With five weeks left in the season, oddsmakers have made it clear who the four players with the best chances to win the Heisman Trophy are.
Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel has taken over as Heisman favorite at BetMGM. Gabriel’s odds of +240 are just above those of Colorado WR/DB Travis Hunter at +250. On Monday, Hunter became the first player to win Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week and Defensive Player of the Week in the same week after his performance in the Buffaloes’ win over Cincinnati.
Miami QB Cam Ward is at +300, while Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty is fourth at +450. Jeanty had emerged as the midseason Heisman favorite given his absurd stats, but his prospects have increasingly lagged behind players in power conferences.
There is a big gap with everyone else. After Jeanty, the next smallest odds are +2500. There’s a good chance this year’s Heisman winner will be one of those four players. But with so many top teams open in Week 10 ahead of the long run, we thought this would be a good time to take a look at five quarterbacks who have a chance to sneak into the Heisman race. Here are five players to watch on Saturday as many teams will enjoy their second weekend off of the season.
Clemson QB Cade Klubnik (+2500)
We’re pretty optimistic about Klubnik’s chances of getting an invite to New York City if he continues to run Clemson’s offense like this. The Tigers are the fourth-ranked scoring team in college football at 42 points per game and are averaging 48.5 points per game against all teams not named Georgia. Klubnik is completing two-thirds of his passes so far this season with 20 touchdowns and just three interceptions. He has also rushed for four scores. Klubnik is averaging over two more yards per pass attempt in 2024 than he did in 2023, and his chances could drop significantly over the next three weeks with strong performances against Louisville, Virginia Tech and Pitt.
Georgia QB Carson Beck (+3500)
Beck’s chances are probably so low because of his name recognition at this point. His stats are down almost across the board from 2023 and he has already thrown two more interceptions than he did all of last season. However, you can’t rule out his chances of sneaking back into the mix. A big game against Florida would come on an otherwise light college football schedule and Georgia’s next two games are against No. 19 Ole Miss and No. 7 Tennessee. If Beck is the best player on the field in those two games, his chances will go down.
Penn State QB Drew Allar (+6600)
If Allar can’t play against No. 4 Ohio State on Saturday, his chances of winning the Heisman are zero. He could be a game-time decision after suffering a knee injury in the first half of Penn State’s win against Wisconsin in Week 9. Beau Pribula will start in Allar’s place if he cannot play; Pribula was 11 of 13 passing for 98 yards and a TD against the Badgers.
Allar was much better in 2024 than he was a season ago and a great game against Ohio State would be a statement. A season ago, Allar was 18 of 42 passing for 191 yards and was sacked four times in PSU’s 20-12 loss to the Buckeyes.
Indiana QB Kurtis Rourke (+10000)
Rourke could return to the court Saturday against Michigan State after missing Indiana’s win over Washington. Rourke lost the thumbnail on his right hand during the team’s win over Nebraska. That sounds like a very painful injury.
Rourke has completed over 74% of his passes in 2024 and has thrown for nearly 11 yards per attempt. He’s a big reason why Indiana is off to an 8-0 start this season and its Heisman stock could rise significantly if the Hoosiers can beat Michigan and beat Ohio State in November.
Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava (+15000)
Iamaleava has gone from an early-season favorite to a player with an outside shot at the trophy thanks to the Tennessee offense’s struggles against SEC opponents. Iamaleava hasn’t thrown for more than 200 yards in a game since UT’s Week 2 win over NC State, and he hasn’t completed more than 63% of his passes in a game since.
But like Beck, he has a chance to pick up some Heisman votes if Tennessee can get its offense back on track and the Vols make it to the SEC title game. Tennessee’s remaining SEC opponents outside of the Bulldogs are Kentucky, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt. Those are three very winnable matches.
