Heisman Odds 2025: Track The Favorites
By Chris Wright
Last Updated:
- Heisman odds are available for the 2025 college football season.
- Miami QB Carson Beck and Oregon QB Dante Moore are the Heisman favorites entering Week 7. Jeremiah Smith has the best Heisman odds among non-QBs.
- Track the 2025 Heisman odds for the favorites and longshots throughout the 2025-26 season.
Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter was the 2024 Heisman Trophy winner, well-deserved after starring at defensive back (11 PDs, 4 INTs) and wide receiver (1,258 yards, 15 TDs).
Who will win the Heisman Trophy in 2025? Who has the best Heisman odds? Who are the longshots in terms of Heisman odds?
Quarterbacks lead the way in Heisman odds. Though preseason favorites Arch Manning (Texas), Garrett Nussmeier (LSU) and Cade Klubnik (Clemson) have tumbled in the Heisman race.
Receiver Jeremiah Smith (Ohio State) has the best Heisman odds among top non-QB contenders. Of course, there could be a new star on the scene this fall, too.
We’ll discuss all that and more, further down this page as we explore all facets of the Heisman Trophy odds and, ultimately, who the Downtown Athletic Club will announce as the 2025 winner of the Heisman Trophy — the most prestigious individual trophy in college football.
Top Heisman Contenders for 2025
The Heisman Trophy futures market is one of the most popular college football futures among casual and serious bettors.
Heisman odds reflect the likelihood of a college football player winning the Heisman Trophy, updated weekly by major sportsbooks.
Quarterbacks continue to have the best Heisman Trophy odds entering Week 7 of the 2025 regular season.
Preseason Heisman favorites Arch Manning, Cade Klubnik and Garrett Nussmeier have fallen out of the Heisman race.
Oklahoma QB John Mateer was the fastest riser in September, but his hand injury has taken him out of the Heisman race. There is a chance Mateer returns for the Red River Showdown vs. Texas on Oct. 11.
Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza replaced Mateer as the Heisman frontrunner after Week 4, but he didn’t lead the Heisman race long.
On Sunday, Sept. 28, Oregon QB Dante Moore became the Heisman favorite. He had the lowest average Heisman odds at +740.
On Sunday, Oct. 5, Moore and Miami QB Carson Beck are the betting favorites at most sportsbooks. Beck is now at +600 on ESPNBet Sportsbook after leading undefeated Miami past Florida State in a top-20 showdown.
The fastest riser in the Heisman race in Week 5 was Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss. Chambliss began the season as a backup but has become Ole Miss’ starting quarterback. He threw for 314 yards to lead the Rebels past LSU in Week 5. On Sept. 28, Chambliss’ had Heisman odds as low as +1800 on ESPNBet, putting him in the top 10 in the Heisman race. Ole Miss was idle in Week 6, and Chambliss’ Heisman odds didn’t change much as of Sunday, Oct. 5. He’s still inside the top 10 at most sportsbooks.
Compare Heisman odds across sportsbooks for the 2025 Heisman Trophy. These Heisman odds update automatically every time they change.
Dante Moore
2025 stats entering Week 7: 100-for-134 (74.6%), 1,210 yards, 14 TDs, 1 INT.
Moore and Oregon had a bye week in Week 6.
Dante Moore’s Heisman odds have risen steadily throughout the 2025 regular season.
He became the Heisman betting favorite on Sept. 28 after leading Oregon past Penn State in double overtime. His average Heisman odds as of Sunday Oct. 5 are +507.
Moore was a backup QB last season when the Ducks reached the College Football Playoff in 2024, but he is a key reason Oregon has favorable national title odds again in 2025.
Carson Beck
2025 stats entering Week 7: 102-for-139 (73.4), 1,113 yards, 11 TDs, 3 INTs.
Beck threw 4 TD passes as undefeated Miami beat rival Florida State in a top-20 showdown in Week 6.
Beck, who entered the game third among Heisman favorites, now shares the lead in the Heisman race with Moore at some sportsbooks. His average Heisman odds are +650 as of Sunday morning, Oct. 5, trailing only Moore.
Beck, who led Georgia to the College Football Playoff in 2024, is the key reason Miami has such favorable national championship odds in 2025.
Ty Simpson
2025 stats entering Week 7: 111-for-158 (70.3%), 1,478 yards, 13 TDs, 3 INTs.
Ty Simpson’s Heisman odds soared after the Alabama quarterback led the Crimson Tide past Georgia in Week 5.
His Heisman odds improved from +960 to +743 on Oct. 5 after Simpson outdueled Vanderbilt Heisman candidate Diego Pavia in Week 6.
On Sunday morning, Oct. 5, Simpson was third in the Heisman race.
Jeremiah Smith
2025 stats entering Week 7: 35 catches, 463 yards, 6 TDs.
In Week 3, Smith exploded for 9 catches for 153 yards and 1 TD to reignite his Heisman campaign.
Smith flashed his greatness again in Weeks 5 and Week 6. He added 2 more TD catches in Week 6.
His average Heisman odds on Sunday, Oct. 5, are +821, trailing only 3 quarterbacks. ESPNBet has Smith third in the Heisman race, with odds of +750.
The standout wide receiver was the driving force in Ohio State’s run to the 2024-25 national championship — and he’s by far the primary reason the Buckeyes have favorable national championship odds in 2025-26.
Ohio State has a rich Heisman Trophy history, but Ohio State hasn’t produced a Heisman Trophy winner since Troy Smith in 2006. Can Jeremiah Smith win the Heisman and add to Ohio State’s Heisman total in 2025? Just like 2024 Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, Jeremiah Smith is a threat to strike a Heisman pose every time he touches the football. Ohio State will have a new starting quarterback in 2025, but as long as Jeremiah Smith gets his touches, he and Ohio State will contend for trophies.
Julian Sayin
2025 stats entering Week 7: 101-for-126 (80.2), 1,313 yards, 13 TDs, 3 INTs.
Julian Sayin is trying to become the first Ohio State quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy since Troy Smith won it in 2006.
Sayin opened the 2025 season with Heisman odds as low as +1800 on BetMGM. His biggest Heisman competition might come from his teammate and top target, Jeremiah Smith.
As of Sunday morning, Oct. 5, Sayin’s average Heisman odds were +1429.
Sayin transferred to Ohio State in January 2024 after originally committing to Alabama. He transferred after Nick Saban retired. Sayin was a 5-star recruit and the No. 3-ranked quarterback in the 2024 recruiting class. He was the No. 1-ranked quarterback in the transfer portal.
Fernando Mendoza
2025 stats entering Week 7: 89-for-122 (73.0%), 1,208 yards, 16 TDs, 1 INTs.
Mendoza and Indiana had a bye week in Week 6. His average Heisman odds on Sunday, Oct. 5 are +1460.
Indiana reached the Playoff in 2024 behind transfer quarterback Kurtis Rourke. The Hoosiers appear to have struck transfer portal gold again in Mendoza, a grad transfer from Cal, where he was a 2-year starter.
Mendoza is tied for second in the country with 16 TD passes.
His Heisman odds skyrocketed after throwing 5 TD passes in Indiana’s rout of Illinois in Week 4. He dropped a bit in the Heisman race after Indiana struggled to put away Iowa in Week 5.
Trinidad Chambliss
2025 stats entering Week 7: 65-for-101 (64.4%), 1,033 yards, 5 TDs, 1 INT.
Chambliss and Ole Miss had a bye week in Week 6. ESPNBet listed Chambliss’ Heisman odds at +1800 on Sunday, Oct. 5.
Chambliss has come off the bench to power Ole Miss’ Playoff push.
Chambliss has thrown for 300 yards in 3 consecutive games, including the critical victory against LSU.
John Mateer
2025 stats entering Week 7: 95-141 (67.4%), 1,215 yards, 6 TDs, 3 INTs.
New Oklahoma QB John Mateer was the biggest riser after Week 1, moving all the way up to No. 2 in the Heisman odds among most sportsbooks. He continued his rise in leading Oklahoma past Michigan in a prime-time showdown in Week 2.
After Week 3, Mateer took over the lowest odds at ESPNBet to win the Heisman Trophy (+850).
After leading Oklahoma to a dramatic win over Auburn in Week 4, Mateer’s odds were at +750, as of Sunday morning, Sept. 21. Most other major online sportsbooks list Mateer in the top 2 as of Sunday morning, Sept. 21, with average Heisman odds of +717.
Follow the odds closely: Mateer’s odds dropped to +3875 on Sept. 24, after Oklahoma announced that Mateer broke a bone in his throwing hand. His odds are now at +2572 on Oct. 5.
Arch Manning
2025 stats entering Week 7: 81-for-135 (60.0%), 1,151 yards, 11 TDs, 5 INTs.
Arch Manning’s Heisman odds dropped after a Week 6 loss at Florida. Manning now has average Heisman odds of +8943 as of Sunday, Oct. 5.
It’s been a wild and rocky Heisman race for Manning.
Manning was the Heisman Trophy favorite for 2025, with sportsbooks like BetMGM offering odds as low as +600.
His odds fell to +2000 on ESPNBet after he struggled in Texas’ opening loss at Ohio State. His Heisman odds improved to +1500 after he rebounded in Week 2 by throwing 4 TD passes.
He struggled again in Week 3, completing just 11-of-25 passes for 114 yards with 1 TD and 1 interception. At one point, Texas fans even booed Manning and the Longhorns offense for their inadequate play vs. UTEP.
Manning’s Heisman odds subsequently dropped to +3000 as of Sunday morning, Sept. 14.
In Week 4, Manning bounced back with a solid performance vs. Sam Houston State, throwing for 3 TDs. Nevertheless, his average Heisman odds are at +3500 as of Sunday morning, Sept. 21.
Texas was idle in Week 5. Manning’s Heisman odds were at +3300 on Sept. 28.
Manning has patiently waited 2 years to take over at Texas. He could become the third Manning to throw for 3,000 yards in a season. Will Arch become the first Manning to win the Heisman?
Uncles Peyton and Eli were finalists for the Heisman Trophy. Peyton Manning was runner-up in 1997; Eli Manning finished third in 2002. Grandfather Archie Manning also finished third in 1970 and fourth in 1969.
Should bettors be concerned that Arch Manning hasn’t played a lot? Not necessarily. Remember, Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel won the Heisman in 2012 as a redshirt freshman. The very next year, FSU quarterback Jameis Winston won the Heisman in 2013 as a redshirt freshman. In 2010, Auburn legend Cam Newton won the Heisman in his first year as a Division I college football starter.
So, in terms of Arch Manning, there is plenty of recent precedent for a quarterback without a lot of reps to step in, stand out and win the Heisman.
Garrett Nussmeier
2025 stats entering Week 7: 115-for-171 (67.3%), 1,159 yards, 7 TDs, 3 INTs.
LSU had a bye week in Week 6. Nussmeier’s average Heisman odds are +3929 on Sunday morning, Oct. 5.
Garrett Nussmeier had been the betting favorite to win the Heisman at most online sportsbooks, with odds as low as +650 at Bet365 following his Week 1 performance. After Week 2, ESPNBet listed Nussmeier’s Heisman odds at +800 — still the lowest odds on the board.
After Week 3, Nussmeier’s Heisman odds slipped at most major sportsbooks. On Sunday morning, Sept. 14, Nussmeier’s average Heisman odds sat at +1400. That actually makes him more valuable to bettors who believe he is the one quarterback in the country who can light up a scoreboard. Nussmeier hasn’t been asked to win a game yet in 2025, but he showed in 2024 that he can put up numbers with anybody in the country.
In Week 4, Nussmeier threw 3 TD passes as LSU cruised. As of Sunday, Sept. 21, Nussmeier’s average Heisman odds are at +1660. He had a huge opportunity in Week 5, as LSU faced Ole Miss.
In Week 5, Nussmeier struggled as LSU lost at Ole Miss, pushing him farther down in the Heisman race. His average Heisman odds were at +3160 on Sunday, Sept. 28.
Nussmeier opened the 2025 season with an outstanding performance at Clemson, throwing for 230 yards and a TD in a critical road win over the No. 4 ranked team in the country.
His Week 1 showing shouldn’t have been a surprise. Nussmeier was the leading returning quarterback in the SEC after throwing for 4,052 yards in 2024. Nussmeier has a chance to become the only LSU quarterback to throw for 3,000 yards in a season twice in a career. He’s also trying to join Joe Burrow and Jayden Daniels and become the next LSU quarterback to win the Heisman.
Gunner Stockton
2025 stats entering Week 7: 91-for-132 (68.9%), 1,047 yards, 6 TDs, 1 INTs.
Sportsbooks were in wait-and-see mode with Gunner Stockton, who replaced Carson Beck as Georgia’s starting quarterback.
Stockton rose to as high as No. 4 in the Heisman race, but his odds fell after Georgia lost to Alabama in Week 5. His average Heisman odds are +2757 on Sunday, Oct. 5.
Diego Pavia
2025 stats entering Week 7: 115-for-162 (71.0), 1,409 yards, 14 TDs, 5 INTs.
Diego Pavia’s surge in the Heisman race is the most interesting story in college football. His average Heisman odds were +1720 after leading Vanderbilt to a comeback win in Week 5.
Pavia dropped in the Heisman race after Vanderbilt lost to Alabama in Week 6. His average Heisman odds are +2600 on Sunday, Oct. 5.
Pavia had to be perfect against Alabama and was merely solid.
Big picture? He already has won 12 games in 1 1/2 seasons as Vanderbilt’s starting quarterback — matching the Commodores’ combined win total from 2019-2023.
Pavia is the brash-talking, play-making force behind Vanderbilt’s rise in the national championship race and the primary reason the ‘Dores have improving SEC championship odds, as well.
Best Heisman Odds for Quarterbacks
Here are the best average betting odds for quarterbacks to win the Heisman in 2025, entering Week 6.
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Heisman Trophy Betting Strategy for 2025
The winner of the Heisman Trophy is consistently one of the top college football futures betting markets. One wonders if John Heisman, the first athletic director of the Downtown Athletic Club in New York City and namesake of the trophy, envisioned the magnitude of today’s Heisman-sports betting market back in 1935. In a betting world, the odds aren’t great on that thought.
In order to bet on who wins the Heisman Trophy, follow these simple steps:
- Register for an online sportsbook account (SDS recommends Caesars Sportsbook).
- Log into your account and make a deposit.
- Find the college football betting menu and select the “futures” option.
- Select “Heisman Trophy” and then pick a player.
Where to Find the Best Heisman Odds Online
There are plenty of legal online sportsbook options that offer Heisman Trophy betting. Here are some of the top options:
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Heisman Trophy 2025 News & Articles
Keep up with the latest 2025 Heisman Trophy odds by sticking with Saturday Down South‘s legendary news coverage.
Past Heisman Trophy Winners (NCAA College Football History)
Here is a look at the past Heisman Trophy winners, dating to the 2000 season. (Interestingly, Notre Dame has produced 7 Heisman winners — tied for second all-time. But Notre Dame hasn’t produced a Heisman winner since Tim Brown in 1987. Notre Dame doesn’t have a betting favorite to win the Heisman in 2025.)
Heisman Trophy Winners by school (2000-present): Oklahoma (4), USC (4), Alabama (3), Florida State (2), Nebraska (1), Ohio State (1), Florida (1), Baylor. (1), Oregon (1), LSU (2), Auburn (1), Texas A&M (1), Louisville (1), Colorado (1).
Heisman Trophy Winners by position: QB (19), RB (3), WR (2)
Heisman Betting Strategy
The Heisman Trophy race is often misunderstood by the general betting public. Learning how to how bet on college football futures is critical.
The general public still views Heisman candidates in the same way that political parties view their candidates — through the lens of electability. Or, in the case of the Heisman, viability. Conventional wisdom dictates that you have to be an established player from an established and powerful program to even entertain the notion that you could be enshrined as one of the game’s greats.
The preseason Heisman Trophy odds going into the 2019 college football season offer us an important example. Trevor Lawrence and Tua Tagovailoa entered the 2019 season as co-favorites to hoist the trophy at 3:1 odds. They had just played against each other in the national title game and were the faces of the two most dominant programs in the sport. To casual fans, it was a no-brainer for them to share the spotlight as preseason favorites. But to savvy veterans of the sports gambling space, the only thing noteworthy about two players separating themselves from the pack over the summer was that it inflated odds for everyone else.
To put it bluntly, the prevailing wisdom surrounding Heisman odds is wrong and that disconnect is born out in the final Heisman voting year after year. Only one preseason favorite has gone “wire-to-wire” since 2000. All it took from Marcus Mariota (9:2 preseason odds) was a near-flawless season (TD-INT Ratio 42:4) and a berth in the inaugural College Football Playoff. In contrast to Mariota’s favorite-to-recipient feat, is the fact that eight of the past 10 Heisman winners weren’t considered Top 10 candidates in the preseason by oddsmakers. Joe Burrow (40:1), Kyler Murray (30:1), Lamar Jackson (100:1) and Derrick Henry (25:1) represent a new wave of Heisman profitability for sports gamblers. And after a run of one-year wonders who took home the hardware as preseason “FIELD” bets (Cam Newton, Johnny Manziel, Jameis Winston) in the early 2010s, sportsbooks finally started to post more comprehensive preseason lists. The average offering has essentially doubled from the 20-25 player range in 2010 to a 35-40 range in 2019.
Heisman longshots have proven to be incredibly profitable in the past 10 years, but their odds quickly come down to earth once the general public has seen them play. The Heisman winners over the 2015-2019 seasons saw their preseason odds fall by an average of 68% from the preseason through Week 3.
This illustrates that for a gambler to capture worthwhile value, they often need to have skin in the game before the season starts.
The start of the 2020 season offered a similar situation as our 2019 example. Neither Lawrence nor Tagovailoa were Heisman finalists in 2019, but that didn’t stop oddsmakers from setting up the 2020 preseason Heisman odds in nearly identical fashion. Lawrence was joined by Justin Fields as a co-favorite falling in the 4:1 to 9:2 range. And as we now know, of course, neither Lawrence or Fields are expected to win the trophy.
Hedging Strategies When Betting The Heisman
Hedging is when a gambler places a bet on the opposite side of their original wager in order to reduce losses or to guarantee a profit. Despite the simplicity of the tactic, casual gamblers often fail to consider hedging opportunities. For small-stakes gamblers, in-game hedging might not be worth their time, but that isn’t true of futures betting. Even small wagers can net huge returns and are worthy of thoughtful hedge strategies.
Season-long futures for individual players and teams present a host of hedge opportunities, some clear and others more convoluted. As shown above, pundits and the public are awful at predicting who will end up as a Heisman finalist. In fact, four of the five Heisman Trophy presentations between 2015-2019 have included at least 1 finalist who entered the season as a 100:1 longshot or higher. Simply having a finalist with long odds can guarantee you money by properly hedging is a game-changer for most casual bettors.
If you were fortunate enough to place a bet on Joe Burrow before Week 3 of the 2019 season, you had a ticket paying out between 40:1 and 200:1 on the Bayou Bengal. Even if you had waited until the end of the regular season to hedge, the 3 other eventual finalists all presented decent value and insurance with Fields (6:1), Jalen Hurts (17:1), Chase Young (100:1) all offering handsome payouts.
While it appeared that Burrow was a “lock” by Week 13 during the 2019 season, this same hedge strategy would have saved Tagovailoa bettors the year prior. The Crimson Tide signal-caller was listed as a -900 favorite during Week 13 but would be overtaken by Kyler Murray just two weeks later. If you had spread out your risk by betting the likely finalists in Week 13 (Murray+600, Dwayne Haskins+6000, Will Grier+1100) you would have turned a gambling heartbreak into a decent payday.
If you are making preseason Heisman bets, targeting longshots with the potential to become finalists instead of winners is one way that you can turn an all-or-nothing proposition into a less volatile and more profitable long-term strategy. This brings into play running backs, wide receivers and defensive players that you might not have considered at all in previous seasons.
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Heisman Odds 2025 FAQ
Who was the Heisman Trophy betting favorite for the 2024 college football season?
Colorado WR/DB Travis Hunter was the betting favorite and won the Heisman Trophy.
Who will win the Heisman Trophy for the 2025 college football season?
It's too soon to tell, but Texas QB Arch Manning, LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier and Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith will all be mentioned in the conversation.
Which players has won the most Heisman Trophies all time?
Ohio State running back Archie Griffin has won the most Heisman Trophies (2), as he remains the only player to win the award more than once (1974 and 1975)
Which school has won the most Heisman Trophies?
Three teams feature players to win the award on seven occasions: Ohio State, Oklahoma and Notre Dame. Ohio State has yielded just six players to win the Heisman, however, as running back Archie Griffin remains the only man to win the award more than once. USC is next on the list with six Heismans, while Alabama has four, and six schools round out the top 11 with three Heisman Trophy winners (Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Michigan, Navy and Nebraska).
Managing Editor
A 30-time APSE award-winning editor with previous stints at the Miami Herald, The Indianapolis Star and News & Observer, Executive Editor Chris Wright oversees editorial operations for Saturday Down South.
