College Football Betting: 2020 Heisman Trophy Update

The 2020 Heisman Trophy race is in a weird place in early October, because the Big Ten and Pac-12 haven’t even started playing games yet. There’s a big Heisman Trophy contender in the Big Ten, but he hasn’t yet played a game. He deserves to be mentioned on the short list of Heisman hopefuls, but he doesn’t have any stats yet. The other big news is that two Heisman contenders in the Big 12 are already out of the race. Oklahoma’s Spencer Rattler and Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger have already lost games, and one of the two will lose again this coming weekend. They’re both done. This will open up a possibility for another player to sneak into the top five. We offer a few possibilities as dark horse contenders in this Heisman Trophy update.

Justin Fields, Ohio State

The Buckeyes won’t start their season for two more weeks, but when they do, Fields will be front and center as a possible Heisman winner. Ohio State might play fewer games in the Big Ten than the SEC or ACC will, so that’s a clear problem for Fields’ Heisman candidacy, but if he plays nine great games, that might still be enough to win against an ACC or SEC player who plays 11 games (including the conference championship game on Dec. 19). Ohio State plays Penn State on Oct. 31. If Fields is excellent in that game, trust that he will be in the mix for the Heisman in the middle of December.

Trevor Lawrence, Clemson

The possible No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft did not have a great 2019 season at Clemson. His team won, and Lawrence made lots of important plays, but he wasn’t relentlessly consistent from week to week. Lawrence’s 2020 Heisman campaign arrives at a key moment this Saturday. If he can play brilliantly against No. 7 Miami in a national television showcase, he will receive a large amount of Heisman hype. If Lawrence doesn’t play especially well, his candidacy will take a big hit. It’s showtime for a gifted quarterback who will try to elevate his draft stock and gain yet another big win for Clemson in its pursuit of a national title.

D’Eriq King, Miami

The other quarterback in Clemson versus Miami is a force to be reckoned with. If D’Eriq King can beat mighty Clemson and dazzle the nation with a first-rate performance, he would vault to the top of the Heisman leaderboard. This is a huge opportunity for King and his Miami team to shake up college football on a number of levels. The Hurricanes could take control of the ACC, control their fate in the race for the College Football Playoff, and redefine the nature of the Heisman race, all in one night this Saturday.

Kyle Pitts, Florida

The tight end for Florida has caught six touchdown passes in two games. He is very possibly the best pass catcher in the country right now, and he is poised to continue to rack up big numbers within the Gators’ high-octane pass offense, which has exceeded expectations in the early stages of the season. If Florida beats Georgia and wins the SEC East with Pitts having a central role in that achievement, he will definitely be in the hunt for the Heisman at the end of the season.

Mac Jones, Alabama

The successor to Tua Tagovailoa at Alabama had a big day this past weekend against Texas A&M, hitting 20 of 27 pass attempts for 435 yards. Jones has a lot of great receivers such as Jaylen Waddle and DeVonta Smith, but if he continues to have those kinds of performances as a passer, he will definitely get the publicity and votes of a top Heisman contender.