Lamar Jackson’s return to the football field wasn’t what most expected it to be as the Heisman trophy favorite delivered a sub par performance by his standards in a close win over Duke. Jackson has built a big enough cushion this season that one average game wasn’t going to bump him out of the top spot in the Heisman discussion but it did show that he is human after all. Here is a look at the updated Heisman trophy favorites according to the sports betting odds heading in to week eight of the college football season.
QB: Lamar Jackson, Louisville
Heisman Trophy Odds: -200
The runaway favorite to win the Heisman through the first six weeks of the season delivered his worth performance of the season so far in a 24-14 win over Duke this past week. The Cardinals had their bye week following a 42-36 loss to Clemson in which they very nearly pulled off the upset but there was a little bit of a letdown from Jackson and the entire Louisville offense. Jackson completed 13-of-26 pass attempts for 181 yards and a touchdown with 144 rushing yards and another rushing score. His numbers are still far better than any other Heisman hopeful at this point so it’s pretty obvious why he is still listed at -200 following a sub-par performance by the lofty standards he has set for this season.
QB: J.T. Barrett, Ohio State
Heisman Trophy Odds: +500
Barrett delivered in Ohio State’s toughest test so far this season by completing 17-of-29 passes for 226 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 92 yards and another two scores in a 30-23 overtime win over Wisconsin. Barrett hasn’t been the most consistent quarterback in college football this season but he has guided the Buckeyes to a 6-0 record as the MVP of their offense so far. There are some that feel Barrett doesn’t deserve to be as high as he is on this list right now but there is still a lot of time left in the regular season for him to prove he belongs in this conversation.
QB: Deshaun Watson, Clemson
Heisman Trophy Odds: +750
The Tigers remained on track to get back to the College Football Playoff thanks to an outstanding performance from their star quarterback in their 24-17 overtime win over NC State. Watson completed 39-of-52 pass attempts for 378 yards and two touchdowns with another rushing score. The junior quarterback has completed 63.6-percent of his passes for 1,950 yards and 20 touchdowns while still showing flashes of his mobility as well. Clemson needs Watson to perform at a Heisman level in order to contend for a national championship and so far he has gotten better with every passing week.
S: Jabrill Peppers, Michigan
Heisman Trophy Odds: +1000
Peppers is listed at +1000 odds but he could still be a greater long shot than those odds indicate because of his position and the stellar quarterback play we have seen across the country. It’s impossible to quantify just how important Peppers’ unique talent and versatility is to his team but he will have every opportunity to demonstrate it the rest of the way with key games at Michigan State, at Iowa and at Ohio State the remainder of the way. The Wolverines will likely have to run the table and reach the playoff for Peppers to have a shot but he is still a dark horse Heisman candidate worth having in the conversation right now.
QB: Jack Browning, Washington
Heisman Trophy Odds: +1000
Browning got the week off following back-to-back blowout wins over Stanford and then at Oregon in which he completed 37-of-49 pass attempts for 514 yards and nine touchdowns with another two rushing scores. Those are pretty incredible numbers against two of the top programs in the Pac-12 and most importantly the Huskies are undefeated at 6-0. Washington will host Oregon State this weekend before a tough stretch that includes back-to-back road games at Utah and Cal before a home date with USC. If Browning continues to produce at an elite level and the Huskies sweep their final six games to remain undefeated then Browning will definitely be front and center in the Heisman conversation at season’s end.
