2019 Heisman Trophy Odds: Tua Tagovailoa Favored over Jalen Hurts, Joe Burrow

Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is the new favorite to win the Heisman Trophy at -150 odds, according to Caesars, coming in ahead of Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts (+225) and LSU signal-caller Joe Burrow (+350), among other players.

Tagovailoa, who came second in last year's Heisman voting to former Sooners quarterback Kyler Murray, has led the top-ranked Crimson Tide to a 5-0 record. He's thrown for 1,718 yards, 23 touchdowns and zero interceptions while completing 76.4 percent of his passes. He's also rushed for 45 yards and another two scores.

There's no doubt those numbers are very impressive, though the one knock on Tagovailoa's Heisman candidacy to this point would be that he's posted those stats against Duke, New Mexico State, South Carolina, Southern Mississippi and Ole Miss. Those teams are a combined 11-16 this season.

But with games against ranked SEC teams like Texas A&M, LSU and Auburn still to come, Tagovailoa will have the chance to put his resume to the test against elite competition. If he keeps producing at the same clip, he'll be a pretty easy choice for the award. 

His former teammate, Hurts, has been equally good this year, however, throwing for 1,523 yards, 14 touchdowns and two interceptions while completing 75.2 percent of his passes. While Tagovailoa has the better overall passing numbers, Hurts has bolstered his Heisman candidacy on the ground, rushing for 499 yards and seven scores.  

Like Tagovailoa, Hurts has done so against a weak schedule. Oklahoma's opponents to this point are a combined 10-17. But also like Tagovailoa, his biggest tests are yet to come, namely against Texas this weekend in the Red River Showdown.

And then there's Burrow, who has been one of college football's best stories this season, leading LSU's reimagined and more explosive offense to the tune of 1,864 passing yards, 22 touchdowns and three interceptions, all while completing an absurd 78.4 percent of his passes. He's also rushed for 62 yards and two scores.

And his best game came against LSU's toughest competition thus far, throwing for 471 yards and four touchdowns against Texas. It's the sort of prime-time performance that Heisman voters will look at when debating his merits. If Burrow and LSU win the SEC West over Alabama, you can bet Burrow will leapfrog Tagovailoa on Heisman watchlists in the process. 

While seven of the oddsmakers' top nine Heisman hopefuls are quarterbacks, two running backs are worth monitoring: Oklahoma State's Chuba Hubbard (1,094 rushing yards, 13 touchdowns through six games) and Wisconsin's Jonathan Taylor (745 rushing yards, 12 scores; 12 receptions for 114 yards and another four touchdowns in five games). 

Both are having incredible seasons, and both will deserve serious Heisman consideration if they maintain their current pace.