Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker has emerged as the consensus betting favorite to win the Heisman Trophy ahead of the second-ranked Volunteers’ showdown with No. 1 Georgia on Saturday.
Hooker moved ahead of Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud in the Heisman odds over the weekend and is now an even-money favorite at Caesars Sportsbook. Stroud is the second choice at +180, followed by Michigan running back Blake Corum and USC quarterback Caleb Williams, who are each 12-1.
No Tennessee player has won the Heisman Trophy. Hooker, a senior, is making his case to be the first. He has thrown for 2,338 yards with 21 touchdown passes and only one interception in leading the Volunteers to an 8-0 start that is highlighted by an upset of Alabama. Hooker threw five touchdown passes in Tennessee’s 52-49 win over the Crimson Tide. He has a chance for another defining win Saturday in Athens.
Tennessee has been installed as a 9-point underdog to the Bulldogs. It’s the largest spread in a No. 1-vs.-No. 2 matchup since 2013, when top-ranked Florida State was a 9-point favorite over second-ranked Auburn.
“We already took a $50,000 bet on Georgia,” Adam Pullen, assistant director of trading for Caesars Sportsbook, told ESPN on Sunday. “It’s going to be a huge game, and I anticipate that we’re going to be taking a lot of five-figure and six-figure bets on it.”