Heisman Trophy Odds: LSU’s Jayden Daniels a Heavy Favorite

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The four Heisman Trophy finalists were announced Monday night ahead of Saturday’s ceremony in New York where the most outstanding player in college football will be crowned.

LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels, Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr., Oregon quarterback Bo Nix and Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. were revealed as the four finalists. Penix is the only one of the four contenders who led his team to a conference championship and a College Football Playoff berth, but Daniels is a heavy betting favorite.

Read up on each candidate’s case and their current odds ahead of Saturday when the winner will be announced.

Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU (-1200)

Daniels’ fifth and likely final collegiate season will go down in Tigers history — and he’s poised to become the third LSU player to ever win the Heisman Trophy. His counting stats are eye-popping: He leads the country in passer rating (208), is tied for the most passing touchdowns (40), ranks third in passing yards (3,812) and has just four interceptions on the year. Daniels also racked up 1,134 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns in 12 games and he became the first player in FBS history to record 350 passing yards and 200 rushing yards in a single game.

The Tigers finished first in the FBS by scoring average (46.4) and yardage (547.8), just like in 2019 when Joe Burrow, who was also a transfer quarterback, won the Heisman. The most notable difference was Burrow led LSU to a 15–0 record and a National Championship win while Daniels’ Tigers went 9–3 and finished runner-up in the SEC West to Alabama.

The last Heisman winner to not play in their conference championship was Lamar Jackson in 2016. He led Louisville to a 9–3 regular-season record and put up similar stats to Daniels.

Daniels has an opportunity to add to his trophy case this weekend as he already won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, which is given annually to the nation’s top quarterback who best exemplifies character, scholastic and athletic achievement.

Michael Penix Jr., QB, Washington (+900)

Penix paced the nation in passing yards (4,218) on his way to an undefeated regular season, a Pac-12 title and the No. 2 seed in the College Football Playoff. The Huskies hadn’t won the Pac-12 since 2018 and hadn’t been back to the College Football Playoff since their 2016 debut. Penix led the program to both in Washington’s last season in the conference and in the final year of the four-team playoff.

Only Daniels and Nix threw for more touchdowns than Penix (33), who had five games with four or more passing touchdowns and nine interceptions on the year. Penix’s hot start to the season quickly cemented his status as a Heisman contender as he racked up 16 touchdowns in the team’s first four games.

Those numbers began to level out against tougher competition in November as Washington survived close call after close call. The run of one-score wins continued into the conference title game when Penix’s Huskies again got the best of Nix’s Ducks to win the conference and punch their ticket to the playoff, powered by the country’s most prolific passing offense.

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Bo Nix, QB, Oregon (+1500)

Nix’s efficiency stands out among his peers. He not only finished tied with Daniels for the most passing touchdowns in college football (40) and second behind Penix in passing yards (4,145) but he also led the country in completion percentage (77.2%), finished second in passer rating (186.2) and only threw three interceptions. With Nix under center, the Ducks were a machine on offense, finishing second to LSU in scoring average (44.2 points per game) and yardage (527.4).

But Oregon also lost to Washington head-to-head, twice, in the regular season and again with the Pac-12 title and a playoff spot on the line. Nix played well in both games, but Penix got the best of him when the two contenders did match up and the Ducks finished the season 11–2

Nix’s best game of the year was an uber-efficient, 400-yard, six-touchdown performance against Arizona State in mid-November, which helped him vault to favorite status ahead of the Pac-12 title game before Daniels leapt both him and Penix in the betting markets.

Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State (+20000)

The Heisman Trophy is almost exclusively awarded to quarterbacks. Since 2000, only three position players have won the award — and DeVonta Smith in 2020 was the only receiver to do so. Harrison, the son of NFL legend Marvin Harrison, is trying to join that elite club. He finished tied for the second-most receiving touchdowns (14), ninth in receiving yards (1,211) and 36th in receptions (67).

Harrison was quarterback Kyle McCord’s No. 1 option in an offense that finished 32nd in scoring average (32.8 points per game) and 36th in total yardage (425 yards per game). No other Ohio State receiver finished with more than 600 yards or five touchdowns. The future first-round pick shined in some of the Buckeyes’ biggest games: He set season-highs in catches (11) and yards (162) in a win over Penn State and had 118 yards and a score against Michigan, one of the best defenses in the FBS.

Harrison’s longshot odds are warranted: Smith was the first pass-catcher to win the award since 1991 and he tallied 117 catches for 1,856 yards and 23 touchdowns en route to an SEC title and National Championship. Ohio State (11–1) missed out on the Big Ten Championship again after its loss to the Wolverines.

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