Miami Quarterback Cam Ward is Rightful Heisman Trophy Favorite

Reed Wallach | 2 Hours Ago

Sep 21, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward (1) throws a pass against the South Florida Bulls in the third quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Is the ‘U’ back? 

Apparently so. The Miami Hurricanes have blitzed its non-conference schedule en route to a 4-0 record heading into its ACC opener at home against a sputtering Virginia Tech team that is 2-2 to start the season. Arguably the most impactful transfer quarterback, Cam Ward, has hit the ground running in Miami’s offensive scheme, skyrocketing to the top of the Heisman Trophy odds. 

While I’m not necessarily advocating for a bet on the former Washington State quarterback at a cheap price of +350, I do believe that he is the rightful favorite to win college football’s most prestigious honor at this point due to his statistical resume and his path forward. 

Ward and the Hurricanes are the betting favorite to win the ACC and project to be favorites in possibly every single game moving forward. Of course, being the betting favorite and winning every game are not the same thing, there is still plenty of work to do on the field, but the path is straightforward for Ward to have an ironclad case come to the end of the season when the Heisman Trophy winner is announced. 

Before dissecting the betting favorite’s case, here are the updated odds following Week 4. 

2024 Heisman Trophy Odds

• Cam Ward, Miami (Florida): +350
• Jaxon Dart, Ole Miss: +500
• Jalen Milroe, Alabama: +750
• Nico Iamaleava, Tennessee: +1000
• Dillon Gabriel, Oregon: +1200
• Quinn Ewers, Texas: +1400
• Carson Beck, Georgia: +1500
• Travis Hunter, Colorado: +1700
• Will Howard, Ohio State: +2200
• Miller Moss, USC: +2200
• Drew Allar, Penn State: +2500

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

Cam Ward is the Rightful Heisman Trophy Favorite

When projecting out the rest of the season, it’s tough to look past the possibility of Ward being the most likely winner of the award. 

The Hurricanes will be at worst a small underdog at Louisville off a BYE week on October 19th and will be favored in every other game the rest of the season with its toughest games coming at Georgia Tech and Syracuse, who each have been inconsistent this season. 

The name brand of Miami, a team desperate to return to the top of the sport, will help Ward’s case, who will be viewed as the player who brought the team back to national relevance. But so will his play. 

Ward is currently second in passing yards and tops in passing touchdowns while completing 72% of his passes for the undefeated ‘Canes. With limited elite defenses on the schedule, he should be able to continue to amass stats in bunches moving forward. 

Now, one slip up can be costly. 

Miami has yet to play a close game to date, and the opening weekend win against Florida isn’t aging so well as the Gators’ defense continues to be as bad as it was last season. 

Further, with the talent in the entire country condensing around the SEC and Big Ten, can a prolific quarterback on one of the top teams from that conference outshine an ACC quarterback given that the conference is far worse than expected as a whole? 

Jaxson Dart has blitzed an easy non-conference schedule, leading the nation in passing yards, but the schedule will pick up in league play. The same can be said for other top contenders like Jalen Milroe and Nico Iamaleava, who won’t have the statistical resume, but what if Alabama or Tennessee compile an impressive season, will the QBs be rewarded? 

Conference play is about to pick up, but it's hard to look past the path for Ward to win the Heisman this season and see him as the rightful favorite. But will Miami be able to hold up its end of the bargain? 

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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