CFB

    Heisman Watch 2024: Odds for Top Race Candidates Before Championship Games

    Erik BeastonDecember 7, 2024

    Heisman Watch 2024: Odds for Top Race Candidates Before Championship Games

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      BOISE, ID - DECEMBER 06: Running back Ashton Jeanty #2 of the Boise State Broncos celebrates a win and being named the offensive player of the game with a selfie at the conclusion of the second half of the Mountain West Championship against the UNLV Rebels at Albertsons Stadium on December 06, 2024 in Boise, Idaho. Boise State won the game 21-7. Jeanty moves into fourth place in FBS history for most rushing yards in a single season, 131 yards away from tying with Barry Sanders' 1988 single-season rushing record. (Photo by Loren Orr/Getty Images
      Loren Orr/Getty Images

      Entering championship weekend in college football, the Heisman Trophy picture is coming into focus.

      Colorado's Travis Hunter has been at the forefront of the race since opening weekend but stellar play from the best running back in the country, Ashton Jeanty, is providing late-season drama, potentially making the battle for the award a two-man race.

      What do the odds makers think and what is the case for each?

      Find out with this preview.

    Current Odds

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      MADISON, WISCONSIN - NOVEMBER 16: Dillon Gabriel #8 of the Oregon Ducks runs with the ball for a first down late in the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium on November 16, 2024 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)
      John Fisher/Getty Images

      The current Heisman Trophy winner odds are as follows:

      • Travis Hunter, WR/DB, Colorado (-2500; bet $100, win $104)
      • Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State (+1000; bet $100, win $1100)
      • Dillon Gabriel, QB, Oregon (+30000; bet $100, win $30100)
      • Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado (+40000; bet $100, win $40100)

      Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

    The Favorite: Travis Hunter

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      BOULDER, CO - NOVEMBER 29: Travis Hunter #12 of the Colorado Buffaloes celebrates after a score in the third quarter against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Folsom Field on November 29, 2024 in Boulder, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
      Dustin Bradford/Getty Images

      Considered one of the Heisman front-runners at the start of the season, the two-way player out of Colorado has not disappointed.

      On offense, he has wrangled 92 balls for 1152 yards and 14 touchdowns, with a 12.5-yards-per-reception average.

      Defensively, he has tallied 31 total tackles, 20 of them solo, with one forced fumble, four interceptions, and 65 yards.

      Big 12 Conference @Big12Conference

      Four minutes and 36 seconds of Travis Hunter highlights... for no particular reason at all.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Big12FB?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Big12FB</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/CUBuffsFootball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CUBuffsFootball</a> <a href="https://t.co/Va6AmjHD5Z">pic.twitter.com/Va6AmjHD5Z</a>

      He has been a game-changer on both sides of the ball for a young, confident Colorado squad and in a year of inconsistent play across the board, has been one of the nation's continuously excellent players.

      If Hunter does take home the award, he would be the first wide receiver to win it since DeVonta Smith in 2020 and the first two-way player since Pro Football Hall of Famer Charles Woodson in 1997 to take home the hardware.

    The Biggest Threat: Ashton Jeanty

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      BOISE, ID - NOVEMBER 29: Running back Ashton Jeanty #2 of the Boise State Broncos stands ready for the start of the play during the second half against the Oregon State Beavers at Albertsons Stadium on November 29, 2024 in Boise, Idaho. Boise State won the game 34-18. (Photo by Loren Orr/Getty Images)
      Loren Orr/Getty Images

      If there is one player who can conceivably rip the Heisman away from Hunter, it is the extraordinary Ashton Jeanty out of Boise State.

      The junior running back for the Broncos has carried 312 times for 2288 yards and 28 touchdowns. He added a receiving touchdown, giving him 29 total scores on the year.

      He has been the nation's best running back and against UNLV in the Mountain West Championship game, carried 32 times for 209 yards. He has been a workhorse for an excellent Broncos team and could see his stock rise even further based on his performance in the high-stakes title game.

      Jon Root @JonnyRoot_

      If you think Travis Hunter should win the Heisman over Ashton Jeanty, you don't know ball…<br><br> <a href="https://t.co/Y80WuWbNJD">pic.twitter.com/Y80WuWbNJD</a>

      National exposure, or lack thereof, may hurt him but the numbers do not lie.

      Jeanty has been dominant at his position this year and should he win, would become the first running back in nearly a decade to capture the top individual prize in college football. The last player at that position to secure the trophy? Alabama's Derrick Henry in 2015.

      Not bad company to keep if Jeanty is awarded the honor of taking his place among the immortals in college football history.

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