Heisman Hopefuls Following Week 5 of College Football
The Heisman Trophy odds have shifted dramatically from Week 5 heading into Week 6. There is a new leader at the front of the pack and some new names in the top ten. Some players saw their stock increase while others saw a steady decline.
Let’s breakdown the Heisman Hopefuls following Week 5.
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Leading the Pack
Last week we were surprised to see Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral as the Heisman front runner ahead of QB Bryce Young of Alabama. Corral did not need to beat Alabama this past weekend to maintain his lead in the race, but a closer final score would have been useful for keeping him ranked atop the leaderboard. However, Alabama won 42-21, and Young now finds himself with the best odds to win the award.
Nonetheless, if Corral performs at a high level on a consistent basis, he still could win the Heisman and upset the odds. But for now, preseason favorite Bryce Young is the guy everyone is chasing.
So this begs the question, is the pursuit of the award just a two-man race this College Football season?
Right on the Outside Looking in
The easy answer is no. There are plenty of other players who could sneak in and win the trophy.
Despite a rough loss to Oregon earlier in the season for Ohio State, they have bounced back nicely with three consecutive blowout victories. The offense is clicking, and quarterback C.J. Stroud has moved into the top five within the rankings.
Stroud is averaging over 320 passing yards per game and is looking more confident as each week goes by. He could be a real contender with Ohio State currently trending in the right direction.
Cincinnati QB Desmond Ridder has seen his stock climb following a tremendous outing in Saturday’s victory over Notre Dame. He threw for just under 300 yards in the game and tacked on three total touchdowns. He has firmly established himself as a legitimate candidate to take home the award this season.
Oklahoma’s Spencer Rattler was a preseason favorite but has been surpassed in the rankings. However, Rattler was excellent in the Sooners’ recent win over Kansas State, and their offense as a whole looked to flow more efficiently than it had all season. Perhaps, this could jumpstart Rattler, and he could make a climb up the leaderboard.
Sleepers
A couple of running backs lead the sleepers, as Ohio State’s TreVon Henderson and Texas’s Bijan Robinson have outside chances of becoming Heisman winners in 2021. Both players have been fairly equal as they both have seven touchdowns to their credit, but Robinson leads in total rushing yards while Henderson has averaged more yards per carry. We will see if either of these two can pass the quarterbacks ahead of them.
One other running back who checks in as a dark horse candidate is Alabama RB Brian Robinson JR. He was electric in Bama’s win over Ole Miss on Saturday as he had his best statline of the season so far. The redshirt senior ran for 171 yards with four touchdowns.
It was a performance he is going to remember for a long time and helped his betting odds immensely.
Updated Heisman Odds Heading Into Week 6
Here is a look at the current betting odds for the top ten front runners to win the Heisman Trophy in 2021. Odds courtesy of BetUs. Bovada and BetOnline have pretty similar odds.
- Bryce Young -105
- Matt Corral +125
- Desmon Ridder +1400
- C.J. Stroud +2500
- Spencer Rattler +1800
- Kenneth Walker III +3300
- Malik Willis +3300
- TreVon Henderson +3500
- Bijan Robinson +4000
- Brian Robinson JR +4000
Given that Bryce Young is the starting quarterback for the best team in the country, he has the best chance of winning the award. But as fans will tell you, nothing is ever certain when it comes to College Football, and anything could happen.
We will see how much these betting odds change following the conclusion of Week 6.