What an incredible sports weekend we have in front of us.
We’ve got some marquee college football games with major postseason implications, a full NFL schedule, and the Major League Baseball playoffs whittling down its field to four.
With an outstanding college slate on tap for Saturday, I think now is a good time to take a peek at the Heisman market.
There is a new favorite to win this prestigious award, and it is the sensational Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty.
For fans old enough to remember TCU and Chargers legend LaDanian Tomlinson, Jeanty’s game is very reminiscent of LT’s. The Boise State back has already racked up more than 1,000 yards on the season, with 16 touchdowns.
Following his 186 yards, three-touchdown performance last weekend against Utah State, Jeanty is now +250 (a $10 bet pays $25 total) at DraftKings Sportsbook to win the Heisman. Two-way Colorado star Travis Hunter is +300 (a $10 bet pays $30 total).
Both candidates are certainly worthy and one of the two might win. But there is a long way to go, and these odds are not done moving.
While both Hunter and Jeanty have had incredible seasons so far, getting only a 3-1 return doesn’t entice me with so much football left to be played. And there’s also the elephant in the room regarding these odds.
Neither player is a quarterback.
I’m not saying it’s fair, but when you’re trying to predict who will win, you have to analyze the Heisman voters. This award has gone to a quarterback in seven of the last eight years and in 15 of the last 18. Will a running back playing against middling competition or a WR/CB on a team that is favored to lose four or five games break that trend? I’m not sure.
Instead, I’d rather go with history and find a QB deeper down the board, and get more bang for my buck while I’m at it.
Ashton Jeanty & Jalen Milroe in Klatt’s updated Heisman top 5 candidates
I like Georgia quarterback Carson Beck at 25-1. His one blemish this season is a loss to Alabama. But even in defeat, he threw for 438 yards and led his team to a go-ahead score late in the fourth quarter in Tuscaloosa.
The other bright side of that loss is that it came in September — early enough to potentially be washed away by a strong finish to the season.
Beck has 13 TDs and three INTs so far and has ample opportunity in the coming weeks to earn an invite to New York as a finalist for the Heisman ceremony. Next week, Georgia visits top-ranked Texas, and later in the season, Georgia also plays powerhouses Ole Miss and Tennessee.
The Dawgs might face another marquee opponent in the SEC Championship Game, if they earn a spot in that matchup. If Georgia wins all of those games, it will likely do so because of strong play from Beck, and he will be on center stage for voters with a real chance to earn consideration for this award.
Again, it’s a long season, and final impressions matter more than fast starts. And the reality is that quarterbacks are usually the ones who take home the Heisman.
Beck at 25-1 is a good bet.
Will Hill, a contributor on the Bears Bets Podcast, has been betting on sports for over a decade. He is a betting analyst who has been a host on VSiN, as well as the Goldboys Network.
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