Heisman Trophy odds: Ohio State’s Stroud leads the pack

It’s been 47 years since the last time a college football player won the Heisman Trophy in consecutive seasons. That drought is a virtual lock to continue until at least 2023 when this year’s award is handed out Dec. 10.

That’s because Alabama’s shocking overtime loss at LSU on Saturday not only effectively knocked the two-loss Crimson Tide out of the national championship picture, it cost reigning Heisman winner Bryce Young any realistic shot at being the first repeat winner since Ohio State’s Archie Griffin in 1974-75.

Alabama’s junior quarterback, who entered the season as the +250 favorite at BetMGM to go back-to-back, is now looking up at seven other contenders on the Heisman Trophy odds board.

The latest betting favorite? The guy who opened the 2022-23 campaign right behind Young in the wagering market.

Here’s an updated look at the latest Heisman Trophy odds, including which players are seeing the most action — and creating the most betting liability — at BetMGM.

Note: Odds updated as of 10:45 a.m. ET on Nov. 8.

It’s not every day that a quarterback takes the lead in the Heisman betting race the week after a game in which his team’s offense scored 17 fewer points than it was favored to win by. Such was the case for Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, who battled howling Chicago winds in Saturday’s 21-7 victory at Northwestern as a 37.5-point favorite.

Not only did the Buckeyes score 28 points fewer than what they were averaging heading into Week 10, but Stroud put up extremely un-Heisman-like numbers: 10-for-26 passing for 76 yards and 79 yards rushing on six carries, with no touchdowns.

It was the first time in 21 games as the Buckeyes’ starting quarterback that Stroud threw for less than 154 yards (and just the third time he had less than 223).

Still, No. 2 Ohio State (9-0) remained undefeated, and Stroud’s overall season numbers remain impressive. He’s completing 68% of his passes for 276.6 yards per game with 29 touchdowns versus just four interceptions.

As a result, Stroud’s Heisman odds at BetMGM (+175) remain unchanged from a week ago. However, he takes over as the frontrunner after last week’s favorite — Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker — fell back from +100 to +300 following a subpar performance at Georgia.

Playing against by far the best defense he’s seen all season, Hooker went 23-for-33 for just 195 yards, no touchdowns and one interception (just his second of the season). He also had just 17 rushing yards on 18 carries as the Volunteers’ lost for the first time. It was a steep drop in production for the senior, who arrived in Athens, Georgia, averaging 292.3 passing yards, 42.3 rushing yards and more than three touchdowns per game.

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While Hooker was the only legitimate contender to take a tumble down BetMGM’s Heisman Trophy odds board after Week 10, he’s still comfortably in the No. 2 spot behind Stroud.

However, several players on Hooker’s heels have closed the gap. Most notably, Michigan running back Blake Corum dipped from +1400 to +600, while USC quarterback Caleb Williams made a similar move from +1400 to +800.

The most dramatic shifts, however, were by two quarterbacks who faced each other in the season opener. Oregon’s Bo Nix, who was horrendous in a 49-3 loss to Georgia on Sept. 3, has joined Williams at +800 after going into last week’s game at Colorado with +2500 Heisman odds.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s Stetson Bennett shot from +10000 to the +1600 seventh choice at BetMGM after outdueling Hooker in the third-ranked Bulldogs’ 27-13 victory over No. 1 Tennessee between The Hedges.

Just ahead of Bennett (and right behind Williams and Nix) is North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye. He leapt from +2500 to +1200 after throwing his NCAA-best 30th and 31st touchdown passes of the season in a victory at Virginia.

What about the guy who won last year’s hardware? Young’s Heisman Trophy odds remain unchanged (+3300) from last week after he passed for 328 yards but just one touchdown (to go with one interception) in Alabama’s 32-31 overtime loss at LSU as a 13.5-point favorite.

Young still has solid numbers for the season (63% completion rate, 279.3 yards per game, 19 TDs, four INTs). However, the two losses on his ledger almost certainly take Young out of contention. Only one of the past nine Heisman winners — Louisville’s Lamar Jackson in 2016 — has played for a team with more than one regular-season defeat.

As of Monday, BetMGM had taken more bets on Tennessee’s Hooker (11.3% of all tickets) than any other player on the Heisman Trophy odds board. Right behind Hooker are Stroud (9.2%), Michigan’s Corum (7.4%) and Kansas’ Jalon Daniels (6.3%).

However, Daniels leads the way as far as the amount of money bet into BetMGM’s Heisman market. A whopping 19.4% of all dollars wagered at BetMGM are on the Jayhawks’ quarterback.

And guess what? Every single one of those dollars will be staying on BetMGM’s side of the counter, as Daniels suffered a season-ending injury in a Week 6 loss to TCU.

That leaves Hooker (16.1%), Stroud (12.9%), Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy, Young (5.1%) and Bennett (5.0%) as BetMGM’s biggest money takers.

Given that McCarthy’s odds opened at +6600 and now stand at +25000 (25-to-1), it’s no surprise that BetMGM’s risk room is rooting hard against him hoisting the Heisman. In fact, McCarthy is the sportsbook’s third biggest liability, trailing Hooker and the guy who has no shot to win it: Daniels.

The Inquirer is not an online gambling operator, or a gambling site. We provide this information about sports betting for entertainment purposes only.