2024 Heisman Trophy Odds: Miami’s Cam Ward Favored in Wide-Open Race

The 2024 college football season heats up this weekend with a must-see SEC battle in Tuscaloosa on Saturday night.

CFB fans will be treated to No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 4 Alabama in Week 5 (7:30 p.m ET on Saturday, September 28), followed by an October slate full of make-or-break matchups for top-15 teams. A few of the biggest days of October to look forward to include:

• Oct. 12: Ohio State vs. Oregon, Ole Miss vs. LSU, Penn State vs. USC
• Oct. 19: Georgia vs. Texas, Alabama vs. Tennessee
• Oct. 26: Missouri vs. Alabama, Oklahoma vs. Ole Miss

The pivotal matchups in the SEC and Big Ten, as well as several others elsewhere, should provide not only can’t-miss football, but clarity in what is currently a wide-open battle for the 2024 Heisman Trophy.

Miami QB Cam Ward is the current favorite, but barely. In fact, he’s one of a number of players who appears to have a real chance to raise the most prestigious individual trophy in college sports in December.

As of Wednesday, September 25, the 10 players below all currently boast MVP odds of +2000 (20-to-1) or shorter at most sportsbooks.

2024 Heisman Trophy Odds Entering Week 5

2024 Heisman Odds: Cam Ward or the Field?

Ward entered the season with some Heisman buzz, but had longer preseason odds than the likes of Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel, Georgia QB Carson Beck and Texas QB Quinn Ewers, among others.

He has been the best quarterback in the country through four weeks, though, albeit against mostly soft competition. Miami opened the season on the road against Florida in what was expected to be a tough matchup. Ward led the Canes to a dominant 41-17 win in that game to kick his Heisman campaign into overdrive, and he’s been on fire throughout September.

Including the Florida game, when he threw for 385 yards and three touchdowns, Ward has recorded at least 300 yards passing and three TDs in each of Miami’s first four contests. Related: the Hurricanes have outscored Florida, FAMU, Ball State and South Florida 209-41.

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Miami’s competition will improve starting with its ACC opener against Virginia Tech this Friday, but the Canes are 19.5-point favorites at DraftKings in that game. They’ll also likely to be favored by 10 points or more in seven of their eight conference games (on paper, an Oct. 19 trip to Louisville looks like the only tough matchup for this team).

It’s going to take a massive season by someone other than Ward to overtake him if everything goes as smoothly as expected for Miami the rest of the way*, as he’s on pace for well over 4,000 yards passing and 40 touchdowns.

*As anyone familiar with Miami’s recent history can attest, this is a big if.

2024 Heisman Odds Analysis: Best Value Bets

Ward deserves his status as the favorite after four weeks, but several other players offer serious value.

One potential issue for Ward is Miami’s lack of ranked opponents the rest of the way. If an SEC or Big Ten QB (or anyone else) finishes the year with slightly less impressive stats than Ward’s, but does so against much better competition, that player will have a great chance to win the Heisman.

Below are three players besides Ward who are worth a look at their current price.

Note: The odds listed below are the best available as of Sept. 25.

Jaxson Dart Heisman Trophy odds: +500 (FD, DK, bet365)

We’ll get to a couple true longshots with more upside than Dart (in terms of odds/payout) in just a moment. Still, if you assume this award is going to go to the quarterback player with the best stats — which is the case most years — Dart is a great bet.

Dart has actually thrown for more yards than Ward (Dart: 1,554; Ward: 1,439) while also completing a higher percentage of his passes (Dart: 79.8; Ward: 72.4) this season. In Lane Kiffin’s offense, and with the skill position players he has at his disposal, Dart has a real chance to finish the year with the best raw numbers in the country.

The question is whether Ole Miss can navigate its SEC schedule and reach the College Football Playoff.

Ole Miss faces a solid Kentucky defense (No. 19, according to ESPN’s SP+) this Saturday. Later this season, it has to play South Carolina, LSU, Oklahoma and Georgia. Three of those teams boast a top-30 defense per SP+, including the Sooners (No. 13) and the Bulldogs (No. 3)

The bad news is it will be tough to post monster numbers against those defenses. The good news, though, is that if Dart does keep this offense rolling and Ole Miss — which is currently ranked No. 6 in the nation — stays in the top 10, he’ll be a Heisman finalist at the very least.

Travis Hunter Heisman Trophy odds: +2000 (DK)

Hunter is the most intriguing Heisman candidate we’ve seen in a long time.

He’s not the first CB or WR to play a bit on both sides of the ball, but no one in the modern era of big-time college football plays both ways full-time. That’s exactly what Hunter does, though. Against Baylor in a 38-31 overtime win by the Buffs last Saturday night, Hunter played every snap on defense, and 81 of 92 on offense.

His on-field production (he averages 9-plus catches and 118 yards per game as a receiver, and he’s a lockdown corner on defense) leaves nothing to be desired. What typically prevents outstanding players on mediocre teams from contending for the Heisman is a lack of media attention, but that’s no problem for Hunter and Colorado in 2024.

Hunter could absolutely be a Heisman finalist if Colorado can finish with a winning record and he can stay healthy for eight more games. If both those things happen, Hunter might win this award as long as no quarterback or running back separates himself as the clear-cut best player in the country.

There are a lot of variables in Hunter’s Heisman candidacy that the other contenders don’t have to deal with. Still, he’s worth a small wager — perhaps a half-unit — at +2000 if you’re bullish on Colorado riding QB Shedeur Sanders, Hunter and an electric group of receivers to an above-.500 season in the Big 12.

Ashton Jeanty Heisman Trophy odds: +3300 (FD)

The star of the No. 25 Boise State Broncos is another intriguing darkhorse who needs a few breaks to go his way. But hear us out as we make the case for the best running back in the country.

First of all, Jeanty, who has run for 586 yards and nine touchdowns on an absurd 10.5 yards per carry, looks like a rare first-round draft pick at RB. His team is in the mix for the automatic College Football Playoff berth that will go to the highest-ranked Group of Five team, and if Boise makes the CFP, Jeanty could become the first RB to win the Heisman since Derrick Henry back in 2015.

He proved on Sept. 7 at Autzen Stadium that he can get it done against top competition, with 192 yards and 3 TDs on 25 carries against the No. 8 Oregon Ducks.

Boise plays Washington State this weekend, and the Broncos also meet UNLV on October 25 in a pivotal Mountain West matchup. The undefeated Rebels are currently on the cusp of the Top 25 and could be ranked by the time that game kicks off. WSU is also sitting just outside the Top 25 entering Week 5.

If Boise finishes the year as A) champion of the Mountain West, B) having played two or three ranked teams and C) in the CFP, Jeanty’s case is going to be undeniably compelling.

Jeanty, like Hunter, will (obviously) have a much better chance at winning the Heisman if no one from the blue bloods breaks away from the pack, but he deserves some consideration right now at 33-to-1 odds.

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