Week 9 of the college football season delivered plenty of drama with Louisville narrowly escaping an upset on the road while Clemson hung on for another crucial ACC win over rival Florida State Both games had major implications ahead of the first College Football Playoff rankings release of the season as well as in the conversation for this year’s Heisman trophy frontrunners. Here is a look at the updated Heisman trophy favorites according to the sports betting odds heading in to Week 10 of the college football season.
QB: Lamar Jackson, Louisville
Heisman Trophy Odds: -450
The Cardinals trailed Virginia 17-7 late in the third quarter when Jackson put the team on his back and led Louisville to another comeback win. Jackson threw for 361 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for another 88 yards on the ground while leading the Cardinals on a 24-7 run over the final 19:03 of regulation to clinch the 32-25 comeback win. Louisville’s playoff hopes are still alive at 7-1 but they will need to pick up the sense of urgency heading in to the final stretch with games at Boston College and Houston as well as home to Wake Forest and Kentucky. Jackson is the obvious Heisman favorite at this point with 2,522 passing yards and 22 touchdowns along with another 996 rushing yards and 16 scores on the ground. Next up is an early afternoon start on the road at Boston College so it will be interesting to see how Jackson the Cardinals offense fares in Week 10.
QB: Deshaun Watson, Clemson
Heisman Trophy Odds: +600
Watson did just enough to help Clemson escape with another close win over a top ACC opponent as he threw for 378 yards and two touchdowns along with 52 rushing yards in a 37-34 win over Florida State. Watson wasn’t perfect with two interceptions, but he stepped up at the end with a game-winning drive that culminated in a 34-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Leggett with just over two minutes left on the clock in regulation. Watson likely won’t catch Jackson in terms of the overall numbers but if he performs at a high level down the stretch while leading the Tigers to a perfect regular season he could push his way back in to the conversation as a legitimate Heisman option.
S: Jabrill Peppers, Michigan
Heisman Trophy Odds: +1000
Peppers has had an outstanding season as a versatile threat that has lined up all over the field on both sides of the football and on special teams for Michigan. However, he has a number of issues working against him including the fact that Jackson and Watson have played so well at a position that will be favored by the Heisman voters. Peppers had seven tackles, one sack and a rushing touchdown for the Wolverines in their 32-23 win over Michigan State and he will remain on the Heisman radar for as long as Michigan remains undefeated.
QB: Jake Browning, Washington
Heisman Trophy Odds: +2000
Browning’s pace slowed a bit in Washington’s 31-24 win over Utah as he was held to 186 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns. The Utah defense did a solid job containing him both in terms of his arm and his legs but a 58-yard punt return touchdowns from Dante Pettis ended up being the difference in a game that went down to the wire. The Huskies are undefeated with four games left to play and Browning is still the biggest reason for it but it will be very difficult for Washington’s quarterback to catch Jackson and Watson at this point in the season.
QB: J.T. Barrett, Ohio State
Heisman Trophy Odds: +3300
Ohio State bounced back from its surprising loss to Penn State with a 24-20 win over Northwestern as Barrett completed 21-of-32 pass attempts for 223 yards while rushing for another 71 yards on the ground. It wasn’t the type of statement bounce back win that some were expecting but it was enough for the Buckeyes to improve to 7-1 and keep their playoff hopes alive. Ohio State has a tough road ahead with Nebraska, Maryland, Michigan State and Michigan remaining on their Big Ten schedule and Barrett would have to perform at an unbelievable level while sweeping the table in order to get back in the Heisman discussion next to Jackson and Watson.
