Georgia’s Stetson Bennett, TCU’s Max Duggan, Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud and Southern California’s Caleb Williams were named finalists for the Heisman Trophy on Monday.
The winner will be announced Saturday in New York.
All four quarterbacks led their respective teams to a top-10 ranking this season, and Bennett, Duggan and Stroud will be playing in the College Football Playoff.
Williams, the only finalist to miss the CFP, is the favorite to take home the award after throwing for 4,075 yards with 37 touchdowns and four interceptions. He also rushed for 372 yards and 10 TDs as the No. 10 Trojans went 11-2 (8-1 Pac-12). USC will face Tulane in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 2.
The top-ranked Bulldogs (13-0, 8-0 Southeastern Conference) will look to claim back-to-back national championships behind Bennett, who threw for 3,425 yards, 20 TDs and six interceptions.
After entering the season as the favorite to win the Heisman, Stroud finished with 3,340 passing yards with 37 touchdowns against six interceptions. The No. 4 Buckeyes (11-1, 8-1 Big Ten) will face Georgia in the Peach Bowl Dec. 31 to determine who secures a spot in the CFP title game.
Duggan helped No. 3 TCU exceed expectations, as the Horned Frogs went 12-1 with a perfect 9-0 record in Big 12 play before losing in the Big 12 championship game. Duggan threw for 3,321 yards, 30 TDs and four interceptions. He also found the end zone six times on the ground.
The Frogs face No. 2 Michigan on Dec. 31 in the other CFP semifinal.
Notable players who weren’t invited to New York included Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, who was gunning for his second straight Heisman, and Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker, who led the Volunteers to a brief stay at No. 1 in the CFP rankings but saw his dynamic season cut short in November when he tore his ACL.
–Field Level Media