Las Vegas releases odds on 2019 Heisman Trophy favorites

Give Ian Book a full year as the head of the offense and who knows what could happen if Notre Dame makes another run at an undefeated regular season? Book took over for Brandon Wimbush early last season and helped lead the Fighting Irish to the College Football Playoff. He completed 68 percent of his passes with 2,628 passing yards, 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Rondale Moore can do it all for Purdue, and Jeff Brohm certainly has big plans for the sophomore with both returning to the Big Ten to make an impact. Moore exploded immediately onto the scene as a true freshman with 313 total yards and two touchdowns in his college debut. He averaged 113 yards and more than a touchdown per game for the Boilermakers.

Justyn Ross officially made himself as star with 153 receiving yards and a touchdown against Alabama in the National Championship. Ross will have to beat out some teammates with better odds at the award but there is plenty to like about the dynamic Clemson playmaker after 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns last year.

The Georgia running back was a trendy preseason pick heading into his sophomore year. As a junior, the spotlight only brightens after the departure of Elijah Holyfield. That said, there is plenty of young talent ready to shoulder carries alongside Swift, who scored 13 touchdowns at a 6.9 yards per carry rate last season. Would Swift be able to outshine his quarterback in the Heisman conversation?

Will changes on the Ohio State offensive staff and in the huddle make for an even bigger year for JK Dobbins? The junior from Texas already has 2,854 yards and 20 touchdowns in his first two seasons. He can expect even more work with Mike Weber off to the NFL.

Kellen Mond could certainly put up the numbers to compete for a Heisman Trophy after he exploded onto the scene for Jimbo FIsher last season. WIll Texas A&M continue its climb up the SEC West against some stiff competition? Mond’s first full year as a starter saw 3,107 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, nine picks plus another 474 yards and seven scores on the ground. That included games against Top 25 defenses like Clemson, Mississippi State, Kentucky, Alabama and LSU.

AJ Dillon missed some time with injury, and also lost out on the chance to shine in a bowl game because of a wild weather situation. The Boston College sophomore still went for 1,149 yards and 11 touchdowns last season. As a junior, expectations only rise.

Alan Bowman was quite explosive last season before injuries slowed things down. Will we see more even after Kliff Kingsbury’s firing? Bowman had 2,638 yards, 17 touchdowns and seven picks in eight games as a freshman. That includes a 605-yard, five-touchdown showing against Houston.

In two years, Jake Fromm took over for Jacob Eason in style and held off Justin Fields in an ultra-talented Georgia quarterback room. Now as a junior, Fromm has a chance to really take off if the Bulldogs find the right guys to emerge at the skill positions. Fromm has 54 touchdowns to 13 picks in his career. More importantly, he has a 24-5 record as a starter. Will one of the 2020 NFL Draft’s top quarterbacks to watch find his way to the Heisman ceremony?

Travis Etienne was one of the top running backs in the nation last year, and got some Heisman consideration with Clemson’s mid-season quarterback change. He doubled his touchdowns from 13 to 26 from Year 1 to Year 2. In Year 3, Etienne will be even more dangerous as teams do whatever they can to slow down Clemson’s superstar at quarterback. Etienne averages 7.8 yards per carry through two seasons.

Odds are, JT Daniels would have ranked even higher if not for the wild ride of Kliff Kingsbury. Still, USC projects to air it out in a big way with Graham Harrell calling the plays and that bodes well for the sophomore. Daniels essentially won the job as soon as he stepped on campus last year, and the Trojans have enough weapons around him to put up a lot of points. His freshman season finished with 14 touchdowns, 10 picks and 2,672 passing yards. Of course, USC will need more than five wins for Daniels to make a serious run at the award.

Sam Ehlinger’s Heisman campaign essentially launched in bowl season with what Texas fans saw in a win over Georgia to end the year. On paper, the Longhorns welcome back a quarterback with 25 touchdowns to five picks last season and 3,292 passing yards. In reality, Ehlinger is the most-valuable piece for Tom Herman in a push to return to the National Championship conversation. By the way, Ehlinger also ran for 16 touchdowns last year. He combined for nine touchdowns in two matchups against Kyler Murray.

The only deterring factor in Jerry Jeudy’s hopes for a Heisman Trophy come because of other players within the Alabama offense. Jeudy is the highest-rated receiver in Vegas and should be one of the best at his position in college football this season. His 2018 season saw a 10th place finish nationally in receiving yards (1,315) and third place in touchdowns (14).

Justin Herbert saw similar odds in last year’s projections for the Heisman Trophy. By announcing his return as a senior, Herbert heads into training camp as one of the top quarterback prospects in the nation. Will Oregon win enough to see Herbert compete for a spot in New York? The Ducks have a ton of momentum after the last recruiting cycle. Herbert now gets to team up with his younger brother. He threw for 3,151 yards, 29 touchdowns and eight interceptions last season and proved that he can stay healthy after injury concerns as a freshman and sophomore.

The Wisconsin running back is the last non-quarterback on the list, and rightfully so. As a junior Jonathan Taylor will again be a workhorse for the Badgers. News of Alex Hornibrook’s transfer this week only make Taylor more important with the expected integration of freshman Graham Mertz into the offense. Taylor was even more productive in 2018 than he was in 14 games as a true freshman. After back-to-back 2,000-yard seasons from scrimmage and 29 career touchdowns, Taylor (in the opinion of Vegas) has the best chance of ending a three-year winning streak for quarterbacks in the Heisman voting.

Now it gets interesting. Will Justin Fields follow the steps of Dwayne Haskins as a first-year starter under Ryan Day? Haskins crushed all sorts of records in his one full season with the Buckeyes before he finished third in last year’s voting. As a sophomore, Ohio State hopes to get the same kind of production for Fields and another Big Ten Championship. Fields, unlike Haskins, has a serious running component to his game. If Ohio State gets the right answers on its offensive line, Fields should be in for a big year. Will it be big enough to bring the Heisman to Ohio State for the first time since Troy Smith?

Who’s ready for the Oklahoma three-peat? It certainly is not a crazy prediction when you look at what Lincoln Riley has done with Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray running the show the last two years. For Hurts, the former SEC Offensive Player of the Year gave his all to Alabama for three years and now looks for a fresh start and chance to run an offense full time again. Oklahoma signed a slew of elite skill players plus what is already coming back to Norman on offense. Hurts finished his career at Alabama with a 5,626 passing yards and 48 passing touchdowns on top of his 5.2 yards per carry and 23 scores on the ground.

The placement of Nebraska’s prized sophomore may be the most-surprising of anybody. Adrian Martinez had a strong first season with Nebraska under Scott Frost, but a tie for the third-best odds in the country is a big jump. A bet on Martinez is also a bet on Nebraska to more than double its win total after a 4-8 season. Martinez gets new weapons like Wandale Robinson to use, and has more experience at the next level in Frost’s system. He is on even footing, according to Vegas, with the former No. 2 overall player in the country (Fields) and the 2016 SEC Offensive Player of the Year (Hurts).

Trevor Lawrence was one of the rare true freshmen that came into his first days with Heisman hype. After everything the former No. 1 overall recruit accomplished in his first season, it is no surprise that his odds are quite good to claim the 2019 award. Lawrence was the star of the National Championship, and helped Clemson to a historic 15-0 season. The Tigers will likely be favorites in Vegas every week of the 2019 series. Pick up enough wins and Lawrence is a safe bet to make it to New York. Lawrence had 30 touchdowns to just four picks as a true freshman, and Clemson has mega talent back at the skill positions.

In what some may consider an upset after the postseason trajectory of both offenses, Tua Tagovailoa beats out Lawrence as the favorite to win the 2019 Heisman Trophy. To be fair, Tagovailoa was a heavy favorite to win last year’s Heisman all the way until conference-championship weekend. Tagovailoa heads into year three with serious NFL Draft hype, goals of a second National Championship and some of the best skill players in the country around him. If Tagovailoa stays healthy and Alabama wins as many games as expected, watch out. And don’t forget that Tagovailoa has plenty of weapons around him, including fellow Heisman hopeful Jerry Jeudy.