Each week this college football season, BetFTW will take a look at the 2023 Heisman Trophy race and break down the contenders. Check back every Tuesday as the best college football players in the country jockey for position with both oddsmakers and bettors. All odds via BetMGM. Past weeks here: Preseason, Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4.
The Shedeur Sanders experience had been a magical ride for anyone brave enough to believe in the Colorado quarterback before the season began.
Over the last month, Sanders saw his odds rise from +12500 to +1800. He seemed destined for New York at the pace he was on. It all fell apart just as quickly.
First Sanders lost his most dynamic weapon in WR/DB Travis Hunter due to a lacerated liver. Then the Oregon Ducks exposed the Buffaloes as an ongoing work in progress across the board. But what stood out most to oddsmakers was the fact Sanders tallied just 159 yards passing with one touchdown while taking seven sacks. Before the Oregon game Sanders had never passed for fewer than 348 yards in any contest this season.
So the Colorado quarterback’s odds tumbled to +8000 at BetMGM and out of the Heisman race. For now. If Sanders starts putting up video game numbers again, be ready to see his name start climbing up the board once again.
Here’s a look at this week’s Top 10.
10. Penn State QB Drew Allar, North Carolina QB Drake Maye (+4000)
(AP Photo/Barry Reeger)
Odds Last Week:
- Drew Allar (No Change)
- Drake Maye (+3500)
If you’re looking for a player who’s being overlooked with dark horse odds, Allar is your guy. The Penn State QB has been everything and more for the Nittany Lions this season and just polished off the Iowa Hawkeyes with 166 yards and four touchdowns.
Now 4-0, the No. 6 Nittany Lions get a chance to beat up on Northwestern and UMass over the next two weeks before a big showdown at Ohio State. The Allar hype will surely have arrived by then.
9. Washington State QB Cam Ward, Ohio State QB Kyle McCord, Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy (+3500)
James Snook-USA TODAY
Odds Last Week:
- Cam Ward (+25000)
- Kyle McCord (+5000)
- J.J. McCarthy (+2000)
Why, hello there, Cam Ward!
A week ago he wasn’t on any Heisman radar. Now he’s got No. 16 Washington State at 4-0 ahead of a massive road trip to UCLA. Ward was at his absolute best in ranked matchup against Oregon State last week, passing for 404 yards and tallying five total touchdowns. The QB is now up to 1,390 yards and 13 touchdowns passing on the season with no interceptions and three more scores on the ground.
8. Miami (FL) QB Tyler Van Dyke (+3300)
Jaylynn Nash-USA TODAY Sports
Odds Last Week:
- (+4000)
The Miami Hurricanes are 4-0 with wins over No. 23 Texas A&M and…not really anyone else too noteworthy. Van Dyke has been rock solid with a 197.8 passer rating to go with 1,042 yards, 11 touchdowns and one pick. He’ll get a chance to pad those numbers further this week against Georgia Tech.
7. Oklahoma QB Dillon Gabriel (+2000)
Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
Odds Last Week:
- (+3000)
Lost in all the hoopla of Texas’ surge into playoff contention, the Kansas Jayhawks 4-0 start and whatever the heck TCU is doing is the fact that Oklahoma is playing like one of the best teams in the country with one of the best quarterbacks in the country. Gabriel has 1,227 passing yards with 12 touchdowns, one interception and two more rushing TDs. After knocking off Cincinnati on the road last week, he gets a chance to beat up on Iowa State at home this Saturday.
6. LSU QB Jayden Daniels (+1800)
AP Photo/Michael Woods
Odds Last Week:
- (+3000)
A scare against Arkansas last week gave Daniels a chance to show off his heroics by leading a nine-play, 72-yard game-winning drive capped off by Damian Ramos’ field goal. The quarterback has now passed for 1,296 yards, 12 touchdowns and two interceptions while rushing for another two scores.
5. Notre Dame QB Sam Hartman (+1600)
Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Odds Last Week:
- (+900)
Hartman passed for 175 yards and a touchdown against Ohio State and nearly proved the Fighting Irish were one of the few elite teams in college football. Unfortunately for the QB, Notre Dame couldn’t remember to field 11 men on defense on the final two plays and coughed up the game at the literal last second. And for that, Hartman’s odds took a slight tumble. It’s brutal out there.
4. Florida State QB Jordan Travis (+1300)
Melina Myers-USA TODAY Sports
Odds Last Week:
- (+900)
Beating Clemson in Death Valley is a surefire way to build a resume and it’s hard to argue Travis doesn’t have one of the best out there right now. Travis tallied 289 yards and three total touchdown against the Tigers including a 24-yard pass to Keon Coleman for the go-ahead score in overtime.
3. Oregon QB Bo Nix (+1200)
Odds Last Week:
- (+2200)
As Shedeur Sanders’ odds go down, Nix continues to rise. Taking down a Colorado team with the whole sport watching will have that kind of impact. So will completing 28 of 33 passes for 276 yards, three touchdowns and one pick. It didn’t hurt that he ran another touchdown in, either.
2. Texas QB Quinn Ewers (+600)
Odds Last Week:
- (No Change)
Ewers barely had to break a sweat against Baylor last week. The Longhorns star passed for 293 yards on just 18 completions for one touchdown and another score rushing. He’ll get a much tougher test this week with No. 24 Kansas coming to town. Yes, that’s a real sentence, in case you need a reminder of how wild this sport is.
1. USC QB Caleb Williams, Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. (+350)
Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Odds Last Week:
- Caleb Williams (No Change)
- Michael Penix Jr. (+500)
And here we go. For the first time this season, Caleb Williams is not the clear favorite to win the Heisman. Penix continues to solidify his case by ripping defenses to shreds. The latest victim was a rather decent Cal team that got torched for 304 yards and four touchdowns on 19-of-25 passing. Penix is now up to 1,636 yards and 16 touchdowns on the year with just two interceptions. Williams, meanwhile, isn’t far behind with 1,200 yards passing, 18 total touchdowns and no picks. Here’s hoping both teams stay undefeated until they meet on November 4th.
Full Live Odds
Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images
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