Is Colorado star Travis Hunter as much of a lock for the Heisman Trophy as his betting odds indicate?
Hunter enters the final week of the season as a very overwhelming favorite. Hunter is at -1000 at BetMGM while Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty is at +750. Miami QB Cam Ward is at +1200 and no other player has odds better than +6600.
It’s clear why Hunter is such a big favorite. He’s the leading receiver on a team that gets a lot of attention. Oh, and he also plays nearly every snap on defense as the team’s top defensive back. He’s a modern college football unicorn and is going to be a very early pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
But there’s still an opportunity for Jeanty, Ward or even Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel (+6600) to make a late push.
Thanks to Colorado’s loss at Kansas in Week 13, the Buffaloes now need some help to make the Big 12 championship game. Had Colorado beaten the Jayhawks and then Oklahoma State, the Buffs would have been guaranteed a spot in the title game.
Instead, Colorado is now a part of a four-way tie for first and is at a tiebreaker disadvantage thanks to losses to both Kansas and Kansas State. If the Buffs are in a four-way tie for first at 7-2, they aren’t playing for the conference title. If they’re in a three-way tie, they’re also out of the mix.
If Colorado doesn’t get the help it needs, Jeanty, Ward and Gabriel will all be playing on conference championship weekend while Hunter is watching from the sidelines.
Jeanty has an especially compelling case for the Heisman, even as his stats have fallen off a bit as Mountain West teams have done whatever they can to stop him.
He tweaked his left ankle in the team’s Week 13 victory over Wyoming and still became the first running back since 2017 to eclipse the 2,000-yard mark in the regular season. Through 11 games, Jeanty has 275 carries for 2,062 yards and 27 TDs. He has 28 TDs overall with one more game to go before the MWC title game.
If Jeanty gets to 30 total touchdowns, he’d be the first player in four seasons to score at least 30 TDs from scrimmage. The NCAA single-season record of 39 TDs by Montee Ball in 2011 is out of reach, but only 11 players since 1956 have tallied 30 or more scores from scrimmage.
Could a 2,500-yard season with 34 touchdowns over 13 games persuade some voters if Boise State wins the Mountain West title? Don’t rule it out. Especially if Colorado isn’t playing for the Big 12 championship and is completely out of the playoff picture.
Outside of Hunter and Jeanty, here are the three other players we’re watching in the final week of the regular season.
Miami QB Cam Ward: The Hurricanes QB leads the country in passing touchdowns, is second in passing yards and seventh in yards per attempt. He’s the best statistical QB in college football and has the chance to add to that against Syracuse. That game could be a shootout. Orange QB Kyle McCord is near the top of a lot of passing lists too.
Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel: Gabriel’s Heisman odds have tanked over the past two weeks. They’re probably a bit too low. If Oregon wins the Big Ten as the only undefeated team in college football, there’s no way he isn’t in New York.
Texas QB Quinn Ewers: OK, Ewers is not going to win the Heisman. But does he get some down-ballot votes with a strong performance against Texas A&M and again in the SEC title game? After suffering a left ankle sprain against Kentucky, all signs point to Ewers starting on Saturday night.
