When looking at future college football bets, one of the best can be picking the Heisman Trophy winner. Accurately predicting the best player in college football can be rewarding, but it can also be financially beneficial if you predict early enough in the offseason.
At this point, the best odds are at +300 with Bryce Young. This shows that no one is a heavy favorite. Even if one of the frontrunners wins the Heisman, you have enough positive value that can make a bet beneficial.
Caleb Williams is an intriguing college pick. He’s just behind the top two contenders, and he’s one of the only frontrunners not to start for the entirety of last year. He’s also one of the few transfers high on the list.
Williams will be playing with a new team, but he has familiarity with the offense under Lincoln Riley. He played for him in Oklahoma, and he decided to follow him to USC. With this chemistry, it’s easy to see why hopes are high for the Trojans.
However, he is no lock. Bovada (visit our Bovada Review) has his odds at +500. Is that fair?
Lincoln Riley is one of only two active head coaches to host multiple Heisman Trophy winners. The other is Nick Saban with four, but three of those weren’t quarterbacks.
Join Now: $1,000 BMR 12-Week All Sports Challenge
Riley helped turn Baker Mayfield from a walk-on transfer quarterback to a Heisman Trophy winner and the first overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. The next season, Kyler Murray won the Heisman Trophy and carried Oklahoma back to the College Football Playoff after being a transfer. He went first overall in the NFL Draft as well, and Riley became a quarterback whisperer.
Riley’s next quarterback was Jalen Hurts, who placed second in the 2019 Heisman Trophy standings. Hurts would have won the award if Joe Burrow had not taken over college football that season, and he is another starting quarterback to be coached by Lincoln Riley.
Riley has a strong reputation despite the Spencer Rattler experiment failing. In a new conference, things will be different for Riley and Williams. If everything goes well, Williams could have a stellar statistical season and a trip to New York at the end of it.
The Pac-12 has seen 12 players win the Heisman Trophy if you count Reggie Bush, which is less than both the Big 10 and the SEC. However, over half of them have been won by players at USC. The Trojans have 7 including Reggie Bush, which would tie with Ohio State, Oklahoma, and Notre Dame for most from a school. Since Bush’s doesn’t count, they are technically fourth.
However, we’ve only seen one player from this conference win the award since Bush in 2005. Marcus Mariota won it on his way to the College Football Playoff. Since him, star players like Christian McCaffrey and Gardner Minshew haven’t won the award.
People believe that there is a bias against teams on the West Coast, and it’s easy to see why. Without high-level competition and with later start times, many avoid watching those games. They aren’t a part of a narrative in the grand scheme of college football, and they are considered an afterthought.
If anyone could bring relevancy back to the Pac-12, it would be Lincoln Riley with Caleb Williams. However, can he win the Heisman this year?
Williams has a solid shot to win the Heisman. There’s value with +500 due to his talent and the understanding of the offense. If the Trojans can win at least 11 games in the regular season, they should be in the discussion for the College Football Playoff. Pairing that with solid stats and a Heisman moment would be enough to earn Williams the award.
He’s not the frontrunner, and I still prefer CJ Stroud. Still, Williams has a solid shot. You can paint the narrative of the college football season and end it with him winning the award. At this point, having a logical path to the Heisman Trophy is half the battle. He won’t have to defy the odds or shock the world to get to New York.