We’re one-third of the way into the new college football season. Now that conference play is starting, we’re going to see the contenders separate themselves from the pretenders — and that includes the Heisman Trophy race. Keep reading to get which player you should bet to win the Heisman later this year.
Let’s begin with the 2023 Heisman odds. At the top betting sites for football, these players are most favored to win the award going into week 5:
| Player |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caleb Williams | +350 | +350 | +350 |
| Michael Penix Jr. | +350 | +350 | +350 |
| Quinn Ewers | +600 | +600 | +600 |
| Bo Nix | +1200 | +1200 | +1200 |
| Jordan Travis | +1200 | +1200 | +1200 |
| Sam Hartman | +1600 | +1600 | +1600 |
Best Bets To Win 2023 Heisman Trophy
As you see above, the odds are pretty scattered right now. Therefore, making multiple bets on the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner makes a lot of sense. Two should be the minimum and if so, we’d prioritize putting money on these two:
A PAC-12 Quarterback
It’s a shame the PAC-12 is nearing its final hoorah. This is the most exciting the conference has been since the USC days of dominance in the mid-2000s. Coach Prime has Colorado the talk of college football, and there are four conference teams currently ranked top-10. Moreover, the PAC-12 has the nation’s best signal callers, who are leading candidates to win the Heisman.
First, there’s the Trojans’ Williams, who is the reigning award winner. Only one player — Archie Griffin in 1974-75 — has ever won the Heisman back-to-back times, but Williams is threatening. Williams hasn’t thrown an interception yet with 1200 yards passing and 15 touchdowns. He has USC ranked No. 8 and is widely expected to go No. 1 in the 2024 NFL Draft.
We all knew Williams was going to be this good, but Washington quarterback Penix Jr. has caught others by surprise. He’s architecting a Huskies’ offense that’s absolutely rolling — the team is ranked No. 7, best in the conference. Penix Jr. has more touchdowns (16) and yards (1,636) than Williams but has thrown two picks.
Nix of Oregon is also on the up and up after demolishing the Cinderella story that is Colorado. With so many eyes on the game, Nix scored four times and tossed for 276 yards. His season stat line — 1,169 yards and 11 touchdowns — is far behind of Williams and Penix though.
Out of these three, you can really only make one bet. After all, only one team can win the conference and get themselves in the College Football Playoff. Whoever does so likely becomes the Heisman frontrunner since team success is such a big component of voting. Right now, our money is on Washington and cause of that, Penix Jr. Coach Kalen DeBoer is the real deal and we’re confident he’ll make the right moves down the stretch.
Non PAC-12 Quarterback
Outside of the PAC-12, there are a few other quarterbacks making their case for the Heisman title. One is Florida State’s Travis. We mentioned the importance of team success earlier and Travis has an abundance of it already. The Seminoles are 4-0 with two marquee wins. Last week, they topped Clemson in overtime and also trounced LSU in the season-opener. If FSU can keep this up, those big wins will really help Travis’ Heisman case as much as any individual stat.
Undefeated Texas also has one marquee win under their belt against Alabama. Here again, their signal caller, Ewers, is getting Heisman attention. Admittedly, Ewers' 2023 numbers — 1,033 yards and nine touchdowns — are pretty tame. But what he has going for him is being a Longhorn. As one of the most popular teams, if they keep winning, the hype for the program and Ewers will really ready another stratosphere.
It might be worth calling out Hartman of the Fighting Irish too. Notre Dame has that same name power as the Longhorns, if not more. So when they do well, their quarterback hogs up the glory. Notre Dame had a heartbreaking loss to Ohio State this past weekend but has a real chance to run the table from here on out. Hartman remains squarely on the Heisman radar if that happens.
Here again, it makes the most sense to back the player on the team you believe will have the most success. In that case, we’re going with the ‘Noles and Travis. It really does feel like FSU is for real this time and Travis dual-threat ways are a big part of that. He’s a great bet to pair with Penix Jr. — especially at these long odds right now.
How To Bet On College Football Futures?
The Heisman Trophy is just one of many college football futures bets you can make right now. Others include who wins what conference and of course, the national championship. To get all these odds under one roof, hit one of the bookmakers below. All five sites you see are rated highest in our latest sportsbook review section.
One reason for those high ratings is the quality of their sportsbook promotional bonuses. There are deals worth hundreds to thousands of dollars at these sites. With that type of money, you could be betting on college football for free. See what types of deals are available in the table below.
