Skip to content

Heisman Trophy betting: Midseason odds update

Icon Sportswire / Getty

I'd love to tell you we've got some spicy bets to talk about this week with the College Football Playoff odds. But even though Alabama's (+210) been tested twice and Georgia (+210) was on upset watch in the fourth quarter at Missouri last Saturday, there's still a trio of teams at the top, with Ohio State (+200) as the favorite and no other team to get excited about ... yet.

You might say the same for the Heisman Trophy, given CJ Stroud's emergence as the prohibitive favorite. The difference is college football's most outstanding player doesn't necessarily have to face the aforementioned teams head-to-head on the field to cash a championship wager like underdog teams have to. At least there are more players down the odds board that have a path to New York's Downtown Athletic Club, and most interestingly, there are players with shorter odds who don't.

Heisman Trophy winner odds

PLAYER ODDS
CJ Stroud +140
Caleb Williams +475
Bryce Young +750
Hendon Hooker +1200
Stetson Bennett +1800
Adrian Martinez +2000
Blake Corum +2000
Jahmyr Gibbs +2000
Drake Maye +3000
Jalon Daniels +3000
Dorian Thompson-Robinson +4000
DJ Uiagalelei +4000

Odds available on theScore Bet, players not listed above available at 40-1 or longer

Bryce Young going down on Saturday did two things. It reminded us that each player above is one injury away from falling out of favor compared to other contenders. It also showed us that the Crimson Tide could survive with defense and two world-class speedsters in the back-field - Jahmyr Gibbs and backup quarterback Jalen Milroe.

Gibbs and Corum are listed because of their quality, but a running back just won't win the Heisman in this era, barring historic statistical dominance. Martinez and Maye have already suffered losses, taking their team out of CFP contention, and Daniels is likely heading for one. Bennett's struggles the last two weeks have dried up any buzz around him as a contender.

We already have a bet on Dorian Thompson-Robinson, and after an electrifying performance on Friday night, his odds have shortened from 100-1 to 40-1 - we like that a lot. This is how a single unit spread across our preseason long shots might look:

PLAYER ODDS UNIT BET
Dillon Gabriel +3000 0.3
Hendon Hooker +6000 0.2
Malik Cunningham +6000 0.2
Will Rogers +6000 0.2
Dorian Thompson-Robinson +10000 0.1

Gabriel looked as good as we hoped, but Oklahoma's defense is atrocious, and he was injured in the program's second loss of the season on Saturday, meaning he can no longer win. I'm still holding out hope for Mississippi State signal-caller Will Rogers based on sheer statistical volume, and the Bulldogs could theoretically shock either Alabama or Georgia to get him some national attention.

We'd like to have the bet on Cunningham back, but it's a small price to pay for the value we found on Tennessee passer Hendon Hooker, whose odds have tightened from 60-1 to the fourth choice at 12-1.

Is there anyone worth adding after Week 5?

DJ Uiagalelei (+4000)

The 40-1 cutoff in the odds board above isn't arbitrary - it's designed to include the quarterback of a big-brand undefeated team who just won arguably its toughest game of the campaign and could easily stake a claim on a CFP berth. Attention-getting trips to Florida State and Notre Dame will seem more difficult than they actually are, as will a visit from Miami and an ACC title game.

Even if Uiagalelei doesn't have high-end passing stats that Stroud and Young will likely end the season with, 500+ rushing yards and 10+ rushing touchdowns augment his numbers - especially if he continues his 11:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio. More importantly, he doesn't have big names in his supporting cast compared to those guys, while Ohio State and Alabama have high-profile weapons all over the field.

Uiagalelei was the second favorite for the Heisman before the 2021 season. It took him a year to figure things out, so why isn't he getting the same credit this campaign? He's worth adding a half-unit bet to your Heisman portfolio.

Matt Russell is a betting writer for theScore. If there’s a bad beat to be had, Matt will find it. Find him on Twitter @mrussauthentic.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox