2017 Heisman Trophy Race: Odds for Top Heisman Candidates
By: Jim Oxley, HERO Sports @jrox12 (View Article)
It’s the middle of NFL Combine and March Madness season right now, but before you know it, college football will be back. As the best former college players are showing off for NFL teams and the best basketball teams are preparing for post-season runs, lets take a look at who some of the best college football players could be next season.
William Hill US released a futures 2017 Heisman Trophy odds recently to give an idea of who are the leading candidates at this point. Here’s a look at the players with 100-1 odds or better:
NAME | SCHOOL | POSITION | ODDS |
---|---|---|---|
Sam Darnold | USC | QB | 7-1 |
Lamar Jackson | Louisville | QB | 7-1 |
Baker Mayfield | Oklahoma | QB | 7-1 |
J.T. Barrett | Ohio State | QB | 10-1 |
Jake Browning | Washington | QB | 12-1 |
Deondre Francois | Florida State | QB | 12-1 |
Saquon Barkley | Penn State | RB | 15-1 |
Jalen Hurts | Alabama | QB | 15-1 |
Mason Rudolph | Oklahoma State | QB | 15-1 |
Josh Rosen | UCLA | QB | 20-1 |
Bo Scarbrough | Alabama | RB | 20-1 |
Derrius Guice | LSU | RB | 20-1 |
Trace McSorley | Penn State | QB | 20-1 |
Kamryn Pettway | Auburn | RB | 30-1 |
Nick Chubb | Georgia | RB | 30-1 |
Luke Falk | Washington State | QB | 30-1 |
Nick Fitzgerald | Mississippi St. | QB | 40-1 |
Shane Buechele | Texas | QB | 40-1 |
Quinton Flowers | USF | QB | 40-1 |
Jarrett Stidham | Auburn | QB | 40-1 |
Royce Freeman | Oregon | RB | 50-1 |
Mike Weber | Ohio State | RB | 50-1 |
Jacob Eason | Georgia | QB | 60-1 |
James Washington | Oklahoma State | WR | 60-1 |
Ed Oliver | Houston | DT | 75-1 |
Derwin James | Florida State | S | 75-1 |
Myles Gaskin | Washington | RB | 75-1 |
Christian Kirk | Texas A&M | WR | 75-1 |
Brandon Wimbush | Notre Dame | QB | 75-1 |
Wilton Speight | Michigan | QB | 75-1 |
Kyle Allen | Houston | QB | 75-1 |
Calvin Ridley | Alabama | WR | 75-1 |
Arden Key | LSU | DE | 100-1 |
Justin Hebert | Oregon | QB | 100-1 |
Shea Patterson | Ole Miss | QB | 100-1 |
Kenny Hill | TCU | QB | 100-1 |
Dexter Lawrence | Clemson | DT | 100-1 |
Brett Rypien | Boise State | QB | 100-1 |
It will come as no surprise to anyone to see quarterbacks dominate this list. The top six current favorites and 23 of the 38 players with 100-1 odds or better are QBs. The group is led by a few experienced returning quarterbacks, including 2016 Heisman Trophy-winner Lamar Jackson.
Second in terms of position rankings are eight running backs, led by Penn State’s Saquon Barkley. Rounding out the offensive players are a group of three wide receivers.
On defense, only four college football players are given 100-1 odds or better to win the 2017 Heisman Trophy, led by Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver and Florida State safety Derwin James (75-1 odds).
Another interesting angle of these odds are the number of players who are incoming freshmen or transfer players with little game experience. Many players later on in the odds have yet to take a college football field.
Heisman odds are constantly being updated, but it’s always fun to look back and see who was pegged a leader long before the season began.
By: Jim Oxley, HERO Sports @jrox12 (View Article)