Top Heisman Candidates in Each Major Conference
The College Football season is almost upon us, which means its time to take a look at the odds to win the Heisman Trophy.
Will we see the betting favorite win it this year, or will someone come out of nowhere, much like Joe Burrow did in 2019, to claim the award?
Let’s breakdown the player with the best odds to win the Heisman Trophy from each of the major conferences.
All odds listed below are via WynnBET.
SEC - Bryce Young +850 - Alabama
Alabama is coming off an undefeated season that resulted in yet another National Championship, so it's no surprise to see that it's quarterback is near the top of the odds list to win the Heisman Trophy.
Bryce Young has only attempted 22 passes in his college career, but he’s locked in to be the starter in his Sophmore season for the Crimson Tide.
“I was pleased with his performance” Nick Saban told the media after their fall scrimmage. “I’m sure if you ask him, he’ll be the first one to say he’s looking forward to working to try to improve and improve the production overall in terms of our executive on offense, and that’s what’s gonna make us better.”
Alabama has two Heisman Trophy winners in the past six seasons, with Devonta Smith winning it last year and Derrick Henry winning it in 2015, but a Crimson Tide quarterback has never won the award.
Big 12 - Spencer Rattler +600 - Oklahoma
Spencer Rattler is the betting favorite to win the Heisman Trophy this season, and for good reason. Four different Oklahoma quarterbacks have won it dating back to 2003, and with Rattler already proving that he can dominate at the college level, he should be in for a massive season.
He completed 67.5% of passes last season, for 3,031 yards and 28 touchdowns in his redshirt Freshman season, and another step forward in his sophomore season will surely secure him as a Heisman finalist.
Oklahoma is fifth on the odds list at WynnBET to win the National Championship at +600.
Big Ten - C.J. Stroud +1100 - Ohio State
There’s very little doubt that Ohio State will once again dominate the Big Ten, which means its starting quarterback will have an opportunity to throw his hat in the ring of Heisman finalists.
C.J. Stroud is set to be that man, as he seems to have the lead in the quarterback competition that will be ongoing at Ohio State. Oddsmakers agree. They have him listed 5th on the odds list at +1100 to win the Heisman Trophy.
Stroud touched the ball only once in the 2020 season, and he took advantage of it by running it in for a 48-yard touchdown against Michigan State.
How he’ll perform as the starting quarterback remains a mystery, but given Ohio State’s pedigree at the position, we can comfortably assume he’ll have a successful college career. The last Ohio State quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy was Troy Smith in 2006.
ACC - D.J. Uiagalelei +650 - Clemson
The Trevor Lawrence era at Clemson is officially over, and in steps D.J. Uiagalelei.
He won’t be a complete stranger to college football fans, as he saw significant playing time last season when Trevor Lawrence was out of action due to COVID-19. In total last year, Uiagalelei completed 66.7% of passes for 914 yards and five touchdowns. If he can take a step forward as a full time starter, expect him to be in the mix as a Heisman Finalist when the season is over.
If he can pull it off, he’ll achieve the feat that Lawrence wasn’t able to in his time at Clemson.
The Tigers are second on the odds list to win the National Championship at +300.
PAC-12 - Kedon Slovis +2250 - USC
You have to scroll a bit down the odds list to find the first PAC-12 player, but eventually you’ll see the name Kedon Slovis.
The USC quarterback enters his Junior season with the Trojans, and he’ll look to build off a solid first two years with the team. He completed 67% of passes for 1,921 yards and 17 touchdowns last year, but he also threw seven interceptions.
USC has high expectations for Slovis, and he has enough skill to be a top quarterback in the country.
While he certainly could achieve the feat, he’ll need to take a significant step forward from his sophomore season.
Matt Leinart is the last USC quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy when he did it back in 2004.
AAC - Desmond Ridder +3000 - Cincinnati
Desmond Ridder, quarterback of the Cincinnati Bearcats, leads all players who don’t play in one of the five power conferences in College Football.
It makes sense, considering Cincinnati is expected to build on last year’s success and be a top team this season. The AP Poll has them ranked at No. 8 heading into the season, ahead of the likes of Notre Dame, UNC, Oregon, Wisconsin, and Florida.
While it would take a lot for a player from a non-Power 5 school to win the Heisman Trophy, if anyone can do it, it’s Ridder. He completed 66.2% of passes last season for 2,296 yards and 19 touchdowns while adding on another 572 yards rushing and five touchdowns.
He led the Bearcats to an undefeated 9-0 record in the regular season, before falling just short of a Peach Bowl victory against Georgia. The final score of the game was 24-21.
He may not win the Heisman, but he’ll be among the top players to watch this season.
No player from a non-Power 5 school has won the Heisman Trophy. Kennan Reynolds from Navy was the last player to finish in the top five of Heisman voting in 2015.
The odds listed in this breakdown are available over at WynnBET. Make your pick.