In the new millenium, the Heisman Trophy is pretty much a quarterback only award, as only two non-QBs have won it since 2000. Both of them played running back, meaning you really can’t even contend unless you play one of just two positions.
It’s also interesting how the current Oklahoma signal caller, Jalen Hurts, is considered a leading contender, because if he claims the honor, it would mark three in a row for Sooners QBs. Maybe at that point it’s just the offensive system that’s winning the Heisman then, maybe?
It’s not Hurts though, but LSU QB Joe Burrow who is moving away from the pack and now finds himself the odds-on Heisman favorite (-125), but before going forward and place your bet make sure to first look at some of the best rated US betting sites listed at Sports Betting Dime for the best prices and bonuses as this might change drastically overnight. You can be sure it will change significantly every Saturday from here on until December.
Hurts has the second most favorable odds, but he’s far behind at +225, then it goes Alabama QB Tua Tagovaila, backed at +500 with Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields next, priced at +600. We recently had an exclusive with a former Heisman winning quarterback, Ty Detmer, and he gave us his take on the current race for college football’s most prestigious award.
“There’s a lot of guys who are playing well. The game and the quarterback position has changed,” Detmer told us by phone.
“Guys are throwing it, running it, a lot more options with the ball in their hands now, back when I was playing.”
“You got to talk about Tua (Tagovaila, Alabama QB) and (Clemson QB Trevor) Lawrence, the kid at LSU (Quarterback Joe Murrow) who is playing great- they really changed their offense and opened it up.”
“I guess I’m a quarterback guy, most of the time, and those three right now are probably front-runners, but as the season progresses and the games start coming, tougher match-ups, people kind of stand out at that point.”
Finally, there is one long shot in the mix, and it’s Fields’ teammate, defensive end Chase Young. The tour de force really put himself on the national Heisman map last week, dominating Wisconsin almost all by himself. However, defenders just don’t win the trophy; and it’s extremely rare for them to even get an invite to New York City for the ceremony.
“He can be extremely dominant- he’s a great player,” says Ohio State’s other starting DE, Jonathan Cooper, of Young.
“Works extremely hard to improve himself every single day, and I think he’s going to be one of the best I’ve ever seen.”
For Young, he might get a bigger and better prize, as he’s likely to become the first overall pick in the NFL Draft.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
You can follow Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com on Twitter here and his cat on Instagram at this link.