Each week, I’ll be diving into the Heisman Trophy odds to try and help you find some in-season opportunities to get involved in this market. I’ll do that by highlighting some of the players that are trending up or down, and I’ll also look at some big games ahead on the schedule. Last week, Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty continued to help his case with a big performance against Hawaii. However, the big story was Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel, the pre-season Heisman Trophy betting favorite, balling out in a win over Ohio State. Jeanty, Gabriel and Miami quarterback Cam Ward now sit atop the oddsboard, but there’s a lot of football left. With all of that in mind, keep reading for my Week 8 Heisman Trophy betting market update.
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(All odds from DraftKings Sportsbook)
Heisman Trophy Odds
These are the Heisman Trophy odds going into Week 8:
- Ashton Jeanty, Boise State (+160)
- Dillon Gabriel, Oregon (+380)
- Cam Ward, Miami (+550)
- Travis Hunter, Colorado (+900)
- Jalen Milroe, Alabama (10-1)
- Cade Klubnik, Clemson (12-1)
- Carson Beck, Georgia (15-1)
- Quinn Ewers, Texas (25-1)
- Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss (28-1)
- Garrett Nussmeier, LSU (30-1)
For the entire list of Heisman Trophy odds, go to DraftKings Sportsbook!
Trending Up: Everybody knew Jeanty would run wild against Hawaii last week, so nobody was surprised to see him rush for 217 yards and a touchdown. Jeanty also added three receptions for 20 yards and a score. Jeanty is now up to 1,247 yards with 17 touchdowns on the season, and his Heisman candidacy is getting more real by the week. It’s not often that a running back is even an option this late in the season, but Jeanty is going to have as good of a case as anyone if Boise State wins out. So, keep an eye on the Broncos in two weeks, as they’ll be on the road against a good UNLV team.
Gabriel was the biggest riser of the week. I have been stressing all season that Gabriel would have a great shot at winning as long as Oregon beat Ohio State. Well, the Ducks were able to escape with a victory there, and Gabriel is now higher than any quarterback on the oddsboard. Not only did Oregon win the game, but Gabriel turned in his best performance of the season. The Oklahoma transfer threw for 341 yards with two touchdowns and no picks, and he also had a 27-yard rushing touchdown. That run actually felt like the first true Heisman moment for anybody this season. Gabriel now has the most impressive resume of any quarterback, and the Ducks have a pretty easy schedule the rest of the way. Just factoring in the rankings, the toughest remaining games on the schedule are a home meeting with Illinois and a road game against Michigan. An undefeated season would probably be enough for Gabriel to win this thing.
Other notable jumps on the oddsboard came from Klubnik and Beck. I have really been banging the Klubnik drum lately, as nobody has played better football over the last five games. Klubnik just threw for 309 yards and three scores in a blowout win over Wake Forest, and he’s now at 17 touchdowns and only one pick in his last five games. He has also rushed for four touchdowns in that span. With Clemson having one of the easiest remaining schedules of any of college football’s top teams, it’s highly likely that Klubnik will be invited to New York. The question is whether or not he can do enough to jump some of the other contenders without a massive game remaining on the schedule. His best chance would come against a Pittsburgh team that is currently undefeated. Meanwhile, Beck has thrown for 699 yards and five touchdowns since losing to Alabama, and his second-half performance in that loss was impressive. So, with Georgia still likely to make the College Football Playoff, Beck isn’t out of this yet. If he goes into Austin and leads Georgia to a win over Texas, he could be at the top of the second tier. And the Bulldogs have several other marquee games.
Trending Down: Hunter doesn’t deserve to drop. He has just been so good on both sides of the ball this year. But he got hurt in Colorado’s loss to Kansas State, and I’m just not optimistic about the Buffaloes being good enough for him to be a factor in this race. Colorado has two losses this season, and the team has some difficult games remaining. However, Hunter should eventually be a top-five pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, so he should be able to deal with Heisman disappointment.
I’m surprised Dart is even 28-1 at this point. Ole Miss has lost two of its last three games, and Dart has thrown for a total of two touchdowns over the last three weeks. He’s not putting up Heisman-worthy numbers, and the Rebels aren’t living up to expectations. Even if Ole Miss wins out and make the College Football Playoff, it’s hard to see him working his way into Heisman contention.
While Tennessee was able to hold off Florida, we have probably heard the last of Nico Iamaleava this season. He was a no-show against Arkansas two weeks ago, throwing for 158 yards with no touchdowns after a bye week. He also failed to throw for a score against the Gators, and he threw a pick in that game. Iamaleava is definitely a top-shelf talent, but it hasn’t translated to on-field production just yet. He honestly looked far better last season than he does this season.
Week 8’s Biggest Games
Oregon at Purdue – 8:00 pm ET (Friday)
Oregon really should be able to beat Purdue, but this is a bit of a tough spot for the Ducks. After one of the biggest games of the year, Oregon needs to find a way to keep the energy up. A trip to West Lafayette on a short week could make that challenging. Maybe Gabriel will shred a weak Boilermakers secondary. But maybe an inspired Purdue, which we saw in the second half of last week’s overtime loss to Illinois, spoils the party.
Miami at Louisville – 12:00 pm ET
Miami is undefeated and Ward is Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded passer. Ward is also second in the nation in passing yards, and he has 20 touchdowns to just five interceptions. He has been exceptional for a very good Hurricanes team. However, Miami has run into trouble with each of its last two opponents, as the Hurricanes nearly lost to Virginia Tech and California. So, can Miami keep a zero in the loss column with Louisville on deck? The Cardinals are much better than their record suggests, as they’re 15th in the nation in EPA per play (0.112) and 39th in EPA per play allowed (-0.048). Louisville can really play on both sides of the ball, and the team is also very tough at home. This one could potentially get away from the Canes, so now probably isn’t the time to be putting money down on Ward.
Alabama at Tennessee – 3:30 pm ET
Milroe looked like he was running away with the Heisman Trophy after leading Alabama to a win over Georgia. However, the Crimson Tide followed that victory up with a loss to Vanderbilt. The team then struggled to beat South Carolina last week despite being favored by three touchdowns. Milroe’s statistical profile is still strong when looking at the whole season, but he needs to turn things on fast. If Alabama doesn’t beat Tennessee, he’ll be out of this race — and the Tide will be on the bubble when it comes to the College Football Playoff. And the Volunteers are second in the nation in EPA per play allowed (-0.202), so this is not an easy matchup. Oh, and Alabama gets Missouri, LSU and Oklahoma in three of its four games after this. This upcoming stretch will make or break Milroe.
Georgia at Texas – 7:30 pm ET
This is a game that everybody should be excited about. Texas is undefeated on the season and looks like the best team in the country, but that will be put to the test against Kirby Smart’s squad. While Georgia lost to Alabama a couple of weeks ago, this still looks like one of the strongest groups in college football. Texas is currently Top 5 in both EPA per play (0.178) and EPA per play allowed (-0.158), while Georgia is Top 15 in both (Offense: 0.137 / Defense: -0.112). This is Texas’ official welcome to the SEC, and it’ll be interesting to see how the team looks.
As far as the Heisman goes, Beck has a chance to shoot up the board with big stats and a win here. Voters would have no problem shaking off a road loss against Alabama when looking at his resume. And Ewers probably isn’t out of the race yet. The Texas quarterback has missed multiple games, and that’s ultimately why he’s not higher on the board. But a huge performance against Georgia could make up for some of that time off the field.
Players To Watch
Eli Holstein (150-1): I don’t think Holstein is worth a play, but he is definitely worth a mention. Gill Alexander is holding a Holstein ticket and has been hyping him up all year. Now it’s time for others to take notice. Holstein just had his worst game of the year, but he has still thrown for 1,697 yards with 15 touchdowns and only five picks this year. He has also rushed for 266 yards and three scores. Holstein is putting up good numbers for a Pittsburgh team that is currently 6-0 and has a chance of winning the ACC. And the next few weeks will be big for him. Pitt has games against Syracuse, SMU, Virginia, Clemson and Louisville coming up. All of those matchups present challenges. But if the Panthers are somehow sitting there with an undefeated record when they take on Clemson, things will get very interesting.
