2024 Heisman Trophy Odds: Why Travis Hunter Remains the Best Bet

Reed Wallach | Nov 11, 2024

Oct 26, 2024; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) reacts after touchdown reception in the first quarter against the Cincinnati Bearcats at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

We have hit the home stretch of the college football season, and the Heisman Trophy picture continues to take form. 

Following a stunning loss on the road to Georgia Tech, Miami quarterback Cam Ward plummeted down the Heisman Trophy odds board which paved the way for Colorado’s two-way star Travis Hunter to take over as the clear favorite. 

Hunter, who caught nine passes for 99 yards and a touchdown while also playing cornerback and faced only one target in a Week 11 win against Texas Tech, is priced as the clear choice to win the Heisman as we head into Week 12, ahead of Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel and Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty. 

The Buffaloes, who are now favored to win the Big 12 and go to the College Football Playoff, continue to emerge as one of the best stories in college football. Hunter, who has played more than 200 snaps than any other player in the country as a two-way star, is out-pacing the competition at this rate. 

Travis Hunter is up to 1044 snaps from scrimmage.

No one else in the FBS is over 800

— Steve Palazzolo (@StevePalazzolo_) November 10, 2024

Here are the updated odds for the Heisman Trophy after another massive shift in the market. 

2024 Heisman Trophy Odds

• Travis Hunter, Colorado: +125
• Dillon Gabriel, Oregon: +325
• Ashton Jeanty, Boise State: +350
• Cam Ward, Miami (Florida): +800
• Kurtis Rourke, Indiana: +1400
• Jalen Milroe, Alabama: +1800
• Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss: +2000

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

Travis Hunter is Best Bet for Heisman Trophy

At plus money, Hunter is the best bet to win the Heisman Trophy. 

As discussed a few weeks ago, the Buffaloes have continued to gain ground in the Big 12 race and now control their own destiny in a watered-down league this season and the starpower of Hunter is too big to ignore. 

Colorado is a national story with head coach Deion Sanders and Hunter is doing something that has been rarely seen in the sport. The last player to be as dominant on both sides of the ball was Michigan’s Charles Woodson, who won the sport’s most prestigious award in 1997. 

Hunter’s numbers justify the hype. He is sixth nationally in receptions and receiving touchdowns while also checking in 11th receiving yards. He plays nearly every snap on defense, as well as a lockdown cornerback. 

Travis Hunter has graded inside the top five at two positions🤯 pic.twitter.com/toKBjN69i5

— PFF College (@PFF_College) November 8, 2024

With a team that is contending for the postseason, Hunter is proving that he isn’t just putting up empty stats either, he is impacting a winning football team in a big way. 

With a home game (that will be nationally televised on FOX with Big Noon Kickoff in attendance, which will surely be hyping him up) against a sputtering Utah, Colorado is a near double-digit favorite. The Buffaloes will likely pick up another win, and Hunter will move to an odds-on favorite. 

So, who can catch Hunter? 

The candidates are failing to keep up with the two-way star as Ward, the nation’s leading passer, taking a loss last week against Georgia Tech. 

The Hurricanes' QB isn’t completely out of it, but he loses the ability to control the narrative as Miami is no longer undefeated but still can go to the College Football Playoff behind his fine play. With a loss on his resume, Ward must continue to put up gaudy stats that far outpaces the competition. 

Dillon Gabriel is the second choice to win the award, but he has a tricky case.

He has the most impressive win of the season of any candidate, knocking off Ohio State in thrilling fashion, but his numbers fail to stand up next to the likes of Ward. Gabriel is a contender due to being an elite quarterback on the best team, but his path is far from clear when compared to Hunter and Ashton Jeanty. 

To really have a chance, Gabriel must go undefeated, and both of the skill position players need to drop in production. 

That brings us to Jeanty, who is off a 204-yard performance in Boise State’s latest win over a Mountain West club, 28-21. Jeanty remains a statistical monster, but as noted weeks ago -- he has 1,734 yards and 23 touchdowns in just nine games -- must keep up a torrid pace to break Barry Sanders’ single-season rushing record. 

Jeanty must average more than 223 yards in the remaining four games (I’m including the Mountain West Championship Game for this exercise) to tie Sanders’ rushing yard record.

In my opinion, if Jeanty falls short of that, I feel that Hunter’s season becomes that much more undeniable to the Heisman Trophy voters.

Of course, Jeanty can do that, but he has only cleared that mark in two games this season. He must now do that on average for four games while winning in each of them – which is expected, the Broncos will be favored by likely double digits in every game the rest of the season. 

So, with all that being said, I see this race closing in on Hunter.

The starpower on a national brand like Colorado is too big to ignore, especially with the team’s schedule moving forward. As noted above, the team is a big favorite at home against Utah and will be an even bigger favorite against Oklahoma State in the season finale. The team must survive a tricky semi-road game to Kansas who is playing good football at the moment. But even then, the Buffs are not tied to team success like the other candidates given the unique nature of Hunter's case (but it doesn't hurt). In terms of margin for error, Hunter is way out in front of the pack, which is why I see plenty of avenues for him to get this award home that warrants a bet at this stage in the season.

Yes, the price is short, but it’s going to continue to get shorter as we project out the rest of the season. 

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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