Heisman Trophy Odds Update: Louisville's Lamar Jackson Clear Betting Favorite

When you rush for 153 yards and fans still expect more, then you know your season-long numbers are truly eye-popping as the overwhelming favorite on the 2016 Heisman Trophy odds.

Such is the case with quarterback Lamar Jackson of the Louisville Cardinals, who is listed at -5000 (bet $5,000 to win $100) to take home the Heisman Trophy on December 10 in New York at sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark.

The Cardinals struggled for three quarters of last week’s 44-12 rout of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, although you would not know it simply by looking at the final score. Louisville trailed Wake Forest, 12-10, entering the fourth before outscoring the Demon Deacons, 34-0, in the last 15 minutes.

Jackson only threw for 145 yards and one touchdown in that game, his lowest passing numbers of the season. However, his rushing total was his fourth-highest of the year, with teammate Brandon Radcliff also adding 141 yards on the ground and three scores, including a 55-yarder midway through the third quarter.

Regardless, Jackson remains the player to beat among three other quarterbacks and this year’s version of Charles Woodson, who all play for one-loss teams after last week.

Safety Jabrill Peppers is the +1200 second choice (bet $100 to win $1,200) to earn the Heisman for the Michigan Wolverines, the same school that produced 1997 winner Woodson. While the Wolverines suffered their first loss last Saturday, 14-13, to the Iowa Hawkeyes, that did not affect his odds from last week when he was also +1200.

However, Deshaun Watson of the Clemson Tigers did see his odds go from +1200 to +1600 following a surprising 43-42 home loss to the Pittsburgh Panthers. Watson was a Heisman finalist a year ago and one of the favorites heading into this season before Jackson’s rapid rise.

And Jake Browning of the Washington Huskies saw his odds plunge even more after losing, 26-13, to the USC Trojans. Browning was +1400 last week and now sits at +4000 as the fifth-best choice on the betting board.

One player that saw his odds cut in half though is J.T. Barrett of the Ohio State Buckeyes, who are second on the odds to win the national championship behind the unbeaten Alabama Crimson Tide.

Barrett has led the Buckeyes to back-to-back 62-3 routs of the Nebraska Cornhuskers and Maryland Terrapins, moving from +5000 to +2500 to win the Heisman.