Heisman Watch: As New Favorite Emerges, Clemson's Lawrence Isn't Out of Race

Clemson star quarterback Trevor Lawrence was once the favorite to become the first Tiger in program history to take home the Heisman Trophy, but now he's been passed by three other QBs in the odds.

Another week, another slip in the betting odds for Trevor Lawrence.

The Clemson star quarterback was once the favorite to become the first Tiger in program history to take home the Heisman Trophy, but with three regular-season games left for his team, time is running out and he's only falling further behind in the race. 

Lawrence, who hasn't played since Oct. 24 against Syracuse, took a tumble on many pundits' Heisman rankings after he tested positive for COVID-19 and missed another game because of virus protocol. He watched Ohio State's Justin Fields and Alabama's Mac Jones, both quarterbacks, leap him in the odds listed on Betonline.ag last week.

None of those three QBs played last week. Clemson had an off week while Alabama and Ohio State had games postponed/canceled because of opponents' COVID-19 issues.

Now, a new contender has jumped them all: Florida quarterback Kyle Trask. The redshirt senior has been on a Joe Burrow-like tear through the SEC this season, throwing for 2,171 yards and a nation-best 28 touchdowns in just six games. 

He's completing 70.1 percent of his passes and has thrown just three interceptions on his way to becoming the +150 favorite, according to Betonline. Lawrence (+350) is fourth behind both Fields and Jones (both +225). 

"I think obviously that's something that you've got to perform and play well to be in the running for and it definitely hurt to not play for two weeks so I can see that side of it," Lawrence said this week. "But at the same time, no watch list, award list is going to change how I feel and the confidence I have."

Lawrence is right about time off hurting his chances, even though it's not something he can control. But you don't have to look far for an example of how finicky these odds and predictions can be. Trask actually missed three weeks of college football himself when UF had two games affected by COVID-19 and a bye week as well. 

So Lawrence certainty isn't out of the race in what's a disjointed college football season. Anything is still possible, and the player who plays the most games and/or racks up the most stats could very well win the popularity contest during the virtual Heisman presentation.

Had Lawrence not missed two games and had beaten Notre Dame instead of watching Clemson lose from the sideline, would he still be the favorite? Probably so. He'll need a strong finish and maybe his opposition to get a little unlucky. Regardless, Lawrence won't get caught up trying to win the award. He'd rather have another national title. 

"If I don't win it, the world's not going to stop," Lawrence said. "So it's really no, I guess, the biggest deal to me, to be honest, but it's obviously super cool and it's an honor (to be in the running) for folks on this team and playing well puts us in the position to win every week."

Besides, COVID-19 is going to impact this award in 2020 more than anything these guys do on the field it appears. 

Heisman Top-5

1. Kyle Trask

2. Trevor Lawrence

3. Mac Jones

4. Justin Fields

5. Zach Wilson