Miami stars Darian Mensah and Malachi Toney catapulted up the Heisman oddsboard during the first full week of college football action.
Mensah (+550 at BetMGM) leads all candidates after opening below seven other players, while Toney is tied with fellow superstar wide receiver Jeremiah Smith Jr. (+1,500).
Key Takeaways
- CJ Carr is second in odds despite not having played a game.
- Josh Hoover was excellent in his Indiana debut, yet he’s significantly down since opening.
- Bryce Underwood may have saved his Heisman campaign with his last-gasp Hail Mary touchdown.
| Player | Opening | Current |
|---|---|---|
| Darian Mensah | +1,300 | +550 |
| CJ Carr | +750 | +800 |
| Arch Manning | +800 | +900 |
| Julian Sayin | +1,100 | +1,400 |
| Dante Moore | +1,000 | +1,500 |
| Jeremiah Smith Jr. | +1,400 | +1,500 |
| Malachi Toney | +4,000 | +1,500 |
| Trinidad Chambliss | +900 | +1,600 |
| Jayden Maiava | +1,100 | +2,000 |
| John Mateer | +2,500 | +2,000 |
Week 1 brought a slew of standout performances, Heisman pose celebrations in the end zone, and dominant results for the best teams in the country.
All of the weekend’s action led to oddsmakers making substantial changes to their list of candidates now that the sport is officially back. Mensah headlined all players after he completed 90% of his passes for 401 yards and five touchdowns in Miami’s blowout win against Stanford.
As dominant as the Duke transfer QB was, Toney was arguably even better. He logged 12 receptions, a Miami single-game record 234 receiving yards, and three touchdowns without playing in the fourth quarter.
Welcome to Malifornia 🙌
— Miami Hurricanes Football (@CanesFootball) September 5, 2026
📺: ESPN pic.twitter.com/w3zz6ak8oU
Updated BetMGM Heisman odds now have Mensah as the overall leader at +550, much shorter than his opening value of +1,300. Toney surged from +4,000 to +1,500, tied for fifth.
Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr (+800) is second as of Sunday morning and ahead of his season debut against Wisconsin tonight. Texas QB Arch Manning (+900) is third after he threw for 305 yards, four touchdowns, and an interception in a blowout win against Texas State.
A tight cluster of players is battling for position at the top of the chase pack.
Ohio State’s Julian Sayin, who had 320 yards and three touchdowns in a win against Ball State, is fourth at +1,400. Dante Moore, whose Oregon Ducks narrowly escaped an upset loss against Boise State, follows at +1,500. Smith Jr., Ohio State's star wideout, caught eight passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns and is locked with Toney at +1,500. Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, yet to debut, brings up the rear at +1,600.
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Heisman odds: The chase pack
While multiple players have benefitted from strong starts to their seasons, USC’s Jayden Maiava is searching for answers.
USC is one of the few teams that has already played two games. Maiava was excellent in both and has season marks of an 88.9% completion rate, 635 yards, five touchdowns, and no interceptions, yet his Heisman odds lengthened from +1,100 at opening to their current +2,000 value.
Sam Leavitt led a declaratory performance in LSU’s 51-10 season-opening win against Clemson. His numbers weren’t great, however, and he fell from +1,400 to +2,000.
Josh Hoover got off to a great start with life at Indiana, the former home of reigning Heisman winner and CFP champion Fernando Mendoza. The TCU transfer logged 231 yards and four touchdowns in only 16 passing attempts against North Texas, yet he’s also up from +1,200 to +2,200.
The only way to rationalize these players finding themselves in worse positions on the oddsboard than they were during the offseason is that the excellence of the top candidates meant that other contenders had to lose position. It is still only Week 1, and there are more than three months until the Heisman will be awarded.
The Michigan controversy
Michigan and Bryce Underwood were at the center of controversy on Saturday after a one-of-one finish to their game against Western Michigan.
The Wolverines were on the brink of being upset as a -27.5 favorite when Underwood heaved a Hail Mary to the end zone. The ball appeared to go out of the back of the end zone as time expired, giving Western Michigan one of its most profound wins in program history.
An official review determined that there was still one second on the clock, despite most fans and viewers believing that time had run out. Michigan was granted a final play, which Underwood and receiver JJ Buchanan turned into an unforgettable 47-yard jump ball touchdown that immediately became the play of the weekend.
The Big 10 released a statement after the game defending the decision to put one second back on the clock.
NEW: The Big Ten has released a statement on the controversial Michigan walk-off Hail Mary against Western Michigan:
— On3 (@On3) September 6, 2026
“Following video review, it was determined Western Michigan’s #18 started his jump from an established out-of-bounds position (left foot) and made contact with… https://t.co/6XFkra9WFH pic.twitter.com/QkTPilwV9r
Through a stroke of luck, Underwood’s end-zone heave kept his Heisman campaign alive. He still finds himself at +4,000 after opening at +3,500.
