Week six of the college football season included some memorable performances with one quarterback from Washington in particular making another statement. Jake Browning has the Huskies climbing the AP Top-25 rankings at an incredible pace and he is among the biggest reasons why Washington is suddenly in the playoff picture out of the Pac-12. Here is a look at the updated Heisman trophy favorites according to the sports betting odds heading in to week seven of the college football season.
QB: Lamar Jackson, Louisville
Heisman Trophy Odds: -225
The Cardinals got the week off following their disappointing 42-36 loss to Clemson in which Jackson did everything he possibly could to put them in position to win before just falling short. However, a week off following a loss did nothing to budge Jackson from his position as the sports betting favorite to win the Heisman as his numbers at this point are simply incredible. Jackson has thrown for 1,625 yards and 14 touchdowns while rushing for 688 yards and another 14 scores through just five games. Jackson will get back to work this week versus Duke when he will get another chance to boost his Heisman Trophy stock.
QB: J.T. Barrett, Ohio State
Heisman Trophy Odds: +500
There is a major drop off from Jackson to everybody else but Barrett has quietly climbed the rankings thanks in large part to the fact that the Buckeyes keep winning. Ohio State is coming off a 38-17 win over Indiana in which Barrett threw for just 93 yards and a touchdown but he also ran for 137 yards and a score and the Buckeyes moved one step closer to a Big Ten title and a playoff spot with the victory. Barrett will have a long way to go to catch Jackson as the Heisman Trophy favorite for this season but there is no doubt he is in the conversation right now.
QB: Deshaun Watson, Clemson
Heisman Trophy Odds: +700
Watson is another quarterback that has improved his Heisman Trophy stock over the past couple of weeks despite that he is clearly in a second tier behind Jackson. Watson threw for 266 yards and four touchdowns in Friday’s 56-10 win over Boston College and he has now thrown for 1,568 yards and 18 touchdowns while leading the Tigers to six straight wins. Clemson is now the clear favorite to win the ACC title and Watson will get another chance to make his case for the Heisman in a couple of big games against NC State and Florida State in the month of October.
CB: Jabrill Peppers, Michigan
Heisman Trophy Odds: +800
It’s almost unfair to list Peppers solely as a cornerback because of the work that he has done in all three facets of the game for the Wolverines this season. Peppers has worked as a running back, wide receiver, cornerback, linebacker, safety and on special teams as both a coverage man and returner. Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh said that Peppers is in the same conversation as Jim Thorpe and that “you’re looking at a Heisman Trophy winner” following their lopsided 78-0 win over Rutgers. Peppers was all over the field in that win including a 63-yard touchdown run from the quarterback position and a 42-yard punt return. His position or lack thereof will cloud his potential to win the trophy but there is no doubt right now that Peppers deserves to be in the Heisman conversation.
QB: Jake Browning, Washington
Heisman Trophy Odds: +900
Washington’s star quarterback has blown past Houston quarterback Greg Ward Jr. and Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey in terms of the Heisman trophy betting odds following an outstanding stretch in which he has led the Huskies to six straight wins including double-digit victories over Stanford and Oregon the last two weeks. Browning completed nearly 75-percent of his passes while throwing for 514 yards and six scores in the back-to-back wins over the Cardinal and Ducks and he added a pair of rushing scores to his resume this past weekend. The sophomore quarterback is the biggest reason the Huskies are contending for a Pac-12 championship so it should be no surprise he has earned a spot on this list of Heisman candidates.
