Can a Longshot Thwart C.J. Stroud from taking Home the Heisman?

It’s been a minute since we last checked in on the Heisman Trophy futures odds over at PointsBet Sportsbook. From the looks of the current leaderboard, nothing has changed at the very top. C.J. Stroud still remains the man to beat, and his odds of pulling it off have gotten much shorter since last reporting (+250 to -140). If Ohio State runs the gamut, it’s going to be darn near impossible for the voters to not hand the award over to the Buckeyes QB1. That being said, some new blood has invaded the top of the heap and I wanted to break some of this new blood down to see if futures bettors should get involved; if they haven’t already. Here are a couple kids you might want to add to the portfolio just in case this race goes sideways down the road.

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*All remaining players 100-1 or greater

No choice but to start in Knoxville as great a start to the season Josh Heupel’s Tennessee Volunteers have gotten out to. One of the main reasons why UT has logged gotten out to 5-0 SU and 4-1 ATS starts has been because of Senior QB Hendon Hooker who is on pace to shatter his outputs of a season ago. The dual threat has thrown for over 1,400 yards and owns a pristine 10:0 TD/INT ratio while adding another 231 yards and a trio of touchdowns with his legs. This weekend is a huge spot for the Vols who host Alabama in a crucial East Division showdown with the victor likely going on to represent the division in the SEC title game. Hooker’s odds have plummeted from 40-1 to 13-1 and will undoubtedly shorten up even more if UT finds a way to upset the Crimson Tide as 7-point home dogs.

Before the season kicked off, I recommended taking a flier on the Bruins as the underdog choice to take home the Pac-12 title. Their odds to do so chimed in at +850 back then. Today, the Bruins rate of return checks in at +250 and the offense’s QB1 is the glue holding it all together. CFB futures bettors have been waiting for the day it finally clicked for Dorian Thompson-Robinson whose athletic ability is off the charts. Well, it looks like that time has come with UCLA’s QB1 playing to the best QB rating of his career by way of throwing for over 1,500 yards and rushing for another 231. In all, he’s accounted for 19 touchdowns and just two interceptions. His odds to win the Heisman have gone from 75-1 to 16-1, and they’ll fall even further if he can lead the Bruins to a win in Eugene in a couple weeks.

And what’s up with the about face Adrian Martinez has pulled off in Manhattan helping lead Kansas State come from out of nowhere to challenge for the Big 12 title? The Wildcats were 18-1 to take home conference bragging rights at the season’s outset, but currently only offer up a 4-1 rate of return at PointsBet. The kids going to shatter his career-high of 626 rushing yards, and is also likely to topple the 13 rushing touchdowns he scored last season with the Cornhuskers. K-State has the two teams currently situated ahead of it on the B12 futures odds in TCU and Oklahoma State over the next few weeks. Martinez’s odds of being invited to New York will increase dramatically if the Wildcats somehow manage to get through both games unscathed!

The Big Ten is playing out exactly as linemakers expected with Ohio State and Michigan looking to be far and away the class of the conference. With the hated rivals not meeting until the “Big Game” at the tail end of November, it will give Blake Corum more chances to climb the leaderboard. Something he’s done every passing week since going berserk for 243 rushing yards and 2 TD in the B1G opener against Maryland. He’s gone for at least 124 yards and one touchdown in all three conference matchups. Because of it, the junior running back has seen his odds go from +11250 to 20-1 in a matter of three weeks! His odds will continue to shorten if able to hang another crooked number against the supposed elite run defense of Penn State on Saturday.

Bryce Young has seen his odds of repeating as the Heisman winner get longer over the last few weeks due to injury. In his stead, Jahmyr Gibbs has balled out helping lead Alabama to wins over Arkansas and Texas A&M. The Junior running back accounted for 393 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns during that stretch to increase his seasonal output to 752 yards and 5 TD. The longer Young remains on the sideline, the more time the spotlight will be shining on No. 1. With big games lined up against @Tennessee, Mississippi State, @LSU, @Ole Miss, and Auburn the rest of the way, it’s likely his odds to win the Heisman shorten up even more than they already have (50-1 to 25-1). The last two RBs to win the award came from Alabama. Why not a third?