Week 10 provided Lamar Jackson and his teammates another chance to make a statement and Louisville certainly delivered with a lopsided 52-7 win over Boston College. Jackson delivered another outstanding performance while pushing the Cardinals back in to the playoff conversation and solidifying his status as the unquestioned favorite to win this year’s Heisman trophy award. Here is a look at the updated Heisman trophy favorites according to the sports betting odds heading in to Week 11 of the college football season.
QB: Lamar Jackson, Louisville
Heisman Trophy Odds: -1400
Jackson threw for 231 passing yards and ran for 185 rushing yards with seven total touchdowns in only three quarters of play before sitting out the fourth quarter of Louisville’s blowout win over the Eagles. The sophomore quarterback now has 26 passing touchdowns and 19 rushing touchdowns, which means his 45 total scores are more than 60 different teams recorded on offense last season. The Cardinals got some help in the playoff picture when Texas A&M lost to Mississippi State and at this point Jackson will be almost impossible to beat in terms of the Heisman trophy voting with his odds to win the award shifting from -450 to -1400 this week.
QB: Deshaun Watson, Clemson
Heisman Trophy Odds: +1400
Watson remains in the conversation based on his overall body of work while leading Clemson to a 9-0 record including wins over some tough competition but the reality is his numbers weren’t very impressive in a 54-0 win over Syracuse. Watson completed 13-of-16 pass attempts for 169 yards and two touchdowns and while his overall body of work this season is fairly impressive it still pales in comparison to what Jackson has accomplished heading in to Week 11.
QB: Jake Browning, Washington
Heisman Trophy Odds: +1600
Browning continued to impress in last week’s 66-27 win over Cal as he completed 19-of-28 passes for 378 yards and six touchdowns. Browning is now the nation’s top-rated passer as he has thrown for 2,273 yards and 34 touchdowns with only three interceptions while leading the Huskies to a perfect 9-0 start. Browning will need a strong finish and a lot of help in terms of Jackson really struggling down the stretch in order to have a shot at the Heisman but he has certainly put himself in the conversation through the first 10 weeks of the season. Washington has been a team that has been overlooked many times but they are now in position to make some serious noise and that could lead to Browning winning the Heisman Trophy.
S: Jabrill Peppers, Michigan
Heisman Trophy Odds: +1600
Peppers remains the lone non-quarterback on this list following another strong performance in Michigan’s 59-3 win over Maryland last week. Peppers played six different positions while returning kicks and punts against the Terrapins and he finished with five tackles, one tackle for a loss and he was on the field as a wildcat quarterback for a trick-play touchdown. Peppers’ versatility has put him in a class of his own but it will be very difficult for him to actually win the Heisman trophy playing at a position other than quarterback. However, this all depends on how far Michigan goes. If they go to the CFP and win it all, Peppers could be elevated to Lamar Jackson’s level.
QB: J.T. Barrett, Ohio State
Heisman Trophy Odds: +6600
Barrett remained on the Heisman radar after completing 26-of-38 passes for 290 yards and four touchdowns in a 62-3 win over Nebraska last week. Barrett has completed 64.5-percent of his passes for 1,965 yards and 21 touchdowns while rushing for another six scores on the ground. Those numbers pale in comparison with what Jackson has accomplished so far this season but he Barrett is still the biggest reason why Ohio State is 8-1 and still in contention for a Big Ten championship and a spot in the College Football Playoff. The main different for Barrett and the Buckeyes is that they still have a reasonable shot to win it all. If they can beat Michigan and qualify for the CFP, then manage to win a game or win both, the team’s resume could be stronger than Louisville’s. And if Barrett is the main reason for that success, he’ll move the ranks.
