Stetson Bennett Georgia Heisman Trophy

ATHENS — Stetson Bennett’s Heisman Trophy hopes might appear to be hanging by a thread, but playing Vanderbilt could provide a jolt.

Bennett ranks 10th among the Heisman Trophy favorites at 33-to-1 with Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud the overwhelming favorite 1-to-1.4 followed by USC’s Caleb Williams (10-to-1).

Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker (14-to-1) and Alabama’s Bryce Young (14-to-1) and Jahmyr Gibbs (25-to-1) are the three SEC players ahead of Bennett entering this week’s games.

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Hooker faces off with the Crimson Tide at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday and can improve his Heisman Trophy odds with a win, while Williams and USC have a key 8 p.m. game at Utah.

Bennett, meanwhile, will likely be making highlights at Sanford Stadium where UGA is a 38-point favorite to win on the heels of last year’s 62-0 win over Vanderbilt in Nashville.

The sixth-year senior quarterback for Georgia who turns 25 later this month has the kind of Cinderella Story that audiences love.

As long as the No. 1-ranked Bulldogs keep winning, Bennett should remain in consideration for the award as Georgia doesn’t have any other offensive players producing Heisman Trophy-type numbers.

Sophomore tight end Brock Bowers, last year’s FWAA Freshman of the Year and arguably the best player on the offense, averages 3.7 catches (176th) and 63 yards receiving (96th) per game.

Bennett targeted Bowers six times against Auburn, but he only completed two of those passes to him, his aim slightly off on a couple of occasions.

Georgia, however, appears locked in to Bennett spearheading the offense, as he has played more snaps (390) than anyone on the team, with Coach Kirby Smart reluctant to substitute at the position.

Smart has talked about the need for rhythm and consistency at the position and makes no attempt to hide his respect and admiration of his quarterback

Indeed, the former walk-on turned CFP Offensive MVP has a football rags-to-riches story that puts Notre Dame’s “Rudy” to shame.

Bennett, however, needs to post strong enough statistics against the Commodores in the 3:30 p.m. game to get himself back in the Heisman race.

Georgia hasn’t had a Heisman Trophy finalist since Garrison Hearst in 1992, and Herschel Walker was the most recent UGA winner of the coveted award in 1982.

Mississippi State’s Will Rogers leads the nation in passing yards (2,110), while Bennett ranks 11th (1,744) ahead of Stroud (1,737), Williams (1,590) and Hooker (1,432).

Bennett’s pass efficiency rating (45th) and 5 TD passes (102nd) can be steeply improved against a Vanderbilt team that ranks 130th (out of 131 teams) in the nation in passing yards allowed.

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Smart seemed to deviate from the norm in a convincing win over Auburn, allowing offensive coordinator Todd Monken to keep the passing game flowing into the fourth quarter.

Bennett helped open things up with a Heisman-friendly 64-yard touchdown run to open the fourth quarter that made all the highlight reels and gave Georgia a 28-3 lead.

On many past occasions, Smart has run the ball and the clock in lopsided games, but with the UGA tailback stable down to three healthy backs, the passing game stayed engaged.

Bennett threw more passes in the fourth quarter (8-10, 86 yards) against Auburn than any of the first three, finishing 22-of-32 passing for 208 yards.

It might not seem like a big deal to some, but having one poor performance can hurt a candidate’s chances when resumes are compared, and Bennett can boast not having a game with fewer than 200 yards passing this season.

The Heisman Trophy remains an award of great stature, but its financial value has been somewhat mitigated by new NIL rules.

Regardless of where Bennett or Bowers or any other future Georgia stars finish in the Heisman Trophy race, there’s a good chance they will already have been financially compensated.

Bennett recently signed a NIL deal in the $50,000 range with an onion farm, keeping him on track to earn $1 million in traditional NIL deals.

WATCH: Stetson Bennett new NIL deal will bring tears to your eyes

The Bulldogs football team, meanwhile, has become one of the greatest success stories through the halfway point of the regular season.

Smart should be up for multiple coach of the year awards after his program lost 15 players to the NFL draft and another 13 in the transfer portal, yet remains on top of the national rankings.

Bennett’s Heisman race, and the Bulldogs’ season, will ultimately be decided in the finishing stretch of the season with games against Florida, Tennessee, Mississippi State, Kentucky and Georgia Tech coming up after the bye week.