Each week this college football season, BetFTW will take a look at the 2024 Heisman Trophy race and break down the contenders. Check back every week as the best college football players in the country jockey for position with both oddsmakers and bettors. All odds via BetMGM.
Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7, Week 8, Week 9, Week 10
Last week saw the tracker trim the list of Heisman hopefuls from 10 to eight. This week we’re down to seven candidates with a legitimate shot at winning the trophy. Anyone with odds worse than 50-1 at BetMGM won’t appear here.
That includes a few season-long mainstays like Jalen Milroe, Carson Beck, Garrett Nussmeier, Quinn Ewers, Drew Allar and Will Howard. It’s not that these players cannot win anymore, but their campaigns cannot be taken seriously without a drastic shift at the top of the board.
For now, that board has Colorado’s Travis Hunter leading the pack and closing in on becoming the first player this season with Heisman odds shorter than even money.
Let’s dig in.
7. Clemson QB Cabe Klubnik, Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders (+5000)
Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Odds Last Week (Opening Odds)
- Klubnik: +2500 (+3500)
- Sanders: +5000 (+2500)
Clemson’s playoff dreams aren’t dead yet, so neither is Klubnik’s stealth campaign to win the Heisman. Granted, both need a lot of help. The Tigers have to win out and pray for a little ACC chaos that does not involve anything happening to their roster.
Sanders’ improvements have been fun to watch this year, but there’s no way he’s going to spoil teammate Travis Hunter’s chances of winning the Heisman as long as both remain on the field.
6. Indiana QB Kurtis Rourke (+2500)
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Odds Last Week (Opening Odds)
- Rourke: +10000 (Off The Board)
The biggest mover up the board this week is the Hoosiers’ quarterback, who went from +5000 in Week 9 to +10000 in Week 10 to his best odds of the season in Week 11.
Undefeated Indiana has been an absolute force in the Big Ten while Rourke continues to put up stellar numbers. He’s passed for 2,204 yards, 19 touchdowns and three interceptions despite battling a thumb injury that required him to miss a week for surgery. Rourke’s 91.6 QBR is second in the FBS.
He absolutely deserves to be on this list if not ranked even higher.
5. Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart (+2000)
Jeff Blake-Imagn Images
Odds Last Week (Opening Odds)
This is either Dart’s last week on the Heisman list or the start of a wild spoiler campaign. The senior’s 3,210 passing yards and 21 touchdowns on three interceptions look spectacular on paper, but Ole Miss doesn’t have the signature wins to back them up yet. Saturday’s playoff elimination game against No. 3 Georgia may change that.
In the meantime, Dart is right back where he started the season with 20-1 odds.
4. Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty (+500)
Marco Garcia-Imagn Images
Odds Last Week (Opening Odds)
- Jeanty: +450 (Off The Board)
The shine may be wearing off for oddsmakers, but Jeanty is as consistent as they come and continues to put up numbers. He’s rushed for at least 120 yards in every game this season including last week’s 149-yard, two touchdown performance at San Diego State.
Jeanty leads the country in rushing yards (1,525) by a cool 246 and it doesn’t feel like anyone is going to catch him. His FBS-leading 20 touchdowns, however, have a bit of company.
3. Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel (+300)
Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel runs for a touchdown during his team’s game against Oregon State, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024 at Reser Stadium in Corvallis.
Odds Last Week (Opening Odds)
Last week’s Heisman favorite is this week’s second runner-up. That’s a rather tough hang for someone who just led Oregon into the Big House and came away with a 38-17 victory with 294 yards passing a two total touchdowns.
Then again, Gabriel might not have many dips left to buy considering the Ducks don’t have any ranked teams left on their schedule.
2. Miami (Fla.) QB Cam Ward (+200)
Sam Navarro-Imagn
Odds Last Week (Opening Odds)
Miami’s superstar QB just barely trails Dart in the race for the most passing yards with 3,146, but his 29 touchdowns still lead the nation. As does his 91.7 QBR. With the Hurricanes undefeated and (finally) starting to blow teams out again, it seems like Ward can book his ticket to New York sooner than later.
Those holiday season flights do get expensive, after all.
1. Colorado WR/DB Travis Hunter (+175)
Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
Odds Last Week (Opening Odds)
Speaking of trips to New York, if we find out Hunter purchased his flight before the season it wouldn’t even register in the top five most impressive things he’s done this year.
Yet again the Colorado two-way star has everyone’s full attention after going off for nine catches, 153 yards and two touchdowns against Cincinnati two weeks ago. Coming off the bye against Texas Tech, he’s got everyone tuning in to see what he’ll do next. That’s about as sure a hallmark of a Heisman favorite as you’ll find.
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