Updated Heisman Trophy odds: Big 12 player jumps into the lead
The 2024 Heisman Trophy race appears to be as wide open as any in recent memory.
Entering Week 10 of the college football season there is no clear-cut favorite. Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty had been the frontrunner for most of the season, but he had a subpar game (by his standards) in last week's 29-24 win over UNLV.
The current betting favorite (barely) is Colorado's dynamic two-way player, Travis Hunter. After being slowed by a shoulder injury, Hunter exploded last week in the Buffaloes' 34-23 win over Cincinnati. He finished with nine receptions for 153 yards and two touchdowns, including a 34-yard TD catch with three seconds left before halftime.
On defense, the 6-foot-1 defensive back broke up four passes and had two tackles. After the game Colorado coach Deion Sanders let it be known that he thinks Hunter is the best player in college football.
“Travis is the best football player in the country,” Sanders said. “We all know that. Why are we even deliberating over that?”
The oddsmakers currently agree with Sanders, but Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel is close behind. As is Miami quarterback Cam Ward.
Gabriel leads all of Division I-A college football in completion percentage at 76.2 (among QBs with at least 100 attempts), and he's passed for 2,371 yards and 18 touchdowns. Most importantly, he's behind center for the Oregon Ducks (8-0), the No. 1 football team in the country.
Ward leads all Power 4 quarterbacks in passing yards (2,746) and touchdown passes (26). If Miami (8-0) continues to win - and Ward continues to post huge numbers - it could be a very close Heisman race.
The last non-quarterback to win the Heisman was Alabama WR DeVonta Smith in 2020, and the last RB to win was Derrick Henry in 2015. The last two-way player to win? Michigan's Charles Woodson in 1997.
Here are the latest Heisman Trophy odds:
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook
Updated 2024 Heisman Trophy Odds
Travis Hunter, Colorado: +200
Dillon Gabriel, Oregon: +250
Cam Ward, Miami: +300
Ashton Jeanty, Boise State: +450
Cade Klubnik, Clemson: +1500
Carson Beck, Georgia: +4000
More Big 12 News & Analysis
Ben Sherman has been covering the sports world for most of his journalism career, including 17 years with The Oregonian/OregonLive. One of his favorite memories was covering the 1999 Fiesta Bowl - the first BCS National Championship Game - at Sun Devil Stadium.