Heisman Trophy betting odds have become a staple at legal US online sportsbooks over the past few years. It’s also, since the turn of the century, been pretty easy to predict the outcome as a quarterback has won the Heisman 17 of the last 20 years. Picking well early, however, has proven to be a bit tougher.
LSU’s Joe Burrow took home the honors in 2019. Burrow’s Heisman Trophy odds opened at 200-1 before last season started but got slashed to 25-1 immediately after he ripped Georgia Southern for nearly 300 yards passing and 5 TD in LSU’s season opener. By the time the season ended the current QB1 for the Cincinnati Bengals saw his odds plummet to -30000. That means a $300 bet would have turned a measly $1 profit.
Is there a secret to Heisman Trophy betting? No. Is it easier to predict? Yes. But you have to strike before the iron gets hot to get the best odds you can. Here’s your guide to attacking those Heisman lines in 2020.
2020-21 Heisman Trophy Odds
Check the real-time Heisman Trophy odds at legal US online sportsbooks below. Use the drop-down menus to switch your state or check out other NCAAF futures odds. Click the odds you like to claim your bonus, register an account and get your bet down.
Best Heisman betting apps
1. DraftKings Sportsbook App – $25 Free
Use DraftKings Sportsbook online in: NJ, CO, PA, WV, IN, IA, TN, NH and IL
DraftKings’ platform for daily fantasy sports and sports betting is top of the line and that carries over into its sportsbook app. With the full suite of DK’s betting markets at your fingertips, that means you can get your Heisman action down lightning fast.
Heisman betting odds can move quickly after a candidate puts on a dazzling performance and that will drastically shorten up his rate of return. Download the DraftKings app and open a new account to get:
$25 in free bets
Up to $500 deposit bonus at 20% match
Up to $500 risk-free bet
All deposits and cash outs can be made on your phone or tablet. Click below to get started:
FanDuel made such an impression with its business intelligence and data mining that it became the first sportsbook/fantasy site to strike such a deal with an NFL franchise. That should speak volumes to sports bettors across the country and it’s likely to resonate this college football betting season.
Already widely known for its parlay insurance, odds boosts, and ease of navigation FanDuel has highly competitive Heisman odds and lightning-fast payouts. They’re also one of the few U.S. sportsbooks to have Heisman Trophy futures on the board as early as June. Claim your bonus at FanDuel in legal states via the button below:
FOX Bet is seemingly everywhere these days and of course known for its extensive football coverage.
What separates FOX Bet from other sportsbook apps are the amount of in-app promos (check for “Super Boosts” and “Spin and Bets“) plus its early cashout options. They also like to pit your picks against their pundits with special odds boosts.
For Heisman bettors specifically, FOX Bet has very competitive odds and a long list of players from every major conference to put some money down on. If you like quick deposit and payouts, you’ll also love FOX Bet. New bettors can claim $20 free plus up to $100 on deposit via the link below:
Say you got a thing for Texas Longhorns football and want to grab a piece of Sam Ehlinger to win the Heisman Trophy in 2020. The Horns QB1’s Heisman odds currently check in at +1600 or 16-1 (Note: Always check your sportsbook for the latest odds).
This means that any bet would earn you 16x the original stake. So, if you decided to throw $100 on him to hear his name called at the PlayStation Theater in New York City, you’d walk away with $1,600 profit.
All Heisman Trophy winner bets are considered active if the player suits up and takes the field in his team’s first scheduled game. So, the bet is locked in for the long haul regardless of whether the player gets hurt in the season opener through the award ceremony. No exceptions.
Heisman betting trends
If you invest in 2020 Heisman betting odds, you’ll do yourself a major solid by looking the way of quarterbacks. Take a glance at running backs if you must, but know that an RB would have to put forth a dominant season just to have a shot in this day and age of QB-driven collegiate offenses.
Whatever you do, don’t bank on a wide receiver or defensive player. Charles Woodson was the last to do so back in 1997, which was the last time a QB or RB didn’t win the award. Before that, it was Desmond Howard in 1991.
Over the last 10 seasons, a quarterback has won the Heisman Trophy all but one time. Current TennesseeTitans running back Derrick Henry was the only player to break the mold back in 2015 when he put forth an amazing campaign for Nick Saban’s Alabama Crimson Tide. It’s been nothing but QBs since with LamarJackson, BakerMayfield, Kyler Murray and Joe Burrow getting the job done.
While TD passes, rushing touchdowns, sacks, interceptions, and any other pertinent stats are important when deciding on whom to invest your Heisman bets in, you should only be concerned with game-changers on winning teams from power conferences. Those are the types of thoroughbreds that win the award.
Just look at the schools the players came from over the last decade:
LSU
Oklahoma
Alabama
Florida State
Auburn
Single out players on teams likely to win their respective divisions and conferences and make an appearance in the BCS playoff or a major college bowl game. While the age of the player used to be important, that’s no longer the case with guys like Johnny Manziel and Jameis Winston winning the award in their freshman seasons.
Betting early does offer up a shot at the greatest rate of return, but surveying the landscape for a few weeks and spreading some beer money around on some early season impact players could also prove to be fruitful.
There’s no handbook on how to bet the Heisman Trophy winner. It’s tough, as evidenced by linemakers offering up plus-money odds on every big name out there months before the season even begins.
2020-21 Heisman Trophy favorites
QB Justin Fields
Fields was the runner-up to Burrow in last season’s Heisman Trophy voting with 271 2nd-place votes. The Georgia transfer made a huge impression in Columbus after throwing for nearly 3,300 yards and 41 TDs while only getting picked off three times.
He also picked up another 484 yards and 10 TDs on the ground. With Ohio St. nestled in with Clemson, Alabama, Oklahoma and Penn State atop the preseason rankings, it makes perfect sense why Fields is a frontrunner for the 2020 Heisman in the eyes of linemakers and the betting public.
QB Trevor Lawrence
It feels like Lawrence has been running the Tigers offense for a decade already. But keep in mind, he took the job away from Kelly Bryant in his freshman campaign and led the Tigers to the national championship.
He bettered his marks from that season in his sophomore season in throwing for over 3,600 yards while logging a solid 36:8 TD/INT ratio. He also proved to be a dual-threat in rushing for 563 yards and nine scores. Clemson has been a fixture in the CFP since its existence and is once again the decided favorite to win the ACC.
QB D’Eriq King
King was an overhyped option in the Heisman betting odds a season ago. Not so much because he didn’t have the talent to win the award, but because of the program in which he displayed his skills.
After bolting Houston for greener pastures, King is now running the offense in Coral Gables for the Miami Hurricanes. With the skills he brings to the table, that makes him a bonafide entrant in this year’s Heisman race with a very attractive preseason rate of return. The Canes offense should flourish under his watch, which should have The U in the ACC title race.
2020-21 Heisman Trophy wild cards
QB Kedon Slovis
With Graham Harrell back as offensive coordinator, Slovis could dramatically improve upon his frosh campaign for a USC Trojans outfit that figures to be in the thick of the Pac-12 title race all the way through.
Though not the dynamic dual-threat of other more highly esteemed QBs in the collegiate landscape, he still went on to throw for over 3,500 yards and 30 TDs as an 18-year old. Remember, age isn’t what it used to be when banking on players to win the Heisman Trophy.
CB/WR Derek Stingley
A longshot, no-doubt, considering a defensive two-way player hasn’t won the award since Woodson did in 1997. On top of that, a cornerback has only won the Heisman once! Still, Stingley had such a dramatic effect on the turnaround of LSU’s defense last season by racking up 15 passes defended, 31 solo tackles and six interceptions.
If he can also make an impact on offense and special teams, the Tigers seriously might possess the most electric player in college football. If so, he’d have to be taken seriously as a potential Heisman Trophy award candidate.
RB Kenneth Gainwell
The payout on Gainwell makes no sense whatsoever! This kid was without a doubt the real deal for a loaded Memphis Tigers offense last season. After getting limited burn in his freshman campaign, Gainwell erupted as a sophomore for over 2,000 combined yards and 16 TDs.
While the coaching staff has since bolted, the offense returns a bulk of the key cogs that racked up over 40 points and 480 yards per game. With speed to burn, opposing defenses have no shot tracking him down once he reaches the open field. The kid comes up with at least one of not two highlight-reel plays per game. If he bumps that up to between 3-5, Heisman voters will have no choice but to give him the attention and accolades he deserves.
List of Heisman Trophy winners by year
The first Heisman Trophy was awarded to University of Chicago halfback Jay Berwanger back in 1935. It’s been handed out 84 times since making it one of the oldest and most prestigious awards in American sports.
While it should never be looked upon as the ultimate predictor of success at the next level, it’s a career highlight that earns all who win it the respect they deserve. These are the athletes who earned their Heisman in the past decade.
The 86th winner of the Heisman Trophy will be announced in mid to late December.
Who votes for the Heisman Trophy winner?
A total of 870 media voters get to decide the winner of the award with 145 voters selected from six regions.
Which team/conference has the most Heisman winners?
Ohio State, Oklahoma, and Notre Dame lead the nation with seven Heisman Trophy winners each. In terms of the most conference wins, the Big Ten leads the way with 19 followed by the SEC (13) and Pac-12 (11).
What are the most controversial Heisman winners of recent years?
Gary Beban won the Heisman back in 1967 after only throwing for 1,239 yards with an 8:7 TD/INT ratio while completing just 55.8 percent of his passes. He beat out O.J. Simpson, who rushed for over 1,500 yards and 13 TDs. O.J. made it a point to dominate the following season with over 1,800 rushing yards to win the award. Still, you can’t help but think it still irks O.J. that he didn’t go back-to-back. Eric Crouch’s Heisman win over Rex Grossman also raised some eyebrows as unimpressive as his stat line was for the season.
Who had the best Heisman Trophy winner year?
Anyone that tells you Marcus Allen’s showing in 1981 wasn’t the greatest Heisman-winning season of all-time is deranged. He became the first-ever player to rush for 2,000 yards and shattered it by going for over 2,400! On top of that, he hit pay dirt a whopping 23 times. Other impressive Heisman winning seasons were put forth by Sam Bradford in 2008, Ron Dayne in 1999, Desmond Howard in 1991, Earl Campbell in 1977, and Tony Dorsett in 1976.
Who are the two-time Heisman Trophy winners?
Archie Griffin won the award in both 1974 and 1975 as the running back of the Ohio State Buckeyes. He racked up a combined 3,145 yards rushing and 16 TD in his junior and senior seasons to pull off the feat.
Who has won both Heisman Trophy and NFL MVP?
Lamar Jackson just became the ninth player to win both the Heisman Trophy and NFL MVP. Other players include Frank Sinkwich, Paul Horning, Roger Staubach, O.J. Simpson, Earl Campbell, Marcus Allen, Barry Sanders, and Cam Newton.
Who was the first freshman/sophomore to win the Heisman?
Tim Tebow became the first sophomore to win the Heisman back in 2007 as the quarterback of the Florida Gators. Other super sophs to take home the hardware were Sam Bradford, Mark Ingram Jr., and most recently Lamar Jackson. Johnny Manziel and Jameis Winston are the only freshmen to have won the award, but each redshirted their first season so they weren’t true freshmen when winning the award.
