Don’t let the odds fool you. The Heisman race has no clear favorite as we enter October.
Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe is up to +200 at BetMGM to win the award after a big first half in the Crimson Tide’s win over Georgia in Week 5. Milroe accounted for four of Alabama’s five touchdowns in the victory while throwing for two scores, including the game-winning 75-yard touchdown pass of the game to Ryan. Williams, and also ran for two touchdowns.
Milroe has thrown or run for 18 touchdowns in four games. Only Miami’s Cam Ward is responsible for more, but he has played one more game than Milroe so far this season. Milroe currently completes 73% of his passes and averages over 11 yards per attempt. If those numbers hold up throughout the season, he will likely win the Heisman.
But Alabama is only a third of the way through its regular-season schedule. The Alabama-Georgia matchup would always position the winning quarterback as the Heisman favorite unless he had a bad game. Milroe’s position at the top of the board makes sense and is deserved. But your odds are probably too low right now.
A player like Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty is much more enticing at +1000. The junior running back’s stats are still absurd. Jeanty rushed 82 times for 845 yards and 13 touchdowns in Boise State’s first four games. Not only is he averaging over 10 yards per carry, but he’s going for a ridiculous 15.3 yards per carry in the fourth quarter.
Jeanty rushed 26 times for 259 yards and four touchdowns in Boise State’s Week 5 win over Washington State. He’s at a disadvantage for the Heisman because he doesn’t play in a power conference, but his profile will grow if he keeps getting a first down every time he touches the ball and has touchdown runs like this one.
There are a few other players who are also on the list, even if their odds are relatively high at the moment. Here are three more players we’ll be keeping an eye on in Week 6.
Clemson QB Cade Klubnik: It’s not Clemson’s fault that Saturday’s game against Florida State doesn’t mean as much as we thought at the beginning of the season. Klubnik has bounced back nicely from a rough start to the season against Georgia with 16 total touchdowns in five games. Klubnik is completing 67% of his passes and averaging a career-high 8.9 yards per pass after throwing for just 6.3 yards per attempt in 2023. If Clemson’s offense keeps clicking, Klubnik will put up big numbers.
Carson Beck, Georgia quarterback: The Georgia quarterback’s odds have dropped to +3000 after his three-interception performance against the Crimson Tide. But there is still plenty of time for Beck to become one of the favorites again. Auburn should provide a great rebound opportunity for a frustrated Georgia team and the Bulldogs still have games against Texas and Ole Miss remaining. Until Georgia is out of the playoffs, don’t count Beck out.
Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State WR: A true freshman will not win the Heisman. But Smith would be the player if a freshman wins the award. He was overshadowed a bit by Ryan Williams and his incredible game against Georgia, but Smith made two one-handed catches on a drive in the Buckeyes’ blowout win over Michigan State. Smith has 19 catches for 364 yards and five touchdowns so far in four games and will be the receiver opposing defenses will try to take away from him as Big Ten play continues.