Heisman Odds After Week 2: Two Names Now Share the Top

• Jeremiah Smith and Darian Mensah share the top of the Heisman odds at +600
• Arch Manning led a 20-point fourth-quarter comeback to beat No. 1 Ohio State
• See the updated Heisman odds after Week 2 below, plus where the value is hiding

Week 2 split the Heisman race instead of settling it.

Jeremiah Smith put up the best individual night of the weekend in the biggest game on the schedule. Arch Manning put up an ordinary line and walked away with the best win any candidate has on their résumé. Both got what they needed out of Austin, just in completely different ways.

Behind them, a handful of longer-priced quarterbacks piled up touchdowns. Here’s where the Heisman Trophy odds stand heading into Week 3.

Heisman Odds After Week 2

Smith and Mensah both sit at +600, which works out to a 14.3% implied probability before you account for the book’s margin. Nobody on this board has separated.

Smith made the biggest jump of the week, going from +1500 after Week 1 to co-favorite. Rocco Becht and Bear Bachmeier round out the longshots at +6600 apiece.

Odds from BetMGM as of Sept. 12. Check the latest BetMGM promo code offer and compare the best college football betting apps.

Smith Won the Night, Manning Won the Game

Smith turned 16 targets into eight catches for 164 yards and a 19-yard score. Texas had held him to seven catches and 46 yards across their two previous meetings, so this was the answer to the one defense that had figured him out.

The problem is the scoreboard. Ohio State led 23-3 going into the fourth and lost 24-23, which costs a receiver more than it costs a quarterback in this race.

Manning finished 23-of-36 for 196 yards with a touchdown and a pick. Not a Heisman line. But he threw for 91 yards in the fourth quarter and ran three straight scoring drives to erase 20 points against the No. 1 team, and that’s the kind of night that shows up in a highlight package in December. The win keeps Texas firmly in the national championship odds conversation.

Risers and Fallers in the Heisman Odds

Mensah slipped a tick from +550 to +600 despite going 14-of-15 for 252 yards and three touchdowns in one half of a 77-7 win over Florida A&M. Through two games he’s 41-of-45 for 653 yards and eight scores without an interception. Toney caught his fourth touchdown of the year and struck the Heisman pose for the fourth time.

Carr sits at +1200 after throwing four touchdowns on 16-of-20 passing in a 52-0 dismantling of Rice. Chambliss trimmed to +1300 after a 23-of-26, two-touchdown afternoon against Charlotte.

The falls were uglier. John Mateer went from +2000 to +7000 after Oklahoma lost 17-10 at Michigan. Moore sits at +2500 after Oregon dropped a 39-31 game to a 24-point underdog, with Oklahoma State outgaining the Ducks 554-281.

Where the Heisman Value Sits After Week 2

Both +600 tickets are priced like somebody’s already running away with this. Smith is a receiver on a 1-1 team splitting credit with a +1000 quarterback, and Mensah has beaten Stanford and an FCS opponent.

Kamario Taylor (+3000 at BetMGM) has the best production-to-price case on the board. He’s got 581 passing yards, seven touchdown passes and 145 rushing yards through two games, and his 38-13 win at Minnesota was a road result against an FBS opponent rather than a home blowout.

Further down, Kevin Jennings threw five touchdowns in the first half alone against UC Davis and has 767 yards through two wins. Stockton has eight touchdown passes and no picks for the No. 2 team while leaving both games in the second quarter, and Becht has seven scores without an interception for a ranked Penn State club.

Leavitt is the one to be careful with at +1400. Seven total touchdowns over two weeks looks great until you get to the four interceptions.