A nanosecond after hitting post on this article right HERE, I knew it could very well come back and bite me square in my hindquarters. Based on how things have played out over the last several weeks, the ass-nipping could very well be in full throat before it’s all said and done.
In early November, coming off a huge win over LSU, Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was a gargantuan 1/10 favorite to win the 2018 Heisman Trophy, with Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray a distant second at 6/1. Tagovailoa’s injured knee, likely worse than most close to the program have been letting on, plus Murray continuing to put up video game-like numbers, though, seemingly shrank the advantage the Crimson Tide sophomore had held as evidenced by Bovada.lv‘s odds over the past couple of weeks:
- November 12: Tagovailoa 2/9, Murray 5/1
- November 19: Tagovailoa 1/4, Murray 9/2
- November 26: Tagovailoa 1/5, Murray 7/2
With this year’s Heisman set to be awarded Saturday night in New York City, Bovada released its latest set of odds Monday — and Murray is now listed as a prohibitive 1/2 favorite to claim the stiff-armed trophy. The season-long front-runner Tagovailoa, meanwhile, has dropped to 3/2.
At 60/1, Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins is the only other player listed. Haskins, who threw for nearly 500 yards and five touchdowns in the Big Ten championship game, actually saw his odds lengthen from the 33/1 he was at a week ago.
Three quarterbacks — West Virginia’s Will Grier, Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence, Washington State’s Gardner Minshew — as well as Clemson running back Travis Etienne have all been taken off Bovada’s board after being listed the week before.
Murray, Tagovailoa and Haskins were all named Heisman finalists Monday night. Those three players represent the only finalists for the 2018 version of the award.