According to sportsbettingdime.com, C.J. Stroud is the odds-on favorite to win the Heisman trophy headed into No. 2 Ohio State's much-anticipated matchup versus No. 3 Michigan. Both teams are 11-0 entering the contest. The last OSU player who was the Heisman frontrunner headed into THE Game was Troy Smith in 2006, which was also the last time both teams went into the game undefeated at 11-0.
Smith went 29/41 (70.7%) for 321 yards and 4 TDs, including this game-clinching TD pass to Brian Robiskie to put the Buckeyes up 42-to-31 with 5:38 left in the fourth quarter.
No. 1 Ohio State would go on to beat No. 2 Michigan 42-to-39. Troy Smith went on to win the 2006 Heisman trophy while leading his team to a Big Ten title and national title game appearance. Can Stroud do the same this season? If so, he'll need to have a big game vs. TTUN, win the Big Ten championship game in Indy, and win the CFB semifinal.
All I want right now is for the Buckeyes to whoop some Wolverine ass on Saturday. And regardless of whether or not Stroud wins the Heisman trophy, I would rather see Ohio State win it all than just settle for a prestigious individual accolade.
In order for Ohio State to do so, however, Stroud might just have to play like the best player in college football henceforth.
