With just over one month remaining in the college football regular season, oddsmakers can’t seem to pick a favorite to win the Heisman Trophy.
Ohio State’s Julian Sayin, Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, and Alabama’s Ty Simpson are all knotted atop BetMGM’s Heisman odds.
Key Takeaways
- The favorite or co-favorite varies by sportsbook.
- Carson Beck, a +350 co-favorite last week, is down to +2,500.
- Oregon’s Dante Moore isn’t among the top favorites but is one of the most popular public picks.
Other online sportsbooks are split on how they view the race for the sport’s highest individual award. FanDuel has Simpson in the lead (+320), followed by Mendoza (+340) and Sayin (+400), while bet365 has Mendoza (+275) as the leader, followed by Simpson (+300) and Sayin (+375).
BetMGM says public bettors are hoping Simpson will end up as the eventual recipient. He’s responsible for a leading 17.1% of the handle in the Heisman Trophy betting market despite claiming just 2.9% of tickets (12th).
Sayin has 3.7% of wagers (10th) and 2.5% of the money (12th), while Mendoza has 3.6% of bets (11th) and 3% of the dollars wagered (11th).
All three players are exceeding expectations, as Sayin was only +2,000 to win the award when odds were first published, while Mendoza and Simpson were both +5,500.
Despite starting further behind, Mendoza and Simpson were +550 and +350, respectively, after last week. Sayin was only +1,500, meaning he made the biggest jump over the weekend.
Still in with a chance
The most popular picks to win the Heisman are Texas quarterback Arch Manning and Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith Jr., both of whom claimed 7.9% of all tickets counted.
Aside from Simpson, the only other candidate with a higher split of the handle than Manning (7.7%) is Oregon’s Dante Moore. At +1,500 odds, he has 4.9% of tickets (seventh) but is second in total money wagered (13.7%).
Vanderbilt signal-caller Diego Pavia is hanging around fourth or fifth in odds at top sportsbooks. He’s as short as +800 at bet365, FanDuel, and DraftKings and as long as +1,400 at ESPN BET. BetMGM, who has him at +1,300 after opening at +12,500, reported he has 2.3% of tickets and 2.4% of the handle.
Only two other players have Heisman odds shorter than +2,000: Texas A&M’s Marcel Reed and Georgia’s Gunner Stockton.
FanDuel has Reed down at +700, putting him fourth in the race, while ESPN BET has him at +1,100.
BetMGM has Stockton as low as +1,000, tying him for fourth. ESPN BET placed him in a tie for sixth at +1,800.
Beck falls out of race
The biggest loser of the weekend was undoubtedly Miami’s Carson Beck, who fell from +350 to +2,500 at BetMGM after he failed to throw a touchdown and had four interceptions in a loss to Louisville.
Beck was tied for the lead just last week and has 5% of tickets (sixth) and 5.1% of the money (seventh) backing him.
