It’s been nearly two weeks since we’ve posted on some updated Heisman odds, so why not throw up a new set as trudge deeper into the offseason?
When last we left the Heisman odds for the 2020 version of the most prestigious trophy in collegiate sports, a pair of quarterbacks, Ohio State’s Justin Fields and Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence, were listed by the Westgate Las Vegas Superbook as co-favorites at 4/1. According to one offshore sportsbook, Fields is the solo Heisman favorite as his odds are at 9/2. Lawrence, meanwhile, comes in at 5/1.
The new Heisman odds came out just one day after both Fields and Lawrence were named as semifinalists for the 2020 Sullivan Award. They are the only two football players up for the honor handed out annually to the nation’s top amateur athlete.
The two players, who are both rising third-year juniors, have been connected to one another going back to their days in high school.
Both played their high school ball in the state of Georgia. Lawrence was the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2018. The No. 2 player? Fields. Lawrence’s Tigers, of course, beat Fields’ Buckeyes in a come-from-behind win in one of the two 2019 College Football Playoff semifinal matchups this past season.
As for the remainder of the updated Heisman odds, only five other players were at or below 20/1:
- Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler, 10/1.
- Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger, 12/1.
- Georgia quarterback Jamie Newman, 14/1.
- Oklahoma State running back Chuba Hubbard, 16/1.
- Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book, 20/1.
Next is a group of quarterbacks at 25/1, including North Carolina’s Sam Howell, Alabama’s Mac Jones, USC’s Kedon Slovis and Florida’s Kyle Trask.
Just one defensive player, Derek Stingley Jr., is listed in the newest Heisman odds. The LSU cornerback currently sits at 50/1. For all of those infatuated with the Big Uglies, Oregon All-American offensive lineman Penei Sowell sits at 66/1.
Now, for some perspective: In February of last year, Lawrence was the Heisman favorite at 7/2 while Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was right behind at 5/1. Lawrence finished seventh in the final voting, Tagovailoa 10th. The winner of the 2019 Heisman trophy, LSU quarterback Joe Burrow, saw his odds in the neighborhood of 200/1 at that time.