Heisman Trophy 2018 Odds: Tua Tagovailoa, Dwayne Haskins Favorites
Heading into Week 5 of the college football season, Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is the clear betting favorite to win the 2018 Heisman Trophy.
Per Odds Shark, the latest odds have the Crimson Tide's sophomore sensation as a -150 (bet $150 to win $100) to capture the honor. Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins is a distant second at +450.
Tagovailoa has followed up his second-half heroics in last season's championship game against Georgia with a brilliant performance so far in 2018.
Through four games, Tagovailoa has thrown for 1,033 yards and 12 touchdowns on just 80 attempts. He leads the nation with 12.9 yards per attempt and a 230.5 quarterback rating.
Looking at matchups this weekend, Haskins has a chance to close the gap on Tagovailoa. The Buckeyes star has a better completion percentage (75.7) than Tagovailoa (72.5), and his 16 touchdown passes rank second in the nation. Alabama is hosting Louisiana in what should be a win for the nation's top-ranked team.
Ohio State, on the other hand, is going on the road for a crucial Big Ten showdown against No. 9 Penn State. If Haskins has a big game in primetime, the odds could swing in his favor.
West Virginia quarterback Will Grier is a sneaky No. 3 candidate at +600. His completion percentage of 74.7 is higher than Tagovailoa's, and his 11.8 yards per attempt ranks second in the nation. He's also thrown 14 touchdowns for an undefeated team just outside the top 10 in the rankings.
Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor still ranks among the top five Heisman candidates, despite the Badgers' loss two weeks ago against BYU and struggling to beat Iowa last week. The sophomore has run for at least 100 yards in each of his four games this season and should have another strong showcase next week against winless Nebraska before going to No. 14 Michigan.
For now, though, Tagovailoa has been the biggest story in the nation since the season began. He's justified all of the hype around him and has made the always dangerous Crimson Tide even scarier as they look to defend their national title.
