College Football: Best Bets for 2020 Heisman Trophy
As the football seasons wrap up, DraftKings Sportsbook has already started to post some of the odds for the 2020 college football campaign. That includes odds up on the Heisman Trophy where to no one’s surprise, a couple of familiar faces are favored to win the award. Let’s take an early look at the race and take note of a couple of favorites and a couple of longshots who have a chance to win it:
Claim a $500 risk-free bet at DraftKings Sportsbook >>
Favorites
Trevor Lawrence (QB – Clemson)
Heisman Trophy Odds: +500
There are two clear favorites for the 2020 Heisman, and Trevor Lawrence is one of them. He’s coming off a year where he compiled 3,665 passing yards and 36 touchdowns. He has played in each of the last two national championship games, winning in 2018 and losing in 2019. Even so, it feels like Lawrence kind of took the year off. He shredded opponents in the 2018 College Football Playoff but mostly was on cruise control in 2019. It felt like he coasted a bit. Even so, he’s in a great position (once again) to succeed and win the Heisman).
Lawrence should have a lot of incentive to come back better than ever in 2020. If Lawrence is dedicated to improvement and finding a higher level of play, he could have a monster season, the kind of take-no-prisoners exhibition which impresses Heisman voters. Another thing which has to be said is that he will have running back Travis Etienne back for yet another year. That will take a lot of pressure off him and lead to increased production for the Clemson passing game. Lawrence is in a great situation to succeed.
Justin Fields (QB – Ohio State)
Heisman Trophy Odds: +350
The 2019 regular season was amazing for Fields, who threw just one interception in the regular season while totaling 51 touchdowns. And keep in mind that the interception he threw at the end of the College Football Playoff semifinal against Clemson was not his fault. Ohio State receiver Chris Olave turned in the wrong direction and probably would have caught the pass had he made his proper cut.
Fields’ dual-threat capability should enable him to litter the stat sheet with running and passing statistics. He should pile up tons of touchdowns and enjoy a brilliant season. As long as Ohio State maintains its status as one of the best teams in the nation, it’ll be Fields and Lawrence for the top two spots. That much seems to be clear. The third and fourth spots are less certain.
Longshots
Derek Stingley (CB – LSU)
Heisman Trophy Odds: +10000
If you want to take a shot with some players further down the board, someone like Stingley might be worth a look. Defensive players rarely win the award but he has that type of pedigree. There was a defensive player who made the top five of the 2019 Heisman vote, Chase Young of Ohio State, and if there is a defensive player who has a good chance of cracking the Heisman top four in 2020, it’s Stingley.
He was already a great player as a freshman, picking up 31 tackles along with six interceptions and 15 passes defended, and should be even better as a sophomore. If he can get a few pick-sixes in 2020 and LSU does well, he should be in the mix.
Jaylen Waddle (WR – Alabama)
Heisman Trophy Odds: +4000
The Alabama position group which is better than any other is the wide receiver room. Mac Jones will not be an incredible quarterback, but he will have great players surrounding him. The best player on the Alabama offense should be Waddle, whose speed in the open field is unmatched in college football. If he piles up touchdowns and makes plays that bailout Mac Jones next season, he could rise to the top of the charts.
Claim a $500 risk-free bet at DraftKings Sportsbook >>
Dave Golokhov is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Dave, check out his archive and follow him @davegolokhov.