It’s already time to start thinking about Week 2 of the college football season, which means we have some performances to dissect when looking at the Heisman Trophy market. Last week, some of the big names put up huge numbers, including Jaxson Dart, Jalen Milroe and Cam Ward. However, there were also some good outings from some of the players that sat a little lower on the oddsboard heading into the season. With that in mind, let’s get into all of that below. Each week, I’ll look at some of the players that are trending up or down in the Heisman Trophy market, and that should help you find some value when looking for in-season opportunities to get involved.

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(All odds from DraftKings Sportsbook)

Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss (Week 1: 14-1 / Week 2: +850)

After throwing for 2,985 yards with 20 touchdowns and only five picks, while also rushing for 377 yards and seven scores, last season, Dart was a popular pick to win the Heisman Trophy this year. Well, the senior is off to a hot start this season. Dart threw for 418 yards with five touchdowns and no picks in a 76-0 beatdown of Furman. He also rushed for 27 yards and a touchdown.

Dart’s odds likely won’t be any more favorable in the near future. Ole Miss gets Middle Tennessee, Wake Forest and Georgia Southern over the next three games. Dart should light up all three of those defenses.

Cam Ward, Miami (Week 1: 15-1 / Week 2: +950)

A lot of people were excited about what the Washington State transfer would do at Miami this year, and he didn’t disappoint in his first game with the Hurricanes. Ward threw for 385 yards with three touchdowns and only one pick as Miami beat Florida 41-17 as a 2.5-point road favorite. Ward made big throws whenever his team needed him to, and he also had a big 24-yard run on Miami’s first touchdown drive of the game. Florida’s defense was a disaster last season, but people are expecting the group to be better this year. So, that was quite the performance from Ward, who now looks like a real contender to win this award.

Ward’s numbers are going to continue to look impressive over the next couple of weeks. Miami faces Florida A&M, Ball State and South Florida over the next three games. Those are real stat-padding opportunities for Ward and the rest of this Hurricanes offense.

Jalen Milroe, Alabama (Week 1: 14-1 / Week 2: 11-1)

Like Dart, Milroe is another player that received a lot of love in the Heisman market before the year. People are excited about what he’s going to do in Kalen DeBoer’s offense. If Week 1 is any indication, Milroe is going to cook. Against Western Kentucky, Milroe went 7 for 9 for 200 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. He also rushed for 79 yards and two scores. DeBoer clearly realizes that Milroe throws one of the best deep balls in college football, as the game plan called for quite a few designer shots down the field. He also heavily utilized Milroe’s legs.

The next couple of weeks will give us a better idea of what to expect from Milroe, as Alabama will face Wisconsin and Georgia after this week’s meeting with South Florida. One approach you can take with Milroe is waiting until after the Georgia game to grab him. There’s a decent chance he’ll struggle to put up big numbers against that elite Kirby Smart defense. However, that could also come back to burn you. If Alabama wins that game and moves to 4-0, this award could suddenly be Milroe’s to lose.

Nico Iamaleava, Tennessee (Week 1: 15-1 / Week 2: 12-1)

Iamaleava had four total touchdowns in Tennessee’s 35-0 win over Iowa in last year’s bowl game. That got the hype train going for this special talent. Iamaleava is a 6-foot-6 dual-threat quarterback that can really throw the football, making him a dream fit for Josh Heupel’s high-octane offense. Hendon Hooker had a similar skill set and turned in a Heisman-worthy season a few years ago. Well, Iamaleava might be better than Hooker already, so you’re going to want to check him out before it’s too late.

In Week 1, Iamaleava threw for 314 yards with three touchdowns and no picks in a 69-3 win over Chattanooga. That type of performance was expected against that caliber of opponent, but this might be your last chance to get Iamaleava with a double-digit payout. Tennessee is playing a solid opponent in NC State this week, and a good performance there would really put Iamaleava on the map. He’d then have the opportunity to build on that with a meeting with Kent State. Iamaleava should put up astronomical numbers against the Golden Flashes.

Miller Moss, USC (Week 1: 35-1 / Week 2: 22-1)

We all know what Lincoln Riley can do for quarterbacks. He has coached three Heisman Trophy winners in his young head coaching career. Well, Riley just might have an outside shot at adding a fourth. I tried to tell people to jump on Moss in our 2024 VSiN College Football Betting Guide, and to quote the great Saul Silver (from the critically acclaimed Pineapple Express), “the monkey’s out of the bottle.” In a standalone game on national television, Moss threw for 378 yards and a touchdown in a 27-20 win over LSU. Moss was dropping dimes all throughout the game, but none were bigger than his 20-yard strike to Kyron Hudson to set up Woody Marks’ game-winning touchdown with eight seconds left.

Moss is now firmly on the map and will have plenty of big matchups to make his claim for this award in the Big Ten. This week, Moss should rack up big numbers against Utah State. After that, a road game against Michigan awaits. If Moss can play well in a competitive game in Ann Arbor, he’ll jump to the top of the oddsboard.

Drew Allar, Penn State (Week 1: 45-1 / Week 2: 28-1)

Allar put up some good numbers in 2023. He threw for 23 touchdowns with only one interception, and he also rushed for four scores. However, everybody agreed that Penn State’s offense was missing something, including James Franklin. So, Franklin went out and hired one of the top offensive minds in former Kansas offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki. The Nittany Lions are now hoping Allar can take his game to another level, and he certainly looked a lot better in Week 1. Allar went 11 for 17 and threw for 216 yards with three touchdowns and no picks in a huge road win over a feisty West Virginia team. Allar also rushed for 44 yards in the game.

Penn State’s offense just looked a lot more dangerous in Kotelnicki’s Nittany Lions debut. Players were streaking down the field with little resistance, and Allar was accurately putting it on his pass catchers. There’s now a little hope that Allar can live up to his big-time potential, and he just might be live in this award race. Look for Allar to put up big numbers over the next two weeks, as he faces Bowling Green and Kent State. He’ll then open up Big Ten play against Illinois, and a date with UCLA follows that. Penn State should be 5-0 and Allar should have gaudy numbers heading into a road game against USC on October 12th.

Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona (Week 1: 120-1 / Week 2: 65-1)

I wouldn’t personally suggest playing a position player to win the Heisman Trophy. This is really a quarterback award now, and the only player that I can see changing that is Travis Hunter because he plays both sides of the ball. But McMillan absolutely has to be mentioned this week, as he nearly sliced his Heisman odds in half by going for 10 catches, 304 yards and four touchdowns in Arizona’s 61-39 win over New Mexico.

There’s no denying that McMillan was going up against a weak defense. New Mexico had just lost to FCS Montana State in Week 0. However, the chemistry between McMillan and quarterback Noah Fifita is very real, and Arizona is going to be involved in a lot of shootouts this year. So, don’t be surprised if McMillan continues to put up some eye-popping numbers, and he might turn in another video game performance against Northern Arizona this week. But if you do want to get something down on McMillan, you might want to turn to the Biletnikoff Award market (if you can find it).

Dillon Gabriel, Oregon (Week 1: +600 / Week 2: +800)

Gabriel’s odds dropped after Oregon struggled to defeat Idaho in Week 1. However, this might be a bit of an overreaction. Gabriel still threw for 380 yards with two touchdowns and no picks in the game, and that’s all that we’ll remember at the end of the year. Gabriel also has a great opportunity to put himself back in higher standing this week. Oregon will be taking on Boise State in Eugene, and the Broncos are one of the favorites to be the Group of Five representative in the College Football Playoff.

Realistically, all that matters for Gabriel is that Oregon is 5-0 heading into a meeting with Ohio State on October 12th. If he leads the Ducks to a win in that game, this will be his award to lose. That’s why I went a little bigger on Gabriel than anybody else when betting this market. It’s going to be hard for anybody else to win this award if Oregon wins that Ohio State game.

Conner Weigman, Texas A&M (Week 1: 30-1 / Week 2: 65-1)

Weigman wasn’t a popular pick to win the Heisman Trophy, but he’s viewed as a future NFL quarterback and he’s now operating an offense led by Collin Klein. Klein did big things as the play caller at Kansas State, so people were excited about Weigman running the show in his system. But Weigman was a nightmare in Texas A&M’s Week 1 loss to Notre Dame, completing just 12 of his 30 attempts for 100 yards. He also threw two interceptions and didn’t throw for a single score.

Barring an outrageous remainder of the season, Weigman might be out of the Heisman picture already. Perhaps that changes if Texas A&M still finds a way to win nine games and sneak into the College Football Playoff. But that offensive performance against the Fighting Irish makes it hard to envision that happening.

Cade Klubnik, Clemson (Week 1: 50-1 / Week 2: 120-1)

Klubnik needed to do something in Clemson’s meeting with Georgia in Week 1, but he was just 18 for 29 for 142 yards and threw an interception. The Tigers also scored only three points in the 31-point blowout loss. Clemson should have much better days ahead, as the rest of the schedule is much easier. However, voters will remember this stinker when deciding whether or not Klubnik deserves consideration. And that’s assuming that Klubnik even puts up Heisman-worthy numbers moving forward, which doesn’t seem likely. Klubnik hasn’t had many big games since becoming Clemson’s starter, and this offense just doesn’t look nearly as explosive as it needs to be.

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