Before Week 6 kicks off, Thor Nystrom breaks down his thoughts on the current Heisman Betting Odds and Picks:
Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe became the betting favorite for the Heisman Trophy at +175 after the Tide's 41-34 win over No. 1 Georgia last weekend. Even so, the top of the Heisman betting odds board is crowded with contenders, from QBs Cam Ward (Miami) and Dillon Gabriel (Oregon) to standout RB Ashton Jeanty (Boise State) and two-way star Travis Hunter (Colorado).
In this week's Betting Life podcast, Claudia Bellofatto noted that Milroe became the frontrunner after Alabama's huge win over Georgia but asks the question: With Travis Hunter making his way up the board and putting up such ridiculous numbers on both sides of the ball (including an interception last weekend), is the Colorado two-way man a consideration for Heisman betting at +750?
Heisman Betting Odds: Favorites and Best Bets
First of all, let me say I love Travis Hunter. And if it was me voting on it at the end of the season, as long as Travis Hunter stays healthy, I think I would be voting for Travis Hunter … You look at the advanced analytics, on the wins-added metrics, stuff like that.
With Hunter, you get it on both sides of the field. And then you're also seeing these game-flipping plays he has — the forced fumble and all this sort of stuff, interception in this game, once again, putting up bazooka numbers. He's top-10 in the country in both receiving yards and receptions.
But still, and I hope they prove me wrong because I don't agree with this personally, I just think this is the way it is: I find it hard to believe that a non-quarterback on a team that does not make the College Football Playoff will be given the Heisman.
I mean, Charles Woodson as an example: That was a really good team that he was on. And unless you believe that Colorado can get into or at least play in the Big 12 championship, whether it is outright, get into that College Football Playoff, that's where I think he starts to lose it — even if he deserves it as the most valuable player in college football, which isn't the definition of the award anyway.
Milroe, of course, deserves to become the favorite. The other one that was interesting, as far as the shake-up of the board, was Ashton Jeanty going nuts again — his statistics are absolutely dumb. He's now 11-to-1 again, and we'll see if this is an outlier year, because it does feel like it's wide open here. But I just don't see how — when this award has not gone to running backs, in looking back in the chunk of recent history of the data that we have before this — the voters for the Heisman award are going to give this to a G5 running back. So I'm still out on that one.
Value Bet for Heisman Entering Week 6
I have to say it again: My value pick again is Dillon Gabriel at 16-to-1. It's a quarterback on a team where he's going to put up the stats all season.
I think Oregon is obviously going to make the College Football Playoff. He hasn't had his moment yet, but they have big games coming up. That would remain my value bet in the Heisman market.
The reason we talk about these shifts in the future markets is because you want to try and go against the grain if you can, like with Dillon Gabriel, who's making his way down the board now at 16-to-1. So that looks like a good play.
I still might sprinkle a bit on Travis Hunter, right? Because if it does go against the script, he is the player that's going to get it, and you have all these sharp betters and oddsmakers to that degree moving him up the board. So that should say something.
