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David Purdum, ESPN Staff Writer
USC quarterback Caleb Williams is the consensus betting favorite to win the Heisman Trophy again.
Williams enters his junior season as the Heisman favorite at all U.S. sportsbooks. He is listed with 15-4 odds at Caesars Sportsbook.
No other player has single-digit odds. LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels (10-1) and Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers (14-1) are next, and Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy leads a group of six QBs with odds of 16-1.
Williams passed for 4,537 yards with 42 touchdowns and five interceptions en route to winning the Heisman last season. He was the third Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback for Trojans coach Lincoln Riley in the past six seasons, following Kyler Murray and Baker Mayfield at Oklahoma. Williams would become the first player to win consecutive Heismans since Ohio State’s Archie Griffin, who twice won college football’s most prestigious individual award.
Williams and sixth-ranked USC open the season Saturday at home against San Jose State.
While Williams is the clear-cut favorite, the betting public has not been overly enticed by his short odds. At FanDuel and DraftKings, the two largest U.S. sportsbooks, Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. has attracted more bets than Williams. More than twice as much money has been bet on Harrison than Williams at FanDuel. Harrison is a 30-1 underdog.
Other top Heisman contenders, according to Caesars Sportsbook, include Oregon quarterback Bo Nix (16-1), North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye (16-1), Florida State quarterback Jordan Travis (16-1) and Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman (16-1). The Fighting Irish kick off the season Saturday in Dublin against Navy.
Betting on the winner of the Heisman Trophy remains a popular market for bettors and is available in the majority of states with U.S. sportsbooks.
“It’s really become a big market for us, the Heisman,” John Murray, executive director of the SuperBook, said.
Murray added that the largest liability the SuperBook has on its odds to win the Heisman Trophy is Georgia tight end Brock Bowers at 60-1.