The Heisman Trophy is awarded to the most outstanding player in college football player in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) within the NCAA’s Division I programs. It has been awarded 86 times, most recently to wide receiver DeVonta Smith of Alabama. In the early years, running backs dominated the list of winners. Starting in the 1960s, as the forward pass became an increasingly important part of the game, quarterbacks have become the most commonly rewarded position. Of the last 20 recipients, 16 have been quarterbacks.
Let’s take a look at the updated online Heisman Trophy betting odds for the contenders to win the award after this season.
NCAA News: Updated Odds to Win the 2021 Heisman Trophy
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| Spencer Rattler (QB, Oklahoma) | +450 |
| Bryce Young (QB, Alabama) | +650 |
| D.J. Uiagalelei (QB, Clemson) | +700 |
| J.T. Daniels (QB, Georgia), Sam Howell (QB, North Carolina) | +1000 |
| D’Eriq King (QB, Miami-FL) | +1600 |
| Bijan Robinson (RB, Texas), Kedon Slovis (QB, USC), C.J. Stroud (QB, Ohio State) | +2000 |
| Jayden Daniels (QB, Arizona State), McKenzie Milton (QB, Florida State) | +2500 |
| Matt Corral (QB, Ole Miss) | +3300 |
| Brian Robinson Jr (RB, Alabama), Spencer Sanders (QB, Oklahoma State), Breece Hall (RB, Iowa State), Sean Clifford (QB, Penn State) | +4000 |
| Emory Jones (QB, Florida), Brock Purdy (QB, Iowa State), Dorian Thompson-Robinson (QB, UCLA), Casey Thompson (QB, Texas), Derek Stingley Jr (CB, LSU), Malik Cunningham (QB, Louisville), Max Johnson (QB, LSU) | +5000 |
| John Metchie III (WR, Alabama), Tyler Shough (QB, Texas Tech), Michael Penix Jr (QB, Indiana), Dillon Gabriel (QB, UCF), Jase McClellan (RB, Alabama), Justyn Ross (WR, Clemson), British Brooks (RB, North Carolina), Master Teague III (RB, Ohio State), Max Borghi (RB, Washington State), Cartavious Bigsby (RB, Auburn), Isaiah Spiller (RB, Texas A&M) | +6600 |
| Kyren Williams (RB, Notre Dame), Graham Mertz (QB, Wisconsin), Mohamed Ibrahim (RB, Minnesota), Desmond Ridder (QB, Cincinnati), Bo Nix (QB, Auburn), Anthony Brown (QB, Oregon), Hendon Hooker (QB, Virginia Tech), Joe Milton (QB, Tennessee), Leddie Brown (RB, West Virginia), Max Duggan (QB, TCU) | +8000 |
| Grayson McCall (QB, Coastal Carolina), Zay Flowers (WR, Boston College), Adrian Martinez (QB, Nebraska), Charlie Brewer (QB, Utah), Garrett Wilson (WR, Ohio State), Braxton Burmeister (QB, Virginia Tech), Dylan Morris (QB, Washington), George Pickens (WR, Georgia), Jarrett Doege (QB, West Virginia), Kenny Pickett (QB, Pitt), Peyton Ramsey (QB, Northwestern), Sam Huard (QB, Washington), Taulia Tagovailoa (QB, Maryland), Tyrion Davis-Price (RB, LSU), Zamir White (RB, Georgia) | +10000 |
So, let’s break down some recent trends. First of all, some of those value picks from mid-major colleges just aren’t going to win. The last time we had a Heisman Trophy winner from outside what are now the Power Five conferences was way back in 1990, when Ty Detmer had a transcendent season for BYU. That was also the last season when voting was allowed to determine a national champion; in the aftermath, a system emerged that gave the Power Five an even greater level of advantages emerged with the Bowl Championship Series, which is now known as the College Football Playoff.
Devonta Smith was a bit of an outlier a year ago. After all, it is rare for one wide receiver to pile up such gaudy statistics in the college game, as coaches install spread offenses and quarterbacks find multiple receivers. The fact that Smith was able to emerge with such dominant numbers is unusual today — and if you look through the odds list for this year, you will have a hard time finding a wide receiver.
It’s pretty clear that you not only need to pile up big numbers, but your team also needs to win almost all of its games. Joe Burrow, Kyler Murray and Baker Mayfield were the three winners prior to Smith. Burrow quarterbacked LSU to a national championship, and Kyler Murray and Baker Mayfield put up crazy passing numbers while leading their respective Oklahoma teams to a Big 12 Championship and a slot in the College Football Playoff.
So this is why the odds list looks as stacked as it is. I’m not picking anyone from the SEC West, because Bryce Young is a new quarterback at Alabama and may struggle — but the Crimson Tide haven’t shown that they will lose in the SEC West to any of the other teams yet. I like the idea of D.J. Uiagalelei after his performance at Notre Dame last season in relief of Trevor Lawrence, especially given the light load associated with an ACC schedule. After the Tigers play Georgia in the opener, it looks like an all-skate to the ACC Championship.
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