Yahoo Sports will highlight the leading candidates for the Heisman Trophy each week for the remainder of the college football season. All odds are provided through BetMGM.
Is the Heisman Trophy race starting to materialize?
BetMGM’s Heisman odds fluctuate from week to week, but based on past performance and future opportunities, as we enter the final two weeks of the college football regular season, there are four players who appear to have stood out for the season.
Oregon State quarterback Bo Nix is currently the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy.As of Tuesday afternoon, Nix was ranked -110, tied with Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (+375), LSU quarterback Jaden Daniels (+400) and Ohio State University From an odds perspective, wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (+550) isn’t far behind.
Since then, other quarterbacks’ odds have dropped significantly, such as Georgia’s Carson Baker, Alabama’s Jalen Milroy, Florida’s Jordan Travis and Michigan’s JJ McCarthy, Their odds range from +3500 to +10000.
These four play for teams that are still in the national championship conversation, so they shouldn’t be completely excluded from the Heisman discussion. But do they have the eye-popping numbers and opportunity on the national stage to warrant consideration from Trophy voters in the Heisman ranks?
Baker and Milroe will be able to prove a point at the end of the regular season before facing off against each other in the SEC title game, but do they have the full-season record of other quarterbacks? Travis is the front-runner for an undefeated Florida State offense, but his overall statistics are on par with some of the other Heisman contenders.
Then there’s the case of McCarthy, who dropped from +600 to +10,000 after Michigan’s win over Penn State. It was a huge win for Michigan, but a blow to McCarthy’s Heisman hopes, as the Wolverines relied heavily on the run to get out of Beaver Stadium for the win. The Penn State game was the Wolverines’ first big test in a season filled with blowouts. With strong performances against Penn State and Ohio State and in the Big Ten championship game, McCarthy has a good reason to be one of the Heisman finalists in New York City. Instead, McCarthy attempted just eight passes as the coaches were content to bite the bullet and use the defense to win.
Ballots will go out to voters across the country on November 27th (two days after the regular season ends) (full disclosure: I have a Heisman ballot), and the deadline to vote is Monday, December 4th, which is conference championship weekend after.
This game seems to be heading in an exciting direction.
Oregon State QB Bo Nix (-110)
When he played at Auburn, it was a bit of a stretch to consider Bo Nix a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate. But now, in his second season at Oregon State, Nix has put together an incredible season and has a College Football Playoff berth within reach.
Nix passed for 412 yards and four touchdowns in Oregon’s win over USC on Saturday night and has 3,135 yards and 29 touchdowns against just two interceptions this season. His pass completion rate is 77.7%, which leads the nation.
Going forward, Oregon should take care of things before this weekend’s regular-season finale at home against OSU at Arizona State. If the Ducks win both games, they’ll improve to 11-1 and advance to the Pac-12 Championship Game for a likely rematch with Washington — the team that handed Oregon State its lone loss.
If Nix can perform on that stage and push his team into the CFP, he’ll have a huge Heisman case.
Washington quarterback Michael Penix (+375)
Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. has been one of the Heisman front-runners for much of the season as he put up monster numbers for the undefeated Huskies. After a big win over Oregon State on October 14, the Huskies’ performance was a little inconsistent, but the Huskies have succeeded in continuing to draw close shocks around the perimeter.
In Saturday’s 35-28 victory over No. 18 Utah, Penix passed for 332 yards and two touchdowns and added a touchdown on the ground. Penix topped the 300-yard mark in eight of UW’s 10 games, including three 400-yard games. Overweight.
This season, Penix has passed for 3,533 yards, 28 touchdowns and 7 interceptions, with a pass completion rate of 68%. Penix leads the nation in passing yards and yards per game, ranks fourth in passing touchdowns and sixth in yards per attempt (9.7). ).
Penix and the Huskies will face a big challenge this weekend as they travel to Corvallis to take on No. 11 Oregon State. From there, Washington will face rival Washington State in the Apple Cup. Washington wins by winning any game.
If Washington State and Oregon State rematch in the conference championship game, a CFP berth could be on the line. This game could also be Penix (or the Knicks) winning the Heisman Trophy.
LSU QB Jayden Daniels (+400)
LSU’s Jayden Daniels is a bit of an outlier among this year’s Heisman candidates in that his team didn’t advance to the national championship game. LSU is 7-3 on the year, losing to No. 4 Florida State, No. 13 Ole Miss and No. 8 Alabama.
But that shouldn’t take away from the damage Daniels suffered during the season. In fact, if it weren’t for Daniels regularly bailing out an underperforming defense, LSU might have suffered more.
Take Saturday’s 52-35 win over Florida. While Florida’s offense was mediocre and the defense gave up nearly 500 yards, Daniels had one of the best games by a quarterback in FBS history. Daniels passed for 372 yards and three touchdowns. 234 yards and two scores.
In the process, Daniels became the first player in FBS history to pass for over 350 yards and rush for over 200 yards in the same game. This season, Daniels has passed for 3,164 yards and 30 touchdowns, with a completion rate of 71.4%. Most importantly, as a runner, he has 918 yards and 8 touchdowns.
Daniels leads the nation in touchdown passes and yards per attempt (11.6), ranks third in passing yards and seventh in completion percentage. He has 112 more rushing yards than any quarterback in the country.
Simply put, Daniels is having an incredible season.
Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (+550)
The Heisman Trophy is usually awarded to quarterbacks and occasionally to running backs, but DeVonta Smith It was proven a few years ago that wide receivers can blend in. This year, Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. is trying to become the fifth wide receiver to win the Heisman Trophy.
Ohio State has had a mediocre quarterback season this season and has dealt with injuries to several other skill position players, so Harrison has a heavy load to carry. This season, Harrison has caught 59 passes for 1,063 yards and 12 touchdowns. His 11-catch, 162-yard performance against Penn State on Oct. 21 remains the top mark, but Harrison had one of his better performances in a weekend win over Michigan State. Harrison had seven catches for 149 yards and two touchdowns and a 19-yard rushing touchdown to help the Buckeyes improve to 10-0.
Ohio State hosts Minnesota this weekend, but Harrison will have a chance to have his Heisman moment next weekend against rival Michigan in Ann Arbor. Ohio State has lost to Michigan each of the past two seasons, but Harrison can lead the Buckeyes to a win in a game that has a huge impact.
Others on the radar
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Georgia quarterback Carson Baker: +3500
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Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe: +5000
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Florida State quarterback Jordan Travis: +6000
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Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy: +10,000
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USC quarterback Caleb Williams: +15,000
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North Carolina quarterback Derek Meyer: +15,000
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Michigan RB Blake Colum: +15,000
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Oklahoma State quarterback Dillon Gabriel: +15,000