Let’s be frank. The early-season Heisman hopefuls haven’t looked that hopeful to this point. Guys like Arch Manning and Garrett Nussmeier need to start wowing us more.
Luckily, there are some marquee matchups and some stat-padding opportunities in Week 3 for those at the top of the Heisman Trophy odds board to help those betting favorites improve their standing in the eyes of the voters.
Here’s what to watch when it comes to Heisman Trophy betting heading into Week 3.
Latest Heisman Trophy Odds
Here are the current Heisman Trophy favorites heading into today’s action:
| Player | Position |  |
|---|---|---|
 John Mateer |
QB | +900 |
 Carson Beck |
QB | +1000 |
 Dante Moore |
QB | +1000 |
 Garrett Nussmeier |
QB | +1100 |
 Arch Manning |
QB | +1500 |
 Gunnar Stockton |
QB | +1600 |
 Drew Allar |
QB | +1800 |
 Devon Dampier |
WR | +1800 |
 Jayden Maiava |
QB | +2000 |
 Jeremiah Smith |
QB | +2000 |
Heisman Trophy odds: Matchups to watch
USF vs. Miami
Carson Beck has looked really good. Much more like the guy he was in 2023 than he was last season. And a good Carson Beck means that Miami is a real threat in the ACC. We saw that in the season-opening win against Notre Dame.
Beck has thrown for 472 yards with four touchdowns, and maybe most importantly, no interceptions while completing an impressive 77.8% percent of his passes in the Hurricanes first two wins of the season.
Now the question is: can Mario Cristobal stay out of Beck’s way? He’ll get a good test today from a USF Bulls team that is flying high in this one.
The Bulls have two big upsets to start the season. Their season-opener where they crushed potential playoff team Boise State. And followed that up by going into the Swamp and taking out rival Florida.
Now, if Beck can take the Bulls by the horns and have a good game while leading Miami to a win, he could become the frontrunner for the Heisman.
Florida vs. LSU
Garrett Nussmeier has the LSU Tigers at 2-0, which includes an impressive road win over Clemson to start the season. But a 23-7 win over Louisiana Tech was a little underwhelming. It could be classified as a letdown after a big win, but we’re still waiting for a signature "Nuss" performance this season.
Despite being near the top of the odds board to win the Heisman, Nuss has thrown for just 469 yards with two touchdowns and one interception over the Tigers’ first two games of the season.
Well, if there was ever a time to improve your standing, it’s this week when he and the Bayou Bengals welcome the Florida Gators to town for a nighttime matchup in Death Valley.
The Gators come in licking their wounds following their humiliating loss to USF last week. A loss that was full of mistakes and undisciplined play. Meaning Florida doesn’t have much time to clean that up.
A big performance from Nuss in primetime against a marquee opponent like Florida, and he could separate himself from the pack.
Vanderbilt vs. South Carolina
It’s the SEC matchup that no one is talking about, but definitely should be!
LaNorris Sellers and South Carolina open conference play against upstart Vanderbilt. Sellers was a preseason sleeper to win the Heisman, thanks to the combination of his big arm and his ability to be a dynamic playmaker when the pocket breaks down.
However, Sellers was a bit underwhelming in a win over Virginia Tech to start the season before a matchup against FCS South Carolina State last week.
Today, Sellers is going against another fun dual-threat QB in Diego Pavia, and if he wants to improve his Heisman stock, outperforming Pavia and getting the Gamecocks a win is a must.
Heisman darkhorse: Sawyer Robertson
There are worse bets out there than Baylor QB Sawyer Robertson to win the Heisman Trophy at +3500.
Robertson almost single-handedly powered a monumental comeback win over SMU in overtime last week. He went 34-for-50 with four touchdowns and no interceptions.
Robertson has thrown for at least 400 yards and three touchdowns with no picks in each of Baylor’s first two games. He’s up to 859 yards, seven tuddies, and no picks this season.
This week, the Bears take on FCS Samford, and Robertson might approach those numbers by halftime.
And with a Baylor defense that does not look very good at the moment, it looks like Robertson is going to have to keep chucking it all season if the Bears want to be competitive in the wild west that is the Big 12.
Sawyer Robertson’s current Heisman odds: +3500
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
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