Each week this college football season, BetFTW will take a look at the 2023 Heisman Trophy race and break down the contenders. Check back every Tuesday as the best college football players in the country jockey for position with both oddsmakers and bettors. All odds via BetMGM. Past weeks here: Preseason, Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6.
In case you weren’t already planning on watching No. 8 Oregon at No. 7 Washington this Saturday, the matchup of elite Pac-12 teams will now feature two of the Heisman Trophy favorites with massive implications on the line.
Whoever wins the battle between Michael Penix Jr. and Bo Nix not only has the inside track on the sport’s biggest individual award, but will put their team in the lead for a College Football Playoff spot.
Meanwhile, Caleb Williams will look to boost his own resume with a trip to Notre Dame. The rest of the Heisman hopefuls just need all three to somehow stumble at once.
Let’s count them down.
10. Penn State QB Drew Allar (+6000)
(AP Photo/Barry Reeger)
Odds Last Week:
- +5000
This isn’t a knock against Allar, who is a tremendous QB, but playing against the likes of UMass this week isn’t really going to help his case unless he puts up monster numbers.
9. Texas QB Quinn Ewers, Washington State QB Cameron Ward, Notre Dame QB Sam Hartman (+5000)
(AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Odds Last Week:
- Quinn Ewers (+700)
- Cam Ward (+4000)
Oklahoma’s defense knocked Ewers to his longest Heisman odds of the season — by far. His previous low was +2000 in Week 2. This would typically be a case of buying the dip for the QB of a Texas team still likely to make the playoffs with one loss, but with no ranked teams currently remaining on the Longhorns’ schedule, it’s going to be tough to climb back up the leaderboard. Especially now that he’s thrown three interceptions over the last two games.
8. Michigan RB Blake Corum (+4000)
Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Odds Last Week:
- +5000
Corum breaks into the top 10 for the first time since Week 1. To be completely honest, it probably won’t last. Corum has rushed 83 times for 494 yards and 10 touchdowns. But Michigan hasn’t exactly played anyone yet. It also has yet to play in a game that wasn’t a complete blowout in favor of the Wolverines. If the tailback is still near the top of the leaderboard by a mid-November matchup with Penn State, he may have a legitimate chance of joining the Heisman race in earnest.
7. Georgia TE Brock Bowers, LSU QB Jayden Daniels (+3000)
Bryan Lynn-USA TODAY Sports
Odds Last Week:
- Brock Bowers (+6600)
- Jayden Daniels (+2500)
Here’s the answer to the question that just popped into your head: the last tight end to win the Heisman was Leon Hart of Notre Dame in 1949. The only other end to win the award was Yale’s Larry Kelley in 1936 — also known as the second Heisman Trophy ever awarded.
If that’s not reason enough to root for Bowers, I don’t know what is.
6. Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy (+2000)
(Photo by Ben Jackson/Getty Images)
Odds Last Week:
- No Change
McCarthy is having a good season. There’s no question about it. The junior has thrown for 1,290 yards with 11 touchdowns on three interceptions. But much like his tailback, there’s really not much we can learn about McCarthy while playing against the likes of UNLV, Bowling Green, Rutgers and Nebraska. Michigan’s schedule isn’t McCarthy’s fault, but that just means he has to show off even more than he already has to stay in the Heisman race.
5. Florida State QB Jordan Travis, North Carolina QB Drake Maye (+1600)
Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Odds Last Week:
- Jordan Travis (+1500)
- Drake Maye (+4000)
Jordan Travis returned from a (desperately-needed) bye week against Virginia Tech and completed 18 of 24 passes for 170 yards and two touchdowns. Proving he’s healthy was the biggest win for his Heisman chances. Maye, on the other hand, went wild against Syracuse with four total touchdowns and 442 yards passing.
4. Oklahoma QB Dillon Gabriel (+1200)
(Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)
Odds Last Week:
- +2000
The new King of the Big 12 now that Quinn Ewers has been knocked down a bit. Gabriel has not-so-quietly been electric this season with 1,878 yards passing, 20 total touchdowns and just two interceptions. His breakout game against Texas means he can no longer fly under the radar at all.
3. Oregon QB Bo Nix (+600)
Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
Odds Last Week:
- +800
We’ve been hearing about the Bo Nix Heisman Season potential for literal years. Now we’re seeing it. The Ducks had two weeks to prepare for Washington this Saturday. A loss won’t immediately kill Nix’s chances here, but a win likely puts him atop the leaderboard. Simply put, this is the stage we’ve been waiting to see Nix perform on.
2. USC QB Caleb Williams (+225)
Rob Schumacher/The Republic/USA TODAY
Odds Last Week:
- +175
The question is no longer whether or not Caleb Williams can go back-to-back. He’s already proven he has the talent and the stats to end up back on the stage in New York. The question is can the USC team around him do it’s part to get him back there. The Trojans keep flying closer and closer to the sun.
1. Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. (+200)
Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Odds Last Week:
- +450
No matter what happens from here, this is an incredible moment for Penix. The Huskies star has battled back from devastating injuries and is no the odds on favorite to win the Heisman. A win against Oregon this weekend and he’ll unquestionably own the best resume of any player in the sport. A loss and he’ll have plenty of work to do moving forward — not that a setback has ever slowed this man down before.
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(AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)
