Ohio State prepares for Big Ten play with a 3-0 mark and a solid candidate — maybe even the favorite — for the Heisman Trophy.

Sure, Buckeyes fans care more about the first part of that sentence than the second part. But that’s not to claim that the Heisman doesn’t matter. As the veritable face of a college football season, the award’s significance is not minor.

Ohio State’s last Heisman winner was Troy Smith in 2006. Smith also happens to be the last Big Ten player to take home college football’s biggest individual award. Can CJ Stroud change that?

The numbers

Yes, stats matter in the Heisman campaign. And 3 weeks into the 2022 season, Stroud has done nothing to hurt himself there. He’s 2nd in the nation in QB rating, 13th in FBS in passing yards (that includes 4 players ahead of Stroud who have played an extra game), tied for first in touchdown passes (11), and he hasn’t thrown an interception. And for those who would accuse Stroud of racking up yards on dinks and dunks, his 11.1 yards per pass attempt is 4th in FBS (incidentally, Wisconsin’s Graham Mertz is 3rd).

The team

To be blunt, last year’s Stroud numbers were perfectly deserving of the Heisman. But team success matters, and a 2-loss OSU team that didn’t play for the B1G title or make the CFP wasn’t going to be a foundation for a Heisman Trophy victory, absent some serious chaos in the sport. Ohio State looks to me one of college football’s clear top 3 teams, and to have a CFP spot all but reserved. Making the CFP won’t guarantee Stroud the Heisman, but if he didn’t make it, it would be awfully hard for him to win the trophy. So far, so good.

Sports Betting in Big Ten Country

Sports betting in Ohio is officially launching on January 1, 2023.

Pre-registration is now available at FanDuel Ohio for an extra $100 bonus. Take advantage now.

21+ and present in OH. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.

The ‘It’ factor

Heisman voters are generally looking for an “it” factor that can’t exactly be defined, but which is readily apparent when it’s seen. The Notre Dame game was perhaps Stroud’s best shot so far, but it was kind of a ho-hum, defensive victory. That said, the meat and potatoes of the schedule lie ahead, so a big play, a comeback win, or just an astonishing pass nobody else could throw are still very much on the shelf for Stroud.

The opposition

a) The defending winner

Winning the Heisman before isn’t a great help. Of course, Ohio State’s Archie Griffin remains the only two-time winner of the award. But Alabama’s Bryce Young, as the defending Heisman winner, is worth keeping an eye on. How’s Stroud look vis-a-vis Young? So far, very good.

Young’s Crimson Tide nearly lost to Texas in Week 2, and his stats so far are, well, fairly pedestrian.

Young: 58-for-85, 644 yards, 9 TDs, 2 INTs

Stroud: 62-for-85, 941 yards, 11 TDs, 0 INTs

The real surprise here is that Stroud’s 11.1 yards per attempt is in a different zip code than Young’s 7.6 yards per pass. Young does have 144 rushing yards and 2 TDs on the ground, but at this point, he’d have to be behind Stroud in a ranking — as he is in the odds from most sportsbooks.

b) The strongest competition

It wasn’t exactly anticipated, but the strongest competition at the moment would be Georgia QB Stetson Bennett. A year ago, Bennett was very much a game manager for the national champion Bulldogs. But he’s gotten better with time. This year, Bennett is 65-for-88 for 952 yards, 5 touchdowns, and no interceptions. Last season, Bennett passed for 300 yards twice. This year, he did it in each of the season’s first 2 weeks.

Considering that Georgia is the defending champion and is clearly one of the top 3 teams in the country this season, Bennett’s team situation is good. And while he did win the title a year ago, he was probably overlooked as a Heisman candidate, in part due to fairly modest stats, and in part due to UGA’s defensive brilliance (the Bulldogs’ Jordan Davis finished 9th in the Heisman vote).

The overview

Stroud is in solid shape as conference play begins Saturday vs. Wisconsin. Bennett has overtaken Young as his best competition, and those 3 teams are likely to remain in CFP contention all through the season. Stroud’s best argument over Bennett might be gaining the edge on the “it factor.” What would that look like? Again, it’s hard to say exactly. But the next Stroud throw that makes Buckeyes fans jump out of their seats could be the difference.

The game plan for Stroud should be keep winning, keep piling up numbers, and find that “it factor.”