2011 Heisman Trophy Odds

Player Betting Odds

The 2011 college football season kicks-off in just two weeks and while a great deal of effort has already gone into handicapping which team has the best chance to win this season’s BSC title, it is time to take a look at which player has the best chance to win this year’s Heisman Trophy, one of the most prestigious awards not just in college football, but in all of sports.

Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck decided to forego the NFL for one last chance at winning a national title, but he could very well come away with this year’s Heisman along the way. Bodog.com has opened Luck the odds-on-favorite at 9/2 to win it this year. Part of the value in these odds is based on the fact that since 2000, a quarterback has won the Heisman nine of the past 11 years. Couple this with the fact that Luck passed for 3,338 yards and 32 touchdowns last season, while completing an amazing 70.7 percent of his throws. If it was not for an even more stellar performance by Auburn’s Cam Newton, he would have walked away with the award last season, but he finished as the runner-up. Similar numbers this season along with another strong run in the PAC-12 by his team, would almost make him a lock to win.

Another quarterback that is in a great position to push Luck all season long is Oklahoma’s Landry Jones, who is the current second-favorite in odds to win the Heisman at 13/2. Jones’ numbers from last season are even more gaudier than Luck’s. He ended the season with 4,718 yards passing and 38 touchdowns which were both ranked second in the nation. His accuracy was not as high, but he still managed to complete over 65 percent of his 617 attempts. He will start the season with the benefit of playing for the preseason No.1-ranked team in the country. Jones will also have an early chance to distance himself from the field of contenders when the Sooners travel to Tallahassee to face Florida State on September 17. The fact he is only a junior could work against him in some of the voter’s minds, but if he leads Oklahoma to an undefeated season as Newton did for the Tigers, the value in the odds swing heavily in his favor.

The third-favorite in the betting odds to win the 2011 Heisman Trophy at 7/1 is South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore. He rushed for close to 1,200 yards for the Gamecocks last season as a freshman and should be an even bigger part of the offense this year given the inconsistencies of the team’s passing game. Lattimore will have all the exposure in the world playing in the high-profile SEC and if the old ball coach, Steve Spurrier decides to give him the ball 30 + times a game, he could put up some astrological numbers this year. His ability to catch the ball out of the backfield is another major plus as he added an additional 412 yards on 29 receptions in 2010.

A third quarterback in the mix is Michigan’s Denard Robinson at 15/2. His numbers last season speak for themselves after throwing for 2570 yards and 18 TD’s and rushing for an additional 1702 yards and scoring 14 more touchdowns with his feet. Much like what Newton did last year, Robinson should once again be able to put up some huge numbers with both his arm and his legs. The exposure will be there with games against Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Nebraska which should keep him in the voter’s eyes all season long.

The final main contender for the Heisman is Oregon running back LaMichael James, also at 15/2. He led the nation in rushing last season with 1,731 yards on 294 carries for an average of 5.9 yards per attempt. He scored 21 touchdowns on the ground and added three more through the air. The elevated status of the Ducks’ program, after making it all the way to the BCS title game last season, will also work in his favor. James will get to showcase his talents on opening day against LSU, but the real show could be on November 12 when Oregon travels to Palo Alto to take on Andrew Luck and the Stanford Cardinal.

Get up to the minute player odds to win the Heisman Tropy by clicking here