We are 10 weeks into the college football season and the race for the Heisman Trophy is more wide-open than ever this late in a season.
Last week we placed the candidates for college football’s top individual honor into three categories: Pretenders, Contenders: No Betting Value, and Contenders: Take a Taste.
Below is last week’s list of Heisman hopefuls along with their odds from last week courtesy of BetMGM:
Heisman Hopefuls
Pretenders
Jordan Travis, FSU QB (+900)
Bo Nix, Oregon QB (+1600)
Contenders: No Betting Value
J.J. McCarthy, Michigan QB (+240)
Dillon Gabriel, Oklahoma QB (+1200)
Contenders: Take a Taste
Jayden Daniels, LSU QB (+325)
Michael Penix, Jr., Washington QB (+300)
Marvin Harrison, Jr., Ohio State WR (+1800)
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An Oklahoma loss and dominant Oregon win later, the list and the odds have changed:
Current Heisman Odds
Pretenders
Jordan Travis (+800) - He simply will not face a quality defense the rest of the season. Doubtful even video game numbers can get him to New York as a finalist.
Dillon Gabriel (+2500) - The Sooner signal-caller threw it only 19 times for a mere 171 yards without a touchdown last week in a loss at Kansas. Oklahoma may have a path to the playoff, but Gabriel’s path to the podium has gone from unlikely to not happening.
Contenders: No Betting Value
J.J. McCarthy (+300) - Not much has changed in a week for the Wolverine. McCarthy is enjoying a special season but how much is he benefitting from the schedule and from the Michigan defense? With Ohio State looming, he has a path to NYC but not enough juice to make the squeeze worthwhile.
Michael Penix, Jr. (+275) - Penix has not been the same player the last two weeks that he was through the first six weeks of the season. Injured? Tired? Not sure, but like McCarthy, the stats, current odds, and remaining opponents do not engender confidence.
Contenders: Take a Taste
Jayden Daniels (+450) - It is exam week for Daniels and his eye-popping numbers as LSU heads to Tuscaloosa for a date with Nick Saban and Alabama. If LSU can upset the Tide and avoid a third loss, Daniels will become the favorite so this is effectively last call. For those wondering, its not often the Heisman winner played for a team with multiple losses, but its happened. Ask Mark Ingram, Tim Tebow, and Lamar Jackson.
Bo Nix (+600) - My views on Nix are similar to my thoughts on McCarthy. Really good quarterback buoyed by a really good team. So why the move to contender status? Because the Bo’s stats are that much better than J.J.’s and the Ducks appear to be that much better than the Wolverines. Add in the fact his odds are twice McCarthy’s and its worth a taste.
Marvin Harrison, Jr. (+1000) - The Ohio State wideout’s candidacy is gaining steam. As a result, his odds have as well. He needs to maintain the dominant numbers the next few weeks leading into the Big Game, but more than anything, Maserati Marv needs to dominate the field against Michigan. If he does that against the vaunted Wolverine defense, Harrison clinches a spot for the Buckeyes in the playoff and gets a ticket to the Big Apple.
Understand that you will not get better numbers after this weekend for anyone who remains an actual threat to earn the award. Anything less than special the rest of the season dooms a player (and probably his team).
Enjoy Week 10 and enjoy the sweat.
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*all odds courtesy of BetMGM
