Heisman Odds After Week 5: Gators’ Kyle Trask Now Co-Favored; Bama’s Mac Jones Enters Top-Five

• Florida QB Kyle Trask is now co-favored with Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence to win the 2020 Heisman Trophy
• Alabama QB Mac Jones has entered the top-five after a strong showing against Texas A&M
• See the updated Heisman Trophy odds after Week 5 along with betting analysis, below

Florida QB Kyle Trask continues to see his Heisman Trophy odds improve. After entering the season with odds in the +2000 range, the Gators QB is now a co-favorite (+400) to win the trophy after impressing in his first two games of the year.

Alabama QB Mac Jones is also trending upwards in the latest odds. The second-year starter is now a top-five Heisman favorite after leading the Tide to a big win over Texas A&M this weekend.

The table below shows the top-15 Heisman favorites at FanDuel following Week 5 of the season.

2020 Heisman Trophy Odds

Odds as of Oct.4 2020.  

Trask Can’t Be Contained 

The value of betting Trask to win the Heisman is quickly disappearing. The Gators QB has gone from +800 to +400 at FanDuel after impressing for a second straight weekend against SEC competition. Trask went 21 of 29 for 268 yards and four touchdowns in a 38-24 victory over South Carolina in Week 5.

Trask has now connected with tight end Kyle Pitts for six touchdowns in just two games. This could be the most lethal duo in college football this season, and Trask should continue putting up monster numbers playing in one of the most dangerous-looking offenses in the country.

With Oklahoma getting upset for a second straight weekend in the Big 12, there’s a strong chance two SEC teams make the four-team CFP this season. Florida’s defense is giving up too many points, so if Trask can propel the Gators to its first CFP berth in program history, he’ll have a very strong Heisman resume come December.

Bama’s Mac Jones Enters Top Five

Alabama second-year QB Mac Jones is one of the biggest movers in the Heisman trophy odds after Week 5. The Crimson Tide pivot went from +2500 to +1400 at FanDuel after impressing for a second straight weekend. Jones passed for a career-high 435 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Crimson Tide to a big 52-24 win over Texas A&M in Week 5.

Jones was quite the Heisman longshot heading into the season, mainly due to oddsmakers thinking freshman QB Bryce Young could take over at some point in 2020. Even after Jones impressed in his season debut against Missouri, his average odds were only +2000, while Young was right behind him at +2200 despite not having playing a single snap at the collegiate level.

This pandemic has worked in favor of Jones’ Heisman bid. He got familiar with this offense in the second half of last season and has looked comfortable in the early goings this year. Jones is a talented QB, but there’s just way too much talent on Alabama’s roster to justify a bet at this stage. It’s going to be hard for him to garner attention when he’s got studs like Jaylen Waddle, Devonta Smith, and Najee Harris consistently impressing at the other skill positions.

Longshots to Fade

While there are some players trending upwards in the latest Heisman odds, there are several players that you can already rule out of the race after Week 5. The Big 12 conference seems highly unlikely to produce a Heisman winner this season, meaning Texas’ Sam Ehlinger, Oklahoma’s Spencer Rattler, and Oklahoma State’s Chuba Hubbard should all be faded.

Texas' record over its previous 16 games at the time Sam Ehlinger declared "we're back" after the Georgia Sugar Bowl win: 11-5.

Texas' record in the 16 games since: 10-6.

— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) October 3, 2020

Ehlinger has some terrific numbers through three games, but he was outplayed by TCU QB Max Duggan in Week 5 and only completed 47.2 % of his passes in an upset loss. In a shortened season where every game holds the utmost value, Ehlinger can’t afford a down game.

Rattler, meanwhile, has thrown four interceptions in back-to-back upset losses. The youngster hasn’t been the reason Oklahoma is 1-2 this season, but Heisman winners don’t turn the ball over. The last four winners, who have all been QBs, have averaged seven interceptions in a full season. Part of that is due to experience, as only two freshmen have ever won the trophy.

Hubbard may offer the best value of the top Big 12 players after rushing for 145 yards and two scores in Week 5. This has become a QB award, however, and Ok State simply doesn’t have the name recognition to generate Heisman buzz even if Hubbard were to keep up this pace.

Heisman Analysis After Week 5

After seeing what Trask and the Gators offense have done through two games, his Heisman potential is real. The only game on Florida’s schedule in which they are likely to be underdogs is a clash with Georgia on Nov. 12.

2-0 pic.twitter.com/OrHZYPCk11

— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) October 3, 2020

Hurricanes’ QB King could fall out of the top five if he gets swallowed up by Clemson’s defense in Week 6, while Lawrence could overtake Trask with a big showing in that game. As talented as Lawrence is, Week 5 against Virginia marked the first time this season the Tigers QB played past the third quarter. It’s hard to justify betting on someone who gets taken off the field after the first half of blowout games – which is most Clemson games.

Aside from fading the Big 12 longshots , KJ Costello at Mississippi State is one to stay away from. After setting an SEC passing record against LSU in Week 4, he threw away his chance at winning the Heisman with three interceptions in an embarrassing upset loss to Arkansas in Week 5.

Buckeyes’ QB Justin Fields is seeing his odds drop while he remains idle. What it’s going to come down to is how the Heisman is awarded in this unique season. WIll it be awarded based on numbers like in the past, or will it be given to the best player in CFB no matter the amount of games played? Either way, Trask is worth a wager, because his end-of-the-year numbers are bound to be eye-popping.