Throughout the course of the 2024 college football season, we’ve been trying to find value in betting on the Heisman Trophy market. For most of the year, I have been pounding the table for Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel, who has thrown for 3,066 yards with 22 touchdowns and six picks for the top-ranked team in the nation. However, heading into last week, it was clear that Colorado two-way superstar Travis Hunter was starting to pull away. Well, heading into Week 13, Hunter is the odds-on favorite to take home the award, and it’s really not even close. Hunter doing so would snap a three-year streak of quarterbacks dominating the voting. Below, I’ll talk about why Hunter is now the leader in the clubhouse, and I’ll also dive into whether or not there’s time for anybody else to steal the top spot. However, this will be the last installment of this weekly dive into the market, as there’s a shorter list of contenders than ever. But if something massive happens, I’ll check back in with a little something.

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(All odds from DraftKings Sportsbook)

Heisman Trophy Odds

These are the Heisman Trophy odds going into Week 13:

  • Travis Hunter, Colorado (-350)
  • Ashton Jeanty, Boise State (+380)
  • Cam Ward, Miami (13-1)
  • Dillon Gabriel, Oregon (25-1)
  • Jalen Milroe, Alabama (28-1)
  • Kurtis Rourke, Indiana (30-1)
  • Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss (40-1)
  • Shedeur Sanders, Colorado (75-1)
  • Cade Klubnik, Clemson (150-1)
  • Dylan Sampson, Tennessee (150-1)

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

Travis Hunter Heisman Odds

Why the two-star is the heavy betting favorite:

Playing both sides of the ball at this level simply hasn’t been done. This season, Hunter has 74 receptions for 911 yards and nine touchdowns. He also rushed for a score in last week’s win over Utah. Hunter is an absolute stud at the wide receiver position, and he would have cleared the 1,000-yard receiving mark by now if he never got injured. Hunter is the best wide receiver for a Colorado team that has one of the most explosive passing games in the country. And Pro Football Focus currently has a receiving grade of 84.7 slapped on him, and that’s the 13th-best mark in the country. Then, on the other side of the ball, Hunter is even better. His PFF grade as a corner is 85.6, and he has three picks and eight passes defended this season. Those numbers are also lower than they should be, as opposing quarterbacks choose not to test him.

It has been said before, but there’s a Shohei Ohtani-level absurdity to the way Hunter produces on a football field. But the difference between last year and this year is that Colorado is legit. The Buffaloes have a tough game against Kansas this week, and a home game against Oklahoma State after that. But if Colorado wins out, the team will play in the Big 12 Championship Game. That means that the Buffs are a three-game winning streak away from making the College Football Playoff.

Hunter’s special two-way play also happens to be coming in a season in which none of the quarterbacks are putting together surefire Heisman-worthy seasons. If Miami was still undefeated, Ward would be right there with Hunter at the top of this race, but the Hurricanes have played a very weak schedule and weren’t able to navigate it without the hiccup against Georgia Tech. And while Gabriel is the leader of an undefeated Oregon team, he has had a couple of head-scratching duds. More on him in a bit…

Then there’s Jeanty. The running back has had an insane season for Boise State, but people weren’t thrilled with his 128-yard, one-touchdown performance in a close win over UNLV on October 25th. Also, when comparing a great wideout to a great running back, the one that also happens to be an elite corner deserves the edge.

Can anybody challenge Travis Hunter in the Heisman Trophy race?

I know Ward’s the quarterback with the most impressive numbers in college football, as he has thrown for a ridiculous 3,494 yards with 32 touchdowns and only six picks. However, Miami had a soft schedule and might not have another massive showcase game. As things stand, it looks like Mario Cristobal’s squad would take on SMU in the ACC Championship Game. A big performance in a win there likely won’t be enough for Ward to swing voters. It’s almost a shame that Clemson won’t be in that game. A huge game from Ward against a big brand like that might have been enough.

However, I do think Gabriel has a small shot. The reason I have been praising Gabriel all year is that he saved his best performance for the biggest game of the college football season. On October 12th, Gabriel threw for 341 yards with two touchdowns and no picks in a win over an exceptional Ohio State team, and he also rushed for 32 yards and a score in that one. That likely sticks with voters. It was a true “Heisman moment.” For as good as Hunter has been this year, he doesn’t have a game quite like that. Also, if Ohio State beats Indiana, Gabriel will also get another crack at the Buckeyes in the Big Ten Championship Game. If Gabriel repeats his performance on a neutral field, he might be hard to deny — even with some lackluster performances throughout the season.

Is there anything to bet the rest of the way?

There’s a 35-1 out there for Gabriel. That’s probably worth a sprinkle. He has had a great season and it isn’t crazy to think that Colorado will lose to Kansas this weekend. A Jayhawks win would make things very interesting. Then, Gabriel would have one more shot at stealing the show in the Big Ten Championship Game. But if you’re not going Gabriel, you’re probably going to want to sit on the sidelines moving forward. Jeanty and Ward have both been awesome, but this is going to come down to Hunter and Gabriel. And Gabriel needs help to leap the Colorado star.

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