There ha sonly been one two-time Heisman Trophy winner in the history of college football, but those responsible for setting the odds have tabbed Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston the favorite to pull off the rare feat in 2014. Winston, the 2013 Heisman Trophy winner, was given the best odds (+350) to win the Heisman Trophy in 2014 according to the new batch of odds released by Sportsbook. Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota (+700) and Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller (+700) share the second best preseason odds.
Georgia running back Todd Gurley is the non-quarterback with the best odds (+900). A running back has won the Heisman Trophy just twice since 2000, and one of those was vacated. UCLA linebacker and part-time running back Myles Jack is the defensive player with the best odds on the board (+2800). Notre Dame quarterback Everett Golson (+2200) and BYU quarterback Taysom Hill (+4500) are the players not playing in a power conference (Notre Dame and BYU are each independent) with the best odds. The last player not competing in a power conference to win the Heisman Trophy, ironically enough perhaps, was BYU quarterback Ty Detmer in 1990. Notre Dame’s last Heisman Trophy winner was Tim Brown in 1987.
Ohio State legend Archie Griffin is the only two-time winner of the Heisman Trophy, pulling off the unprecedented accomplishment in 1974 and 1975. Recent attempts to duplicate the tremendous achievement have fallen well short of happening. 2004 Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart, of USC, finished third in the 2005 Heisman voting behind his teammate Reggie Bush and Texas quarterback Vince Young. 2007 Heisman winner Tim Tebow finished third in the 2008 Heisman voting behind Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford and Texas quarterback Colt McCoy. Bradford suffered a shoulder injury in the 2009 season opener and never sniffed a repeat Heisman bid as a result. Alabama running back Mark Ingram won the Heisman Trophy in 2009 but was not able to put together a solid enough season to even finish in the top ten in Heisman voting in 2010. The most recent Heisman repeat bid by Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel, the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner, saw Manziel finish fifth in the 2013 Heisman Trophy voting. The historic trends are not in favor of Winston and a repeat bid, but the odds say otherwise heading into the 2014 season.
Will Winston once again make history this fall, or will a name from out of nowhere make a push as the season progresses? You can view the entire list of odds via Sportsbook.