The 2018 Heisman Trophy: An Early Look
You never really know who is going to be that breakout guy before the season starts. That person who has everything line up for them so that they can receive the highest honor in college football: the Heisman Trophy.
We know of a couple of the usual suspects to keep an eye on because of their performances last season. But is there an easier way to try and calculate who will be crowned the best player in college football? Yes. Las Vegas and online sportsbooks have a long history of being pretty much right on the money regarding all things sports.
The Heisman odds have been out for a while now, so let’s check Bovada to make sure that we know what they offer and then head over to see where the odds currently stand.
- Johnathan Taylor - RB, Wisconsin +750
- Bryce Love - RB, Stanford +800
- Tua Tagovailoa - QB, Alabama +900
- Trevor Lawrence - QB, Clemson +900
- Jake Fromm - QB, Georgia +1200
- Khalil Tate - QB, Arizona +1400
- J.K Dobbins -RB, Ohio State +1500
- Jarrett Stidham - QB, Auburn +1600
- Justin Herbert - QB, Oregon +1800
- Trace McSorely - QB, Penn State +1800
OK. Before we get started, I would like to say that I would love to see Nick Bosa or Ed Oliver who are both defensive linemen win this thing. The Ohio State and Houston players each sit at +6600 (66 to 1) to win hoist the trophy.
The Usual Suspects
It doesn’t come as a big surprise that we see Johnathan Taylor and Bryce Love at the top of the board. Johnathan Taylor carried the Badgers, averaging 6.8 yards per carry, 13 touchdowns, and 1847 rushing yards. He also picked up 7 receptions for an extra 82 yards
In my opinion, Bryce Love should be the top candidate. This kid was a beast who put up 1973 yards, averaging 8.3 per carry and walloping defenses with 17 touchdowns on the season. He wasn’t much of a passing threat, but in 2015 he picked up 15 receptions for 250 yards, so we know he has the ability.
Who’s #1 on the power rankings again? Oh yeah, Alabama ... which brings us to Tua Tagovailoa. Tua sat behind Jalen Hurts last season, but from the small sample size we’ve seen, it looks like he can eclipse Hurts performance. In just 53 attempts, he put up 470 and scored eight touchdowns with only one interception. He had a passer rating of 186.6 (Hurts 155.6) and a completion percentage of 66% (Hurts 60.8%). But the question remains will he get the starting role? And even if he does, will he get enough playing time to make his case against the rest of this illustrious field?
Trevor Lawrence is the QB that has the raw potential to blow past these two fantastic running backs. This kid is a 6’6, 210-pound pocket passer coming out of high school. The 5-star recruit received offers from pretty much everywhere, and it is no wonder. As of last year, he became the all-time leading passer (high school) in the state of Georgia —sorry, Deshaun Watson. I believe Lawrence will win a Heisman; I’m just not sure if it will be during his freshman year.
Jake Fromm marched his Georgia Bulldogs all the way from Athens to Atlanta to play for the National Title against Alabama. If it wasn’t for Tagovailoa’s crazy touchdown pass that had Alabama squeak by with a 3-point OT win … Jake Fromm would be a Champion. In many’s eyes, he already is. Fromm dropped 2173 yards and 21 touchdowns on his adversaries last season.
Who Will Win?
As much as I would like to hop on the Tua bandwagon, I think he’ll be splitting too much time with Hurts. If a QB wins it, it will be Fromm. That said, Bryce Love is going to run over the relatively soft Pac-12 defenses for an impressive highlight reel that will earn him the trophy.
