2020 Heisman Trophy Ceremony to Be Held Virtually on Jan. 5 Amid COVID-19

Heisman Trophy Trust President Mike Comerford announced Saturday that the awarding of the 2020 Heisman Trophy will be done virtually on Jan. 5.

According to ESPN's Andrea Adelson, the finalists will be announced on ESPN during a 30-minute special Dec. 24 at 7:30 p.m. ET. ESPN will then air a one-hour Heisman Trophy ceremony show Jan. 5 at 7 p.m. ET with each of the finalists appearing via satellite from their homes or schools.

Comerford said: "Although college football may look and feel a lot different, there is no shortage of incredible talent on the gridiron this year. One thing the pandemic cannot change is the spirit of a true winner and we are eager to again celebrate that winner on the annual Heisman Trophy ceremony."

When the 2020 Heisman Trophy winner is announced on Jan. 5, 2021, it will mark the 86th time that the prestigious honor has been awarded.

Several major sports events have been held virtually this year during the COVID-19 pandemic, including the NFL, NHL and MLB drafts. Next week's NBA draft will occur virtually as well.

Former LSU quarterback Joe Burrow is the reigning Heisman Trophy winner. Last season, he completed 76.3 percent of his passes for 5,671 yards, 60 touchdowns and six interceptions. He also rushed for 368 yards and five touchdowns and led the Tigers to an undefeated record and national championship, capping arguably the greatest season by a quarterback in college football history.

Quarterbacks have dominated the Heisman Trophy voting in recent years, winning four in a row and nine of the past 10. Alabama running back Derrick Henry winning in 2015 was the lone interruption to quarterback dominance.

There is no shortage of strong candidates to win the Heisman this year, and each of the top seven choices in terms of betting odds are quarterbacks.

Per DraftKings, Ohio State's Justin Fields and Clemson's Trevor Lawrence are the co-favorites at 7-4, followed by Alabama's Mac Jones (2-1), Florida's Kyle Trask (8-1), BYU's Zach Wilson (16-1), Notre Dame's Ian Book (50-1) and Miami's D'Eriq King (50-1).

Lawrence and Fields are expected to be the first two quarterbacks off the board in the 2021 NFL draft and perhaps the top two selections overall, but they have factors working against them in the Heisman race.

The Big Ten's season got off to a late start and will feature fewer games than those in the ACC, Big 12 and SEC, plus Ohio State's scheduled game against Maryland this week was canceled due to COVID-19.

Meanwhile, Lawrence has missed each of Clemson's past two games after testing positive for COVID-19.

That could put Jones in the driver's seat, as he has Alabama off to a 6-0 start and has completed 78.5 percent of his passes for 2,196 yards, 16 touchdowns and two interceptions.

Wilson, who plays for an FBS independent in BYU, is the most intriguing dark horse, having completed 75.1 percent of his attempts for 2,512 yards, 22 touchdowns and just two interceptions while rushing for 158 yards and eight scores for the 8-0 Cougars.

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