2024 Heisman Trophy Odds and Picks: The Longshots, Best Bets, and More
This is a transcription from our Betting Life Show from Aug. 29 featuring Thor Nystrom and The Athletic's Austin Mock. You can watch the full preview show here.
Thor: If you were to pick one guy who wins the Heisman this year, who is it?
Austin: I hate to pick the favorite, but Dillon Gabriel. I don't think there's a guy I'm super excited about in terms of this market. I'd like Oregon to get to that 10-2 mark.
I think we are going to see a the market — the Heisman voting process — step back a little. LSU didn't make the playoff last year, but it was always seemed like, “who's the best quarterback on the best team?” I think we might see a little pullback from that now as more teams are making the postseason, but I think Gabriel — that offense is going to work. They're going to have easy throws for him to make, they have athletes. So I think he's the safest one.
Carson Beck? I don't know if George is going to throw enough.
Quinn Ewers? I don't know if I'm in love with Texas.
Jaxson Dart? I think Oregon's gonna be a better team.
It pains me that it's the favorite, but I just don't love the rest of the top 10 in the Heisman market.
Thor: I think the market is correct on this. Gabriel did not open as the favorite for the Heisman, but quickly was bet there by the sharks in the water.
The consensus line on Gabriel's Heisman odds is +638 (Carson Beck's consensus in our odds tool is +788). And you have big discrepancies here — BetMGM, we have +600. FanDuel, we only have +500 for Gabriel — that's pretty crazy for the preseason. But then on Caesars, we have +900. DraftKings is another +600.
I say this all the time, so I'm going to be beating a dead horse again, but shop around and give yourself multiple outs before the season.
It's just like shopping at the supermarket. You know, the more often you buy the thing that that's less money, the more money you're going to have in your pocket at the end. Same thing with betting. Shopping around for the lines with Gabriel, you would want to go to Caesars and get the +900 — you're getting three to one better than any other odds out there right now.
Let's say I'm out there and I don't want to bet the favorite. I want to spread my my bankroll between maybe three long shot guys, where — if one of them hits — we get the big payout further down the board. Who do you like in the Heisman race?
Austin: The first names that pop up, down outside the top 10, which isn't too far, are Jackson Arnold and Miller Moss. Their schedules are so hard. But I think Oklahoma has a chance to surprise some people. I'm reading into it a little bit. I don't think Oklahoma allows Gabriel to leave if they don't think they have at least something solid in Jackson Arnold.
With Miller Moss — like Lincoln Riley, who's the worst quarterback Lincoln Riley's ever had since he's been a head coach? I feel like he has a good shot. It's just the schedule. Are they going to get the wins, to have the team success? You have to get the nine wins. And I think definitely for USC, that's a tough, tough task.
Do you think there's a non-quarterback option down the list? Ollie Gordon's at 58-1.
Thor: This year, no — and in general, no. So few outside of quarterback have done it. So when I'm hunting, thinking about the Heisman market, and then also going further down the board and trying to find sleepers, I'm trying to get them into criteria in my head, which is essentially, now that we've switched over to a new playoff era — I think you need to just get into the playoff to win the Heisman, and we'll see if I end up being proven wrong on that.
I'm looking for quarterbacks on teams where they have a shot to make the playoff, even if it's a long shot. If the odds that the guy could win the Heisman are longer than the theoretical odds that I think his team could surprise and get into the college football playoff? By definition, in some ways, you're getting some +EV there, especially because in those cases, the guy gets the narrative behind him, pulling the whole team up in some ways, like Daniels did last year, playing with this terrible defense.
I have three different names for you.
First of all, Jaxson Dart is worth a look right now on the consensus odds board at Fantasy Life, he's +1325, so you're getting a little bit better than 13-1 on Jackson Dart. I think Ole Miss is making the playoff. And if Ole Miss makes the playoff, Jaxson Dart is going to be at that ceremony. 9-3 might be enough for Ole Miss.
The next, at 14-1 Cam Ward. I like Miami this year. Whatever you think about Cristobal, and I'm not going to argue with anyone, whatever their thoughts are about Cristobal — he has literally given away games in the recent past because of coaching decisions. I get it, but the guy knows how to recruit — not only high school, but in the portal, and this year, he particularly went hog wild in the portal. And one thing I don't think you can argue is that Miami has the most offensive firepower in the ACC. I don't think it's particularly close. Ward has the three stud receivers on that team. He also is playing next to Damien Martinez, the stud from Oregon State. They are always good in the trenches, Mario Cristobal teams. They have a clear path to winning the ACC, especially with Florida State looking like they did. So Cam Ward, 14-1, is an interesting one for me.
Then Connor Weigman is at almost 29-1. He Is my NFL draft sleeper. I thought he was going to be just my sleeper heading into the season, but then I saw a bunch of other guys either putting him in the first round, mocking him there, or talking about him in the same way I see him.
I was the JJ McCarthy guy last year. I love JJ McCarthy. There are some stylistic similarities there with Weigman. Wheatman's a little bit bigger than JJ , but with athleticism and he can steal yards when he needs to. But then has that big-time arm. Last season, he was one of the top-graded PFF quarterbacks in the nation. If Conor Weigman didn't get injured last year, I believe that Jimbo Fisher is still the Texas A&M head coach.