Heisman Trophy Odds Update: Young and the restless

With a full week’s worth of college football games now complete, the Heisman Trophy future odds have shifted dramatically. Let’s take a look at whose odds rose and whose fell after Week 1!

Young and Corral now lead the pack

Nobody took a more significant jump in price this weekend than Alabama quarterback Bryce Young. There were questions regarding how Alabama’s offense would fare after replacing so many star wide receivers, but Young dismantled the Miami Hurricane defense as he set a new school record for a debuting Crimson Tide quarterback with four touchdowns, including a 94-yard bomb en route to a 344-yard performance. Young’s performance saw his price shoot from +800 all the way down to +150.

Meanwhile, Ole Miss had little trouble with Louisville in their opener on Monday night, in large part thanks to the performance of quarterback Matt Corral. He threw for 381 yards against the Cardinals, as he completed nearly 70% of his throws, and scored a touchdown both through the air and on the ground. The most impressive part of his performance was that he was without Lane Kiffin on the sideline, as his head coach was at home with COVID-19. 

The other big risers on the week were Auburn quarterback Bo Nix, whose price went from +5000 down to +3300 after a 60-10 victory over Akron, and Liberty quarterback Malik Willis, whose solid performance against Campbell saw his odds change to +2200 from +4000 last week. Finally, Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder saw his price cut by more than half, moving from +3300 into the top five at +1600.

Rattler falling, while Uiagalelei and King plummet

Heading into the season, Spencer Rattler was the slight favorite to win the Heisman at +550, with D.J. Uiagalelei sitting just behind at +600. While Rattler saw a decent drop this week, falling to third-best odds at +900, Clemson’s new quarterback saw a massive drop in his price as he now sits at +2500 to win the award following the horrendous offensive performance by the Tigers’ offense. Clemson did not score a single offensive touchdown as Uiagalelei completed just 19 of 37 passes for 178 yards and an interception, which was taken back for the game’s only touchdown.

Meanwhile, the other huge drop came from Miami’s D’Eriq King, as the Canes were demolished 44-13 by the Crimson Tide. King’s numbers were not terrible—he completed 23 of 31 passes for 178 yards and a touchdown—but he was intercepted twice, and the Canes showed they are nowhere near as good as people hoped they would be entering the season.

Rattler did not play badly, with 304 yards and a touchdown through the air and rushing touchdown as well. However, his two interceptions hurt his stock slightly, but not enough to knock him beyond his new +900 price. The other big drop this week came from Sam Howell, as the North Carolina quarterback threw three interceptions and just one touchdown in a 17-10 upset loss to Virginia Tech.

What to keep an eye on

Corral earned many of his yards on quick slant routes that led to large gains after the catch, but with Austin Peay and Tulane next up, he may see his price drop even further, so you might want to take advantage of his odds now.

As for Young, the Crimson Tide will face Mercer this weekend before a big matchup with Florida, so if you're looking to get better value on him it behooves you to wait until after the road trip to the Swamp.

Rattler will face off with Tulsa this weekend, and should be able to improve his numbers and his price. However, being unable to perform well against Missouri State last weekend might lend to some hesitance on playing him at all. Meanwhile, the fourth-best odds lie with J.T. Daniels, whose Bulldogs will face a porous South Carolina pass defense, He'll likely see his price drop from its current +1200 number. If you fancy him to win the trophy, now might be the time to pounce.