With another class of college football stars set to graduate to the NFL it is never too early to take a look at the next class of star players and the front runners to contend for the Heisman trophy award. The fact that the reigning Heisman winner Lamar Jackson will return definitely impacts the Heisman Trophy outlook but there has only ever been one two-time winner so history appears to be against him. Here is a look at the early odds on contenders to win the Heisman trophy in 2017.
QB: Sam Darnold, USC Trojans
Odds To Win 2017 Heisman Trophy: +500
Darnold emerged as a star in 2016 after Max Browne was benched prior to Week 4 as he led the Trojans to nine straight wins including a 52-49 win over Penn State in the Rose Bowl. Darnold threw for 3,086 yards and 31 touchdowns with another two rushing scores and that was in a shortened season when he was expected to be a backup. The playbook should be expanded for the rising redshirt sophomore in his second year as the starter and right now, he is listed as the sports betting favorite to win the Heisman Trophy award. It should help that the Trojans project to have a much easier schedule next season – at least the start of it – as they’ll begin with a rebuilding California team before going to Utah and Colorado in back-to-back weeks.
QB: Lamar Jackson, Louisville Cardinals
Odds To Win 2017 Heisman Trophy: +600
Some sportsbooks still have Jackson as the early Heisman trophy favorite but the majority of them have him slightly behind Darnold based in big part on the fact that it is so difficult to repeat. Jackson absolutely dominated in 2016 when he threw for 3,543 yards and 30 touchdowns with another 1,571 rushing yards and 21 rushing scores. While it will be hard to duplicate those numbers, he will have another year of experience and an even better offensive line in front of him. The Louisville offense has the potential to put up big numbers in 2017 with Jackson once again set to lead the way under center.
QB: Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma Sooners
Odds To Win 2017 Heisman Trophy: +2000
Mayfield’s decision to return to Oklahoma for one more season was all that was needed for him to earn a spot on this list among the top projected contenders to win the Heisman Trophy next season. Some people thought he might come out in a year where the NFL Draft projects to be very weak at the quarterback position (DeShone Kizer, who was benched this season, and Deshaun Watson are the top prospects). However, he probably felt that his stock wasn’t as high as it could be and he returned.
The dual-threat quarterback threw for 3,965 yards and 40 touchdowns with another six rushing scores and if he comes close to matching those numbers in 2017 then he should be in the mix. It won’t be easy without the talented backfield tandem of Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon but the Sooners have enough weapons on offense to think that Mayfield should be among the Heisman Trophy contenders.
RB: Saquon Barkley, Penn State Nittany Lions
Odds To Win 2017 Heisman Trophy: +2500
Barkley rushed for 1,496 yards and 18 touchdowns with another 402 receiving yards and four scores last season. All eyes will be on the talented all-purpose running back to see what he has in store for 2017. Remember that Penn State had a breakout year of sorts in 2016 and they look like a team that will be built to win for a while. Coach Franklin has developed this offense slowly over the years and they appear to be elite at quarterback, offensive line and wide receiver, which means that opposing defenses won’t be able to key in solely on Barkley to shut him down.
Barkley is listed as a +2500 contender to win the Heisman Trophy and it will be interesting to see if he can reach his potential with Penn State. Barkley is talented enough to be the best running back in the country next season and he projects as the top Heisman Trophy contender at his position.
Click here to bet on the college football futures for the 2017 season right now. DSI has all of the latest lines, spreads and props for this week’s action!
