Each week, I’ll be diving into the Heisman Trophy odds to try and help you find some in-season opportunities to get involved in this market. I’ll do that by highlighting some of the players that are trending up or down. Last week, Cam Ward, Jaxson Dart and Travis Hunter really helped themselves, and I’ll get into that in a bit. I’ll also look at some of the biggest games of the week when it comes to Heisman implications, and this week’s meeting between Georgia and Alabama might be the biggest of the season. On top of that, I’ll also throw out some other players to watch, even if their paths to winning the Heisman might be a little unrealistic. With all of that in mind, keep reading for my Week 5 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 5:

  • Cam Ward, Miami (+450)
  • Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss (+500)
  • Jalen Milroe, Alabama (+700)
  • Nico Iamaleava, Tennessee (+950)
  • Dillon Gabriel, Oregon (10-1)
  • Carson Beck, Georgia (14-1)
  • Quinn Ewers, Texas (15-1)
  • Will Howard, Ohio State (20-1)
  • Ashton Jeanty, Boise State (20-1)
  • Travis Hunter, Colorado (25-1)

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

Trending Up: Some of the risers from Week 4 to Week 5 were Cam Ward, Jaxson Dart and Travis Hunter. Ward faced a solid South Florida team and threw for 404 yards with three touchdowns and only one pick. He also rushed for 43 yards. It was a big-time performance in a lopsided 50-15 win for Miami. Dart also put on a show, throwing for 382 yards with four touchdowns and only one pick in a 52-13 win over Georgia Southern. He leads the nation in passing yards, and he also has the second-highest completion percentage in college football. Meanwhile, Hunter turned in another monstrous two-way performance for Colorado. He caught seven passes for 130 yards against Baylor, and he also forced the game-winning fumble in overtime — which was only played because the Buffaloes converted a Hail Mary from the 49-yard line as time expired in regulation.

Trending Down: Jackson Arnold and Avery Johnson were two popular dark horses heading into the season, but they both did themselves in last week. Arnold threw a pick and lost two fumbles in a terrible performance against Tennessee, and he ended up getting benched for Michael Hawkins Jr. Hawkins then proceeded to play extremely well the rest of the game. Meanwhile, Johnson completely lost his way against BYU. In a tough road environment, Johnson completed just 15 of his 28 passes for 130 yards. He also threw for zero touchdowns and got picked twice. People loved Johnson as a dual-threat quarterback for a team with sneaky College Football Playoff aspirations, but it’ll be hard for him to overcome that performance.

It’s also hard not to consider Arch Manning as a guy that is heading in the wrong direction. Manning led Texas to a 51-3 win over Louisiana Monroe last week, but Steve Sarkisian said that Quinn Ewers is questionable heading into this week’s meeting with Mississippi State. Manning’s Heisman hopes are gone once Ewers is ready to go.

Week 5’s Biggest Games

Virginia Tech at Miami – Friday, September 27th at 7:30 pm ET

Virginia Tech has been extremely disappointing this season. I was all over the Hokies to go Over their regular-season win total. It’s only Week 5 of the college football season and that bet looks shot. However, this is still one of the tougher games on Miami’s schedule this season, so it’ll be interesting to see what Cam Ward does. Virginia Tech is 41st in the nation in Dropback EPA per play allowed (-0.042), meaning this is the best passing defense that Ward has seen this season. And the Hokies have multiple corners that will be playing on Sundays in the near future.

Georgia at Alabama – Saturday, September 28th at 7:30 pm ET

This is one of the biggest games of the entire college football season, and it could shape the way we look at the College Football Playoff field later in the year. It also has massive Heisman Trophy implications.

While I don’t personally see it with Carson Beck, he is sixth on the oddsboard and many believe he’s a contender to win this award. It also seems like Beck is the favorite to be the top quarterback selected in the 2025 NFL Draft. Well, let’s see what Beck can do against an Alabama team that is first in college football in Dropback EPA per play allowed (-0.204).

As for Jalen Milroe, it’s hard not to see him as a legitimate threat to win this thing. Milroe has thrown for 590 yards with eight touchdowns and no picks this season, and he has also rushed for 156 yards and six touchdowns. His performance against Wisconsin in Madison was especially impressive. However, this is the big one for Milroe. Georgia is eighth in the nation in EPA per play allowed (-0.149), has future pros at every level of the defense and will continue to be elite as long as Kirby Smart is around. Both of these teams also happen to be coming off bye weeks. That obviously helps Milroe quite a bit, but it also means more time for Georgia to dive into the tape to look at this new Alabama offense. If Milroe can overcome all of that and put up decent numbers in a victory, this might become his award to lose.

Illinois at Penn State – Saturday, September 28th at 7:30 pm ET

This game isn’t as big as some of the others this week, but we’re going to learn something about Drew Allar (35-1) and the Penn State offense. The Illini are 35th in the country in EPA per play allowed (-0.060) and they’re 45th against the pass (-0.110). So, let’s see how Allar looks against a competent group. As of right now, Penn State is third in the nation in Dropback EPA per play (0.233) and Allar has thrown for 729 yards with eight touchdowns and only one pick. He’s looking like a much better quarterback with Andy Kotelnicki calling the shots, and he’s a player to keep an eye on moving forward.

Washington State at Boise State – Saturday, September 28th at 10:00 pm ET

If you’re looking for something to watch late at night, turn this game on. This is going to be a high-scoring affair that features two under-the-radar Heisman names. Washington State’s John Mateer is now 50-1 after throwing for 390 yards with four touchdowns and also rushing for 111 yards and a score in a win over San Jose State last week. His numbers are off the charts and he’s finally getting some respect in the market. Mateer is also going up against a Boise State defense that has been awful this year. However, this is also a great matchup for Ashton Jeanty, who is second in the nation in rushing yards and tied for second in rushing touchdowns. Jeanty is the bell cow for a Boise State team that has a shot at being the Group of Five representative in the College Football Playoff. So, he’s a player to watch moving forward, but this week is a big one. A good performance against an undefeated Cougars team can help his chances.

Players To Watch

Cade Klubnik (45-1): Klubnik’s performance against Georgia in Week 1 was disgusting. He threw for 142 yards with no touchdowns and an interception in a 34-3 loss in that game, and it seemed like he was dead in the water in the Heisman race. Since then, Klubnik has thrown for eight touchdowns with no picks, and he has also rushed for another three. Clemson is averaging 62.5 points per game over the last two games, and Klubnik’s play is a big reason for that.

With Clemson likely to be favored in every game the rest of the season, Klubnik is now somewhat interesting at 45-1 — and even more interesting at 150-1 (which is actually out there). If the Tigers go 11-1 and win the ACC, Klubnik could very well win this thing. It’ll just be interesting to see how that Georgia game impacts the way we look at his season. The ACC is the worst of the Power Four conferences. Will voters care if he lights up inferior competition?

It’s also hard to find a Heisman winner that turned in a stinker quite like Klubnik did in Week 1. You’d have to go all the way back to Johnny Manziel’s game against LSU in 2012. Manziel threw for 276 yards in that game, but he didn’t throw for a single touchdown and he also threw three interceptions.

KJ Jefferson (80-1): I know a lot of people like long shots in markets like these. Unfortunately, it seems pretty unlikely that somebody with extremely long odds will win the award. The biggest names are playing too well. However, a lot of people liked Jefferson heading into the season, and I’m a little surprised he’s still out there at 80-1 — and 100-1 at one shop. Jefferson is coming off a big performance against TCU, as he threw for 230 yards with three touchdowns and no picks, and he also rushed for 46 yards. That was a huge comeback win over a Big 12 opponent.

Jefferson is still an electric dual-threat quarterback and is playing in a Gus Malzahn offense that highlights that skill set. That’s why people liked him before the year, and I don’t see why anyone jumped off. That said, until UCF loses a game, it’s hard to completely rule out Jefferson in this market.

Jefferson also gets Colorado and Florida in his next two games. Those are two high-profile matchups against teams with miserable defenses. His odds could look very different heading into Week 7.

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