Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota, Texas A&M quarterback Kenny Hill and Georgia running back Todd Gurley are the Week 5 favorites for the 2014 Heisman Trophy, according to Bovada.
Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon made a healthy jump in the odds, rising to 14/1 from 25/1 after rushing 13 times for 253 yards and five touchdowns in the Badgers' 68-17 win over Bowling Green on Saturday. That 19.5 yards-per-carry average shattered Wisconsin's previous school record of 14.9, and those five touchdowns also matched a UW record. As a team, the Badgers set a Big Ten record with 644 rushing yards and another school record with 756 total yards.
Gordon is also now tied for the all-time FBS record in career yards-per-carry average at 8.26.
Without a clear leader thus far in the season, the Heisman race should grow progressively more interesting with conference play just two weeks away. In his latest edition of The Numerical, SB Nation's Bill Connelly detailed the difficulties Gordon, Gurley, Nebraska's Ameer Abdullah and other running backs will have in bucking conventional wisdom in the Heisman race.
It's really difficult for a running back to put together a Heisman case these days. Quarterbacks have won the award 12 of the last 14 years, and the two running backs who won in that span (including Reggie Bush, whose award has since been stripped) were on teams that went a combined 23-0 in the regular season. Nebraska's not a national title threat, so Abdullah probably isn't a serious Heisman contender (you know, because you can't be the best player in America if your teammates aren't that great), but that's a shame.
ODDS TO WIN THE 2014 HEISMAN TROPHY, PER BOVADA | |||
---|---|---|---|
ODDS ON SEPT. 16 | CURRENT ODDS | ||
1 | Marcus Mariota (QB Oregon) | 11/2 | 2/1 |
2 | Kenny Hill (QB Texas A&M) | 15/2 | 10/1 |
3 | Todd Gurley (RB Georgia) | 7/1 | 10/1 |
4 | Everett Golson (Notre Dame) | 10/1 | 12/1 |
5 | Dak Prescott (QB Mississippi State) | 33/1 | 14/1 |
6 | Melvin Gordon (RB Wisconsin) | 25/1 | 14/1 |
7 | Nick Marshall (QB Auburn) | 16/1 | 14/1 |
8 | Amari Cooper (WR Alabama) | 33/1 | 18/1 |
9 | Taysom Hill (QB BYU) | 20/1 | 18/1 |
10 | Bryce Petty (QB Baylor) | 14/1 | 20/1 |
11 | Jameis Winston (QB Florida State) | 10/1 | 20/1 |
12 | Ameer Abdullah (RB Nebraska) | 20/1 | 25/1 |
13 | Samaje Perine (RB Oklahoma) | Off the Board | 25/1 |
14 | Trevor Knight (QB Oklahoma) | 12/1 | 25/1 |
15 | Brett Hundley (QB UCLA) | 25/1 | 33/1 |
16 | James Conner (RB Pittsburgh) | 25/1 | 33/1 |
17 | Rashad Greene (WR Florida State) | 40/1 | 40/1 |
18 | Cameron Artis-Payne (RB Auburn) | 33/1 | 50/1 |
19 | Christian Hackenberg QB (Penn State) | 33/1 | 50/1 |
20 | Cody Kessler QB (USC) | 50/1 | 50/1 |
21 | Connor Cook (QB Michigan State) | 50/1 | 50/1 |
22 | Derrick Henry (RB Alabama) | 50/1 | 50/1 |
23 | Karlos Williams (RB Florida State) | 40/1 | 50/1 |
24 | Leonard Fournette RB (LSU) | 33/1 | 50/1 |
25 | Myles Jack (LB UCLA) | 50/1 | 50/1 |
26 | Rakeem Cato (QB Marshall) | 50/1 | 50/1 |
27 | T.J. Yeldon (RB Alabama) | 25/1 | 50/1 |
28 | Taylor Kelly (QB Arizona State) | 50/1 | 50/1 |
29 | Javorius Allen RB (USC) | 66/1 | 66/1 |
30 | Maty Mauk (QB Missouri) | 66/1 | 66/1 |
31 | Sean Mannion (QB Oregon State) | 50/1 | 66/1 |
32 | Mike Davis (RB South Carolina) | 100/1 | 75/1 |
33 | Duke Johnson (RB Miami) | 100/1 | 150/1 |
34 | Thomas Tyner RB (Oregon) | 75/1 | Off the Board |