The most outstanding player in college football’s top division, the College Football Bowl Subdivision, receives the most famous individual player award in all of sports, the Heisman Trophy. One common College Football futures bet includes the future winner of the Heisman Trophy in December. If you’re looking for an edge on Heisman Trophy betting, you’re in the right place.
The race to be the 2018 Heisman Trophy Winner figures to be wide open, without an obvious preseason favorite for the first time in years. Wisconsin running back Johnathan Taylor holds status as a slim favorite over another running back, Stanford’s Bryce Love, and quarterbacks Tua Tagvailoa of Alabama and Trevor Lawrence of Clemson should also be on your Heisman Trophy betting radar.
But there are many sleepers if you look deeper into the Heisman Trophy betting odds, including Houston defensive lineman Ed Oliver. Keep reading to discover more longshots that have a shot!
History of the Heisman Trophy
The Heisman trophy, which is awarded each December in New York City, was first known as the DAC Trophy because it was created by New York’s Downtown Athletic Club in 1935.
Initially, only players east of the Mississippi River were eligible; that changed after just one year, which is also when the award received its famous name after DAC athletic director John Heisman died in 1936.
Between 1936 and 2001, the Heisman ceremony was held annually at the Downtown Athletic Club. But that venue was damaged in the September 11 terrorist attacks. Since then, other New York venues have hosted the presentation: The Yale Club in 2002-2003; the Marriott Marquis in Times Square in 2004; and, since 2005, the Playstation Theater in Times Square.
How the Heisman Trophy is won
The Heisman Trophy winner is decided by 870 media members split into six geographic regions. Each living previous Heisman winner also has a vote. Each voter lists his or her top three choices, and each ballot is counted on a 3-2-1 basis.
In early years, the Heisman recipient commonly had less than 50 percent of the total vote. But as college football has become a national sport, more players are seen across the country and information is spread more easily, consensus has been reached more often.
Since 2004, only one winner (Alabama’s Mark Ingram in 2009) has received fewer than half of the votes.
Past Heisman Trophy winners
Famous Heisman trophy winners include SMU halfback Doak Walker (1948), Notre Dame quarterback Paul Hornung (1956), Navy quarterback Roger Staubach (1963), USC running back O.J. Simpson (1968), Texas running back Earl Campbell (1977), USC running back Marcus Allen (1981), Auburn running back Bo Jackson (1985), Oklahoma State running back Barry Sanders (1988), Florida quarterback Tim Tebow (2007) and Auburn quarterback Cam Newton (2010).
Ohio State running back Archie Griffin is the only player to win the award twice (1974-1975).
Among teams, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Ohio State Buckeyes and USC Trojans share the lead. Each has seen a player lift the trophy seven times (counting Griffin twice). But USC running back Reggie Bush had to forfeit his title from 2005 because of sanctions the NCAA imposed on the school. Oklahoma is tied with USC with six official Heisman Trophy winners.
|
Year |
Winner |
Team |
|
2017 |
Baker Mayfield |
Oklahoma |
|
2016 |
Lamar Jackson |
Louisville |
|
2015 |
Derrick Henry |
Alabama |
|
2014 |
Marcus Mariota |
Oregon |
|
2013 |
Jameis Winston |
Florida State |
|
2012 |
Johnny Manziel |
Texas A&M |
|
2011 |
Robert Griffin III |
Baylor |
|
2010 |
Cam Newton |
Auburn |
|
2009 |
Mark Ingram |
Alabama |
|
2008 |
Sam Bradford |
Oklahoma |
|
2007 |
Tim Tebow |
Florida |
|
2006 |
Troy Smith |
Ohio State |
|
*2005 |
Reggie Bush |
USC |
|
2004 |
Matt Leinart |
USC |
|
2003 |
Jason White |
Oklahoma |
|
2002 |
Carson Palmer |
USC |
|
2001 |
Eric Crouch |
Nebraska |
|
2000 |
Chris Weinke |
Florida State |
|
1999 |
Ron Dayne |
Wisconsin |
|
1998 |
Ricky Williams |
Texas |
|
1997 |
Charles Woodson |
Michigan |
|
1996 |
Danny Wuerffel |
Florida |
|
1995 |
Eddie George |
Ohio State |
|
1994 |
Rashaan Salaam |
Colorado |
|
1993 |
Charlie Ward |
Florida State |
|
1992 |
Gino Torretta |
Miami |
|
1991 |
Desmond Howard |
Michigan |
|
1990 |
Ty Detmer |
BYU |
|
1989 |
Andre Ware |
Houston |
|
1988 |
Barry Sanders |
Oklahoma State |
|
1987 |
Tim Brown |
Notre Dame |
|
1986 |
Vinny Testaverde |
Miami |
|
1985 |
Bo Jackson |
Auburn |
|
1984 |
Doug Flutie |
Boston College |
|
1983 |
Mike Rozier |
Nebraska |
|
1982 |
Herschel Walker |
Georgia |
|
1981 |
Marcus Allen |
USC |
|
1980 |
George Rogers |
South Carolina |
|
1979 |
Charles White |
USC |
|
1978 |
Billy Sims |
Oklahoma |
|
1977 |
Earl Campbell |
Texas |
|
1976 |
Tony Dorsett |
Pittsburgh |
|
1975 |
Archie Griffin |
Ohio State |
|
1974 |
Archie Griffin |
Ohio State |
|
1973 |
John Cappelletti |
Penn State |
|
1972 |
Johnny Rodgers |
Nebraska |
|
1971 |
Pat Sullivan |
Auburn |
|
1970 |
Jim Plunkett |
Stanford |
|
1969 |
Steve Owens |
Oklahoma |
|
1968 |
O.J. Simpson |
USC |
|
1967 |
Gary Beban |
UCLA |
|
1966 |
Steve Spurrier |
Florida |
|
1965 |
Mike Garrett |
USC |
|
1964 |
John Huarte |
Notre Dame |
|
1963 |
Roger Staubach |
Navy |
|
1962 |
Terry Baker |
Oregon State |
|
1961 |
Ernie Davis |
Syracuse |
|
1960 |
Joe Bellino |
Navy |
|
1959 |
Billy Cannon |
LSU |
|
1958 |
Pete Dawkins |
Army |
|
1957 |
John David Crow |
Texas A&M |
|
1956 |
Paul Hornung |
Notre Dame |
|
1955 |
Howard Cassady |
Ohio State |
|
1954 |
Alan Ameche |
Wisconsin |
|
1953 |
Johnny Lattner |
Notre Dame |
|
1952 |
Billy Vessels |
Oklahoma |
|
1951 |
Dick Kazmaier |
Princeton |
|
1950 |
Vic Janowicz |
Ohio State |
|
1949 |
Leon Hart |
Notre Dame |
|
1948 |
Doak Walker |
SMU |
|
1947 |
Johnny Lujack |
Notre Dame |
|
1946 |
Glenn Davis |
Army |
|
1945 |
Doc Blanchard |
Army |
|
1944 |
Les Horvath |
Ohio State |
|
1943 |
Angelo Bertelli |
Notre Dame |
|
1942 |
Frank Sinkwich |
Georgia |
|
1941 |
Bruce Smith |
Minnesota |
|
1940 |
Tom Harmon |
Michigan |
|
1939 |
Nile Kinnick |
Iowa |
|
1938 |
Davey O’Brien |
TCU |
|
1937 |
Clint Frank |
Yale |
|
1936 |
Larry Kelley |
Yale |
|
1935 |
Jay Berwanger |
Chicago |
Trends to consider for Heisman Trophy Betting
There are several major trends to remember when wagering on who will win the 2018 Heisman Trophy winner. One that really stands out is that quarterbacks have won a great majority of recent awards: seven of the past eight and 15 of the past 18 Heisman trophies.
A player whose position was anything other than quarterback or running back won the Heisman Trophy only five times in 83 years. The most recent was defensive back/punt returner Charles Woodson for Michigan in 1997.
So when examining Heisman Trophy betting odds, consider a player’s position before placing a wager, even in a case such as talented defensive linemen Nick Bosa of Ohio State and Oliver of Houston, whom many project to be the top two picks in the 2019 NFL Draft.
The 2018 Heisman Trophy winner is more likely to be a quarterback, such as Tagovailoa of Alabama (+900), Lawrence of Clemson (+900), or a running back like Taylor of Wisconsin (+750), Love of Stanford (+800) or J.K. Dobbins of Ohio State (+1500).
Consider this other trend while making your Heisman prediction: previous winners have almost always come from winning teams, particularly those in college football’s national championship race.
A player like Missouri’s Drew Lock, who set the SEC record for touchdown passes with 43 last season, might have the numbers worthy to be considered for the Heisman, but the Tigers seem unlikely to be in the championship hunt, with 250-1 odds to win the national championship. Thus Lock is a +2500 longshot, though he might be worth a gamble.
Picking the next Heisman Trophy winner
Nearly all of the top contenders for the Heisman Trophy are quarterbacks or running backs. Of the 32 players given preseason odds, 19 are quarterbacks and another 10 are running backs.
So, before making your Heisman Trophy prediction, keep a few things in mind. Odds are so long for every contender that large bets are not advised. A small sum, say $10, will net a large reward if, say, a +1600 longshot hits to pay $160.
If recent trends hold, a quarterback will lift the 2018 Heisman Trophy in December. The quarterbacks with the shortest odds, however — Lawrence and Tagovailoa — aren’t even guaranteed to win their team’s full-time starting position. Lawrence will battle for playing time with Kelly Bryant at Clemson. Tagovailoa will have to hold off Jalen Hurts at Alabama.
Also beware of Arizona’s Khalil Tate, who’s among the favorites at +1400. Tate is electrifying, but the Wildcats are unlikely to contend even for a Pac-12 Conference title.
So who’s left as a prime choice to be the next Heisman Trophy winner? Consider a quarterback on a top team, such as Auburn’s Jarrett Stidham (+1600) or Penn State’s Trace McSorley (+1800).
Among longshots, Notre Dame quarterback Brandon Wimbush (+3500) and Alabama’s Damien Harris (+5000), who starts at the Crimson Tide’s always-productive running back spot, could be valuable choices for Heisman Trophy betting.
Heisman Trophy Odds
Kyler Murray, Oklahoma QB -190
Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama QB +150
Dwayne Haskins, Ohio State QB +6000
Who will win the Heisman Trophy?
Three players were announced as finalists for the Heisman trophy. The finalists include Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray and Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins.
Tagovailoa has been a heavy favorite for most of the season, but he is no longer the betting favorite after a shaky performance against Georgia in the SEC championship game. Murray has replaced him as the favorite, and it will almost certainly be a close race between the two signal callers. Haskins has been fantastic this year, but he is a distant third behind Tua and Murray.