Heisman Trophy update: Best bets, biggest risers, more after Week 10

As the college football season nears its close, we have more movement at the top of the Heisman Trophy race. While it still appears to be a two-man race, the favorite is less of a sure thing, and it’s anyone’s guess who the third finalist heading to New York City will be. 

Each week we’ll take a look at how the odds are shifting in the Heisman Trophy race to try to help you identify the best bets or the biggest odds movement that might be best to ignore. While one or two weeks might not be enough to persuade you to change your bet, it’s always a good idea to keep an eye on the shifts in lines to see if it indicates value changes. 

So what are the odds after Week 10?

Updated Heisman Trophy Odds

Heisman Trophy odds courtesy of Draftkings Sportsbook. To view, click here

Even after Tennessee’s loss to Georgia this weekend, quarterback Hendon Hooker (+160) remains the betting favorite for the Heisman Trophy; although, he is now down from his +100 odds from last week, and Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud (+180) improved his odds slightly from +200. 

The driving rain certainly didn’t help Hooker on Saturday, but the senior was ineffective for much of the game, completing 23-of-33 passes for 195 yards with one interception and no touchdowns. The sportsbooks are potentially factoring in the weather, as well as the elite talent of Georgia’s defense when not docking Hooker’s odds too much. 

However, he has also had a really good season so far and his main competition, Stroud, had a brutal game throwing the ball against a 1-8 Northwestern team. 

In fact, Stroud was so bad that I’m surprised his odds improved. He was just 10-of-26 for 76 yards through the air on Saturday but added 79 yards rushing on six carries. It was a poor enough performance that the fact that his odds barely moved is a strong indication that this really is a two-man race. 

The rest of the Heisman Trophy race seems like players fighting to get an invite to New York for the finals. For much of the season, that seemed like USC quarterback Caleb Williams (+1600), but USC had another inconsistent performance, barely beating a 3-6 California team 41-35. 

Now, Williams can’t be faulted for the struggles of his defense, and he did complete 26-of-41 passes for 360 yards and four touchdowns while adding 38 yards and one touchdown on the ground.

However, it appears that Vegas won’t be convinced that he can be a true Heisman Trophy contender until his team wins a big game. As of now, USC has no wins over a currently ranked team, but they could have two chances in their final two weeks with games against UCLA and a resurgent Notre Dame. 

Michigan running back Blake Corum (+1000) is now in the driver’s seat to be the final invite to New York after rushing for 109 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries in a 52-17 win over Rutgers.

Corum is top-five in the nation in both rushing yards and rushing touchdowns, but his candidacy will likely depend on Michigan’s results in their final two games against 16th-ranked Illinois and 2nd-ranked Ohio State. If they win both of those games, it would be hard to keep Corum from New York. 

However, the final candidate who appears to have a shot is much-maligned Oregon quarterback Bo Nix (+1400). After a rough first game of the year against Georgia, Nix has stepped up his game. He’s completed 73.3% of his passes for 2,495 yards with 22 touchdowns and five interceptions. He’s also added 457 yards and a whopping 13 touchdowns on the ground. 

Last week against Colorado he completed 20-of-24 passes for two touchdowns while adding two touchdowns on the ground. If Oregon is able to run the table against three solid opponents in Washington, Utah, and Oregon State, it’s easy to see Nix leapfrogging Corum for a spot in the finals, but it would be near impossible for him to claim the Heisman Trophy himself. 

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