Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith is the new Heisman Trophy favorite after catching a career-high four touchdowns in the Buckeyes’ 42-19 rout of Illinois on Saturday.
Smith saw his odds at BetMGM shorten from +1000 last week to +250 on Monday, with trading manager Seamus Magee touting his “monster” game. He leads with 9.2% of the total bets and 18.2% of the money backing him to win the Heisman. Smith is also now the +260 favorite at DraftKings.
His ascension to the top of the Heisman market is leaving sportsbooks exposed to a big loss. Smith is the biggest liability at BetMGM ahead of Miami quarterback Darian Mensah, who has the second-shortest odds at +450 while attracting 7.4% of the total bets and 15.5% of the money.
The third-shortest odds belong to Mississippi State quarterback Kamario Taylor. A +15000 longshot when the Heisman market opened, the sophomore has thrown for 14 touchdowns against only two interceptions while leading the 16th-ranked Bulldogs to a 4-0 start.
Texas quarterback Arch Manning, one of the preseason favorites, continues to see his odds lengthen. After opening at +800, Manning saw his odds lengthen from +1000 last week to +2500 after another uneven performance in the Longhorns’ three-point win at Tennessee.
Ole Miss’ Trinidad Chambliss can serve as a cautionary tale to Smith about how fleeting Heisman status can be. After vaulting to the +325 favorite after last week’s win against LSU, Chambliss saw his odds lengthen to +1100 after the Rebels’ decisive loss at Florida. Meanwhile, Gators running back Jadan Baugh vaulted from +6600 to +1000 following the victory.
Oregon quarterback Dante Moore, one of the preseason favorites at +1000, is now off the board after leaving Saturday’s game with a concussion.
Player, Opening Odds | Last Week | Current Odds
Jeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio State, +1400 | +1000 | +250
Darian Mensah, QB, Miami, +1300 | +325 | +450
Kamario Taylor, QB, Miss. St., +15000 | +1000 | +600
Jadan Baugh, RB, Florida, +15000 | +6600 | +1000
Trinidad Chambliss, QB, Ole Miss, +900 | +325 | +1100
CJ Carr, QB, Notre Dame, +750 | +1500 | +1200
Malachi Toney, WR, Miami, +4000 | +1000 | +1500
Arch Manning, QB, Texas, +800 | +1000 | +2500
Josh Hoover, QB, Indiana, +1200 | +3500 | +2500
Keelon Russell, QB, Alabama, +8000 | +4000 | +2500
Julian Sayin, QB, Ohio State, +1100 | +3000 | +3000
Jayden Maiava, QB, Southern Cal, +1100 | +4000 | +3500
Lincoln Kienholz, QB, Louisville, +8000 | +4000 | +3500
Gunner Stockton, QB, Georgia, +1500 | +4000 | +4000