as he leads the nation in passer rating with a mark of 203.9. He is the only quarterback with a passer rating over 200 this season.

He also leads the nation in QBR, a metric that is essentially opponent-adjusted EPA/play put on a scale of 0-100, where 50 is average. Stroud’s QBR of 92.6 ranks eighth all-time for a single season since 2006. His performance this year has truly been historic.

He’s had some really impressive individual performances, like last week, where he threw for 286 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception vs. the Iowa Hawkeyes, who rank ninth in points allowed per play. In this game, he helped the Buckeyes score 54 points vs. one of the best defenses in the entire country.

This came after he dismantled Michigan State’s secondary two weeks ago, throwing for 361 yards, six touchdowns, and just one interception while completing 80.8% of his passes.

Considering how well Stroud has played so far, it’s no surprise that Ohio State ranks first in opponent-adjusted points per game. The Buckeyes' offense has been remarkable, primarily because their quarterback shreds their opponent’s secondary week after week.

If C.J. Stroud continues to play well and has strong performances against Penn State and Michigan, he’ll likely run away with the Heisman.

Hendon Hooker

Just because Stroud is the heavy favorite and seems to be on track to win the Heisman with ease doesn’t mean he’s been that much better than Hendon Hooker. There’s no doubt Stroud’s been amazing; however, Hooker has arguably been just as good.

Through seven games, he has thrown for 2,093 yards, 18 touchdowns, and just one interception while completing 70.6% of his passes.

He’s also recorded 315 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. This is one area where he is clearly better than Stroud, as the Ohio State quarterback has -13 rushing yards on the season.

Hooker’s advanced stats are extremely impressive, as he ranks second in the country in passer rating and QBR. He’s behind Stroud in both metrics, but the difference is close.

Like Stroud, Hooker has had some impressive performances as well.

Against Florida, he threw for 349 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions while completing 78.6% of his passes. He also added 112 yards and one touchdown on the ground to help the Volunteers come away with a 38-33 victory.

This doesn’t come close to his performance vs. Alabama, though. Against the Crimson Tide, he threw for 385 yards, five touchdowns, and just one interception while completing 70% of his passes. He made a ton of big plays down the stretch to lead Tennessee to a 52-49 upset victory over the third-ranked team in the country.

His performance vs. Alabama (the fifth-ranked defense according to points allowed per play) put him on the map as a serious contender for the Heisman trophy.

Final Decision

We know what Vegas thinks about the Heisman race, but who deserves to take the hardware home? If I had to vote, my choice would be C.J. Stroud, but it is close.

C.J. Stroud has been unbelievably good this year. His efficiency as a passer is second to none, and his ability to produce video-game numbers against tough Big Ten defenses is extremely impressive.

I think his individual production speaks for itself, but I also think you have to consider how he is impacting his team’s offense. I mentioned earlier that Ohio State leads the nation in scoring adjusted for opponent strength. Stroud isn’t the only reason for their success on offense, but he has definitely played a big part in their scoring frenzy.

Hendon Hooker also deserves a lot of praise for the way he’s played so far. His production has been incredible, and he has made Tennessee’s offense an absolute juggernaut. His performance against Alabama might be the most impressive thing we see from any college quarterback this season.

Hooker is also pretty unique as he combines elite passing efficiency with strong rushing production. This is something Stroud has never done and might not be capable of. I could see an argument for Hooker winning this award due to his dominance as a passer and rusher, but I think the numbers speak for themselves.

C.J Stroud’s lead in passer rating and QBR is hard to overcome. It’s even harder to argue against him when his team’s offense is probably the best in the nation.

This race is definitely closer than the betting odds would indicate, but I think Stroud is the correct choice. He is playing at a historical level right now, and It’s hard to envision that ending anytime soon.