Is Colorado star Travis Hunter as much of a lock for the Heisman Trophy as his betting odds indicate?
Hunter enters the final week of the season as a very overwhelming favorite. Hunter is at -1000 at BetMGM, while Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty is at +750. Miami QB Cam Ward is at +1200 and no other player has better odds than +6600.
It’s clear why Hunter is such a big favorite. He is the leading receiver on a team that gets a lot of attention. Oh, and he also plays defense on almost every play as the team’s best defensive back. He is a modern college football unicorn and will be a very early pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
But there’s still a chance for Jeanty, Ward or even Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel (+6600) to make a late push.
Thanks to Colorado’s loss to Kansas in Week 13, the Buffaloes now need some help to make it to the Big 12 championship game. If Colorado had defeated the Jayhawks and then Oklahoma State, the Buffs would have been guaranteed a spot in the title game.
Instead, Colorado is now part of a four-way tie and at a tiebreaker disadvantage thanks to losses to both Kansas and Kansas State. If the Buffs are in a tie at 7-2 for first place, they are not playing for the conference title. If they are tied with three players, they are also out of the mix.
If Colorado doesn’t get the help it needs, Jeanty, Ward and Gabriel will all play on conference championship weekend while Hunter watches from the sidelines.
Jeanty makes a particularly compelling case for the Heisman, even if his stats have dropped a bit as Mountain West teams have done everything they can to stop him.
He twisted his left ankle in the team’s Week 13 win over Wyoming and still became the first running back since 2017 to surpass the 2,000-yard mark in the regular season. Through 11 games, Jeanty has 275 carries for 2,062 yards and 27 TDs. He has 28 total TDs with one game to go before the MWC title game.
If Jeanty totals 30 touchdowns, he would be the first player in four seasons to score at least 30 touchdowns from scrimmage. Montee Ball’s NCAA single-season record of 39 TDs in 2011 is out of reach, but only 11 players since 1956 have recorded 30 or more scores from scrimmage.
Could a 2,500-yard season with 34 touchdowns in 13 games sway some voters if Boise State wins the Mountain West title? Don’t rule it out. Especially if Colorado isn’t playing for the Big 12 championship and is completely out of the playoff picture.
Outside of Hunter and Jeanty, these are the three other players we’ll be watching in the final week of the regular season.
Miami QB Cam District: The Hurricanes QB leads the nation in passing touchdowns, is second in passing yards and seventh in yards per attempt. He is the best statistical QB in college football and has a chance to add to that against Syracuse. That match could be a shootout. Orange QB Kyle McCord also tops many passing lists.
Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel: Gabriel’s Heisman odds have dropped over the past two weeks. They are probably a little too low. If Oregon wins the Big Ten as the only undefeated team in college football, there’s no way he won’t be in New York.
Texas QB Quinn Ewers: Okay, Ewers isn’t going to win the Heisman. But will he get some negative votes with a strong performance against Texas A&M and again in the SEC title game? After suffering a left ankle sprain against Kentucky, all signs point to Ewers starting Saturday night.
