The Heisman trophy is still Baker Mayfield’s to lose after another impressive performance in a win over Kansas in Week 12. However, his bizarre sideline behavior against the Jayhawks led to widespread criticism of him across the nation. It hasn’t hurt his chances, though. Mayfield is still the obvious favorite to win the award but there is no doubt his obscene sideline gesture will be talked about ad ad nauseam this week. Here is a look at the Heisman trophy race according to the updated sports betting odds.
QB: Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma Sooners
Heisman Trophy Odds: -450
Mayfield made headlines for all of the wrong reasons this week but it’s impossible to ignore his numbers. The senior quarterback completed 20-of-30 pass attempts for 257 yards and three touchdowns without turning the ball over in a 41-3 win over Kansas. Mayfield has completed 70.8-percent of his passes for 3,816 yards and 34 touchdowns compared to just five interceptions so far this season. With the Sooners primed to contend for a Big 12 championship and a spot in the College Football Playoff, Mayfield is clearly in the driver seat when it comes to the Heisman trophy race.
RB: Bryce Love, Stanford Cardinal
Heisman Trophy Odds: +800
Love was listed as questionable for Stanford’s game against California on Saturday. So the fact that he rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown in a 17-14 win is that much more impressive when you consider he was hurt. Love has averaged a ridiculous 8.8 yards per carry while rushing for 1,723 yards and 16 touchdowns so far this season. Injuries might have kept him from challenging Mayfield for the Heisman. However, Love has clearly been the top running back in the country this season even despite being banged up for most of the second half.
RB: Saquon Barkley, Penn State
Heisman Trophy Odds: +1500
Barkley’s Heisman hopes hit a wall when he failed to rush for more than 63 yards in three consecutive games for Penn State, two of which were losses for the Nittany Lions. However, Love bounced back with a big performance last week as he ran for 158 yards and three touchdowns with another six receptions for 66 yards in a 56-44 win over Nebraska. Love has averaged 5.8 yards per carry while rushing for 1,057 yards and 14 touchdowns while contributing another 46 receptions for 590 yards and three scores this season. While he likely won’t be a Heisman finalist this season, there is no doubt Barkley has put together an elite season that will have him on the radar of NFL teams as a potential first round pick if he commits for the 2018 NFL Draft.
QB: Khalil Tate, Arizona Wildcats
Heisman Trophy Odds: +2500
Tate had one heck of a run but his November numbers have faded from his October highs. Even so, his statistics alone get him into the conversation. Arizona has dropped two of their last three, which really hurts his case. Beyond that, he really struggled passing the ball against Oregon last week in a 48-28 blowout loss. Typically, his rushing numbers make up for that but he had just 32 yards on 14 carries. That really crushed his hopes.
Tate will be one of the frontrunners for the award next year. If he can figure out how to pass the ball a little better, he’ll have a much better shot of winning it.
RB: Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin Badgers
Heisman Trophy Odds: +2500
Wisconsin Badgers running back Jonathan Taylor is in the conversation for the Heisman but he’s clearly a long shot. He’s coming off another impressive performance as Wisconsin turned aside the Michigan Wolverines 24-10. He collected 132 yards on 19 carries. Considering Michigan is a top five defense in the country, that’s quite impressive. It doesn’t matter who he plays, he continues to pile up yards.
He has now had 126 rushing yards or more in six of his last seven games. On the season, he has 1657 rushing yards with 12 touchdowns. He’s a freshman who might get an invite as a finalist this year but he’ll enter the 2018 campaign as one of the preseason favorites to win the award.
Click here to bet on the college football season right now. DSI has a full list of spreads, totals and props for every single game on the board. Get all of the latest lines that you need to get a piece of the action!
