Heisman Trophy Stock Up, Stock Down: Don’t Nix These Odds

There will be no opportunity for Heisman hopefuls like Daniels and Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. to impress the voters this week as their teams did not qualify for the conference championship games.

When looking at the best college football teams, Michigan (+185) and Georgia (+200), lead the way with the best odds of winning the 2023 NCAA football championship as it is clear that there is little correlation between having the best chance to win the title and having the Heisman Trophy winner.

The Heisman Trophy winner will be announced on Dec. 9. The finalists should be revealed next week.

Here’s a look at the latest edition of the Heisman risers and fallers of the 2023 season heading into the final week of the regular season

Nix, Daniels Leading the Odds

Daniels and Nix are first and second among Football Bowl Subdivision players in quarterback rating.

Nix has a higher completion percentage (78.6 to 72.2) and more passing yards (3,906 to 3,812) while Daniels has the edge in touchdown passes (40 to 37), yards per attempt (11.7), quarterback rating (208.0 to 189.8) and touchdowns responsible for (50 to 43).

Nix has the edge in another area as he gets to lead Oregon against Washington in the Pac-12 title game while Daniels’ LSU team failed to reach the SEC title contest.

Nix is currently priced at -130 to win the Heisman Trophy by the college football betting lines with Daniels not far behind at +110.

That Kid Is…
The Ultimate Competitor | 100% Committed | A Leader | Electric

A four-part series debuts this week on Jayden Daniels, the best player in college football.https://t.co/UuefLCpYBe pic.twitter.com/xM8B8Isv9G

— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) November 27, 2023

Don’t Forget About Penix

The other quarterback in the Pac-12 game is still in the running for the Heisman Trophy. However, Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. has some work to do.

Penix hasn’t exactly been lighting it up in the last couple of games.

In a two-point win over Oregon State and a three-point win against Washington State, Penix was 31-for-51 for 366 passing yards to go with four touchdown passes and one interception.

He’ll have a chance to make a statement against Oregon on Friday, with the winner of the game likely securing one of the four spots in the College Football Playoff field.

Penix has seen his Heisman odds go from +300 to +1600 in the last two weeks.

Non-Quarterbacks Need Not Apply

It seems that the only thing that Ohio State star Marvin Harrison Jr. has done wrong in his quest to win the Heisman Trophy is not play quarterback.

In his last two games against ranked opponents, Harrison has 16 catches for 280 yards and two touchdowns.

Even with 118 yards on five catches against Michigan, he is currently at +15000 in the odds of winning the Heisman Trophy.

Harrison has touchdowns in eight straight games but is little more than an afterthought in the Heisman race.

He has company as LSU’s Malik Nabers leads the nation with 1,546 receiving yards to go along with the most plays from scrimmage of at least 10, 20 and 30 yards. Good luck finding him among the Heisman candidates.

Oklahoma State‘s Ollie Gordon is another non-quarterback undervalued in the Heisman race. The nation’s leading rusher saw his Heisman hopes end when he was held to 25 yards in a 45-3 loss to UCF.

Williams, USC Come Up Short

With five losses in the last six games, reigning Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams didn’t exactly put a stamp on the Heisman race.

USC was thought to be a contender for the national title but a defense that allowed 48, 34, 52, 36 and 38 points in the five losses ended those hopes – even though the NCAA football predictions had Williams as the player to beat in the Heisman Trophy race coming into the season.

Williams has completed 68.6% of his passes for 3,633 yards with 30 touchdown passes and just five interceptions. He also ran for 11 touchdowns but that is not going to get him much love from the Heisman voters.

It remains to be seen if Williams plays in USC’s bowl game.

More Love for SEC Quarterbacks

While Daniels won’t be playing in the SEC Championship Game, Alabama’s Jalen Milroe and Carson Beck of Georgia will be taking part in the game.

Both first-year starters, Beck has completed 72.4% of his passes for 3495 yards. However, only 22 touchdown passes hurt his Heisman odds.

Milroe had one of the plays of the college football season as his 31-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-goal from the 31 kept Alabama from suffering a loss to Auburn that would have knocked the Crimson Tide out of the national championship picture.

Milroe has completed 66.4% of his passes for 2526 yards with 21 touchdowns and six interceptions. He also ran for 12 touchdowns.

Both Beck and Milroe are priced at +15000 in the Heisman Trophy odds.

Matchup of the Week

• Game: Oregon Ducks vs Washington Huskies
• Location: Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, NV
• Date/TimeFriday, Dec. 1, 8 p.m. ET (ABC)

There hasn’t been a Pac-12 team in the College Football Playoff field since the 2016 Washington team.

That figures to change as the winner of the Washington-Oregon game could secure one of the four spots.

Undefeated Washington is in better shape than a one-loss Oregon team, but a win over the Huskies might be enough to get the Ducks into the CFP field. Our sportsbook currently has Oregon listed as the 9½-point favorite.

Questions Of The Day