We’re five weeks into the college football season, and we’ve already seen movement in the Heisman Trophy odds, especially after an injury to one of the betting favorites.
Each week we’ll take a look at how the odds are shifting in the Heisman Trophy race to try to help you identify the best bets or the biggest odds movement that might be best to ignore. While one or two weeks might not be enough to persuade you to change your bet, it’s always a good idea to keep an eye on the shifts in lines to see if it indicates value changes.
So what are the odds after Week 5?
Updated Heisman Trophy Odds
C.J. Stroud (+150) saw his odds fall slightly from +125 last week, but he is still the clear top dog. Ohio State had another easy victory against an overmatched Rutgers team, but Stroud did what he needed to, completing 13-of-22 passes for 154 yards and two touchdowns, but he did throw a poor interception. Regardless, he will likely remain the Heisman Trophy frontrunner until Ohio State actually faces some stiffer competition next month.
Alabama quarterback Bryce Young (+1000) had the biggest fall in his Heisman Trophy odds after he left the game in the first half with a shoulder injury. Before exiting, Young had completed 7-of-13 passes for 173 yards and a touchdown in Alabama’s biggest game of the year so far. He had thrown an interception, but it was a strong performance overall. With Young not likely to miss much time, there is a chance he can still come back to win the Heisman Trophy, but he will need to only miss a game at most given the performance of the other players on this list.
Young was passed, again, by USC quarterback Caleb Williams (+500), who saw his odds jump from +600 last week. We mentioned that last week would present a strong buying opportunity on Williams after he threw for just 180 yards and a touchdown in a win over Oregon State. Williams didn’t complete many passes in that game, but he didn’t look bad, and he certainly bounced back against Arizona State, completing 27-of-37 passes for 348 yards and three touchdowns. He did throw his first interception of the year, but we won’t hold that against him.
Last week, we also discussed Stetson Bennett (+1600), who was +2500 last week, but the close game against Missouri forced Georgia to have to throw. Bennett completed 24-of-44 passes for 312 yards but no touchdowns or interceptions. Since Bennett offers nothing on the ground and plays for a team that likes to run the ball, I I just simply don’t see a path for him to win the Heisman Trophy unless there were multiple injuries to frontrunners.
Clemson quarterback D.J. Uigalelei (+2500) is also emerging as an intriguing darkhorse candidate given his rushing and passing upside. While Uigalelei has always had a big arm, he has seemingly become a more complete quarterback this season, and NFL Draft experts and scouts are starting to notice.
In a showdown against 10th-ranked N.C. State on Saturday, Uigalelei completed 21-of-30 passes for 209 yards and a touchdown, while running for 73 yards and two additional touchdowns on the ground. Considering Clemson is likely to win the ACC and advance to the College Football Playoff, this gives Uigalelei a great chance to rack up favor with the vote casters.
