The 2024 college football season is really winding down, but I’ll continue diving into the Heisman Trophy odds to try and help you find some opportunities to get involved in this market — or just enjoy watching everything unfold. I’ll do that by highlighting some of the players that are trending up or down, and I’ll also look at some big games ahead on the schedule. Things are getting very interesting now. Colorado star Travis Hunter, who plays on both sides of the ball, is nearly an odds-on favorite to win. However, Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty and Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel have some time to change some minds. And Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke has a big game against Ohio State in Week 13. We still have quite a bit of football left. With all of that in mind, keep reading for my Week 12 Heisman Trophy betting market update.

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(All odds from DraftKings Sportsbook)

Heisman Trophy Odds

These are the Heisman Trophy odds going into Week 12:

  • Travis Hunter, Colorado (+130)
  • Ashton Jeanty, Boise State (+300)
  • Dillon Gabriel, Oregon (+330)
  • Cam Ward, Miami (+800)
  • Kurtis Rourke, Indiana (15-1)
  • Jalen Milroe, Alabama (18-1)
  • Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss (20-1)
  • Shedeur Sanders, Colorado (40-1)
  • Quinn Ewers, Texas (40-1)
  • Cade Klubnik, Clemson (75-1)

For the entire list of Heisman Trophy odds, go to DraftKings Sportsbook!

Trending Up: I mentioned last week was a huge week for Hunter. Texas Tech was coming off a win over Iowa State, and the Red Raiders have been good on both sides of the ball this year. Hunter showed up in a big way. The junior had nine catches for 99 yards and a touchdown, and Behren Morton barely looked in his direction when Colorado was on defense. It’s now looking like the Buffaloes will finish the season with two losses. It’s pretty incredible considering this team was once 4-2 and staring down a tough-looking schedule. If Colorado does finish with two losses, Hunter probably wins this thing. I have been thinking that Dillon Gabriel would get the nod, as he’s putting up good numbers as the quarterback of the best team in college football. But it’s pretty clear that people prefer what Hunter is doing as both a receiver and a corner. And the fact that the Buffaloes are alive in the Big 12 title race helps his case.

Rourke is the other big riser that is worth mentioning. Rourke was listed at 22-1 heading into Week 11, but he’s at 15-1 now. The Ohio transfer threw for 206 yards with two touchdowns in a win over Michigan last week, and Indiana is now two wins away from a perfect regular season. The Hoosiers are also facing Ohio State in Columbus next week. If Indiana earns a victory in Week 13, Rourke will shoot up the oddsboard. However, I have noted a few times here that Rourke’s numbers aren’t exactly Heisman worthy. So, even if he does win that game, I’m not sure it’ll be enough for him to leap Hunter, Gabriel or Jeanty.

Trending Down: I’m not sure Ward is completely done here, as he still has 3,494 yards, 32 touchdowns and only six picks this year. He also threw for 348 yards with three touchdowns and no picks against Georgia Tech last week. However, the fact that the Hurricanes lost to the Yellow Jackets means Miami is no longer undefeated. And that was a big part of the reason Ward looked like the Heisman frontrunner for such a long time. People were willing to overlook a weak Hurricanes schedule because of the fact that Miami was unblemished and sitting atop the ACC. With that no longer being the case, Hunter, Jeanty and Gabriel all have stronger resumes. But Ward could have one last shot to impress voters in the ACC Championship Game. Let’s see if the Hurricanes get there — and who they’ll be playing.

Week 12 Games With Heisman Implications

Utah at Colorado – 12:00 pm ET

Before the season started, Utah probably would have been favored by at least a touchdown in this game. However, the Utes have fallen apart without Cam Rising. The team once had College Football Playoff aspirations, but a 4-5 record now has the Utes on the brink of missing out on a bowl game. Meanwhile, Colorado has been tremendous since losing to Kansas State a couple of weeks ago. The Buffaloes are on a three-game winning streak. The wins have also been quite impressive. Colorado beat Arizona by 27 points in Tucson. The team then earned wins over solid Cincinnati and Texas Tech teams. Deion Sanders’ group is now favored by double digits over the Utes. But I still think this is a dangerous game. Utah was unable to beat BYU last week, but Brandon Rose looked like an upgrade at quarterback. The team also did a good job defensively against Jake Retzlaff and a good Cougars offense. That said, this will be another two-way test for Hunter. And I maintain that Colorado needs to win out in order for him to win the Heisman Trophy, so the Buffaloes need to come through with a victory. A stellar performance from Hunter in a loss probably won’t be enough.

Boise State at San Jose State – 7:00 pm ET

It seems like Jeanty is back in the mix after last week’s 209-yard, three-touchdown performance against Nevada. Well, he has another shot at putting up big numbers in what should be a shootout against San Jose State this weekend. If Jeanty can turn in an otherworldly performance and Colorado loses, he might be the betting favorite again heading into Week 13. However, this is actually a game in which the Broncos could be in danger of losing outright. The Spartans are a rock-solid football team. So, this should be a fun one to watch. It has Heisman Trophy implications, as well as Mountain West implications.

Oregon at Wisconsin – 7:30 pm ET

As a Wisconsin fan, I’m hesitant to call this a scary game for Oregon. I have seen some miserable performances out of the Badgers this year. However, this is a night game in a difficult road environment. Wisconsin is also a top-50 team in Dropback EPA per play (-0.035), and the team is coming off a bye week. That said, Gabriel isn’t going to go into this one and be expected to light it up. But if he can, that will really help his Heisman Trophy case. People still think highly of Wisconsin as a football program, and a road win and a big performance for Gabriel would matter to some voters. So, this is a game in which Gabriel will have a shot at turning some heads.

What’s interesting with Oregon is that it doesn’t seem like the coaching staff cares about Gabriel winning this award. Other teams will lean into it and give guys more opportunities to succeed. The Ducks are only concerned about winning games, and that’s why they’re not airing it out with Gabriel as much as possible. You can’t blame them for that. Winning is everything.

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