The Heisman Trophy betting market can be all over the place based on week-to-week results in college football.
That’s pretty normal, but throwing a couple of non-quarterbacks who are putting up monster numbers into a field without a clear-cut favorite through five weeks of action adds a different element to the mix.
Colorado receiver/defensive back Travis Hunter and Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty are giving bettors something to think about right now.
Hunter’s popularity has him taking more bets than the new Heisman Trophy betting odds favorite, Alabama’s Jalen Milroe. Jeanty is landing on many radars because of stunning statistics.
“The Heisman has mostly been a quarterback award, but what Hunter and Jeanty have accomplished so far is absolutely remarkable,” said Max Meyer, senior editor at Fanatics Sportsbook. “I think the difference is that Hunter is doing something that we’ve never seen before by playing elite football at two different positions. Jeanty probably would need to break Barry Sanders’ seemingly unbreakable single-season rushing yards record to have a strong chance.”
Star is born
Hunter is one of the most unique Heisman betting options in recent years. Playing on both sides of the ball, he rarely takes plays off, making him a potential health risk as the season goes along.
However, the Buffaloes’ star makes plays everywhere. Hunter is fifth nationally with 561 receiving yards and tied for fourth with six touchdowns. On defense, Hunter has recorded two interceptions and 16 total tackles, including two for a loss.
He’s steadily moved up the Heisman odds board throughout the season. Hunter was listed at +3,500 to win the Heisman at BetMGM heading into Week 1 and leaped to +1,500 after the first game, becoming the largest liability at the online sportsbook.
At Fanatics Sportsbook, 15.7% of the tickets and 23.4% of the handle, most among Heisman wagers, are on Hunter, who’s gone from +6,000 in the preseason to +360 after last week’s win over UCF. After he caught nine passes for 89 yards and a touchdown, and added an interception in that game, Hunter has now picked up 48.9% of the tickets and 48.7% of the handle.
He’s also the ticket (15%) and handle (16%) leader at DraftKings with odds of +700. ESPN BET reported that Hunter’s taken 45% of the wagers and 51% of the money.
At Caesars, Hunter went from +2,800 odds on Sept. 15 to +350 at the end of Week 5.
“Despite a loss in Week 2 to Nebraska, Travis Hunter shows week in and week out why he is a phenomenal football player on both sides of the ball,” said Joey Feazel, Caesars' head of football. “Playing 100 snaps a game is impressive and dangerous at the same time. If Colorado proves to be a contender in the Big 12, then Travis Hunter will certainly be present in New York for the Heisman Trophy Ceremony.”
Chasing history
Jeanty is the most surprising name among Heisman market leaders and one of the most important to watch heading into Week 6.
The Broncos rusher leads the country with 845 yards on the ground in four games and averages a whopping 10.3 yards per carry with 13 touchdowns already. He’s on pace for 2,535 rushing yards in 12 games, not far behind the all-time single-season record of 2,628 yards that Sanders set in 1988 at Oklahoma State.
Jeanty opened the season with +10,000 odds to win the Heisman at bet365. The Group of Five running back has since dropped to +800.
One time listed at +2,800 at Caesars in mid-September, his odds have moved to +900. Jeanty is getting 8% of the tickets at Fanatics, third-most behind Hunter and Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava.
“One of the best running backs in college football that we have seen in quite a while,” Feazel said. “Despite playing for Boise State which isn’t regularly featured on national television, Jeanty has caught the eye of some bettors with his monstrous performance every week. If Jeanty can continue to dominate the running game and put up 200-plus yards each week, it will be hard to deny him the Heisman Trophy.”
The quarterbacks
As intriguing as a pair of star athletes are to bettors, quarterbacks are still held in high regard in the market. Milroe made a big move last week as he jumped Miami’s Cam Ward to become the new favorite at +165 at Caesars after the Crimson Tide edged Georgia at home.
“Milroe has been near the top of the Heisman odds boards since the beginning of the season,” Feazel said. “Despite losing Nick Saban as a head coach, the Crimson Tide has not skipped a beat. With the big performance against Georgia on Saturday, Milroe has catapulted himself to the top of the odds board for Heisman at Caesars Sportsbook.”
At bet365, Milroe went from +800 before last week’s win to +250 after. At DraftKings, the Alabama signal-caller (+250) has taken 12% of the money, second most, and 8% of the tickets.
At Fanatics, he’s getting 15.7% of the handle, behind only Hunter, and is listed fourth in tickets at 7.6%.
Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart rounds out the top five at Fanatics in bets at 6.9% and is third in handle at 11.3%, a spot ahead of Iamaleava’s 9% of the money.
Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel, Texas’ Quinn Ewers, and Ward have all been listed as favorites at some point this season. None are currently in the top five in tickets or handle.
Gabriel started at +700, an example of how open the Heisman race was in the preseason, but he’s fallen to +1,400 over the last few weeks.
