Heisman Trophy Odds and Favorites: Sam Hartman and Bo Nix Embody the Mantra of Perseverance and Diligence

While C.J. Stroud and Hendon Hooker consolidate their candidacies each week, which Heisman Trophy contenders should you watch out for in Week 9, what are the latest Heisman odds, and how have the favorites been impacted by the ups and downs, highs and lows that was Week 8 of the college football season?

Heisman Trophy Odds Heading Into Week 9 of College Football

Heisman Trophy odds favorite Stroud heaped insult on top of Iowan ineptitude with 286 passing yards and four touchdowns in the Buckeyes’ 54-10 hammering of the Hawkeyes in college football Week 8. Hooker, meanwhile, continued to ramp up his Heisman résumé while undermining UT Martin to the tune of 276 yards and three touchdowns from just 24 pass attempts.

These two have become the standard this season, the players to watch if you’re looking for a genuine Heisman Trophy contender. Both have strong résumés, both on the field and with how they’ve endeavored to reach the pinnacle of their CFB careers. As we discussed just last week, Hooker, in particular, meets the mantra of the Heisman Trophy as if it was actually written for him.

However, Week 8 also saw the emergence of two contenders with equally compelling cases to be considered as the most outstanding player in college football. Two players who we’ve had to watch work hard to deliver on their potential, two players whose perseverance and diligence have allowed them to propel their teams on the national stage, and enter the Heisman Trophy race amongst the odds favorites, according to DraftKings Sportsbook.

Bo Nix Is Officially on Heisman Watch

Bo Nix. The former Auburn quarterback’s name has become synonymous with negative nicknames and even more negative play during his three years with the Tigers in the SEC. Even as the SEC Freshman of the Year in 2019, Nix was maligned, ridiculed, and even abused on a near-weekly basis. His name, like the program that he has now left behind, had become a joke on the college football landscape.

There is perhaps no quarterback — or player at any position — who has had to work harder, persevere more, or work more diligently to prove his worth, than now-Oregon QB Nix. Even following his transfer to Eugene — especially after the opening weekend humiliation by Georgia — Nix has had to overcome, fight, and prove that he belongs.

MORE: Week 8 College Football Team of the Week

As he propels Oregon to the pinnacle of the Pac-12, Nix is finally proving just that. Not only does he belong amongst the 131 starting quarterbacks at the FBS level, but Nix’s name also belongs on the Heisman Trophy watch. He did that in style in Week 8, with the eyes of the world and the cameras of “College GameDay” in attendance for the biggest test of his young Ducks’ career.

Nix passed that test against an unbeaten UCLA with flying colors. Facing a previously formidable defense, the Oregon QB completed 22 of 28 passes for 283 yards and five touchdowns as the Ducks destroyed the Bruins in a 45-30 beatdown.

Performing in primetime, passing the test, and pushing the program past preseason perceptions and expectations, Nix is a Heisman Trophy contender and the latest DraftKings odds of +3000 proves it. “No Nix” is no more.

Sam Hartman Is Back in the Heisman Race

On the eve of the 2022 college football season, it became apparent that we might not even see the Wake Forest QB and early Heisman Trophy contender at all. Shrouded in mystery after being sidelined with a “non-football injury” that was later diagnosed as Paget-Schroetter syndrome (PSS), Sam Hartman had to watch as other Heisman Trophy contenders got their season off to a hot start.

Hartman has been playing catch-up ever since. However, it’s that hard work and that perseverance that embodies the Heisman Trophy mantra. Meanwhile, his latest feats of outstanding play involved accounting for six total touchdowns against Boston College while throwing for 313 yards in a 43-15 win.

For the first time since his setback, the Wake Forest QB appeared in DraftKings top-10 Heisman Trophy favorites with odds of +4000 to lift the award in December.

What To Watch for in Week 9 of the College Football Season

It’s Halloween weekend as college football enters Week 9 of the 2022 season, and there are lots of frights in store for fans around the nation. Which Heisman Trophy odds contenders have been tricking voters all season, and which ones have a treat in store for us as the season winds down toward its final destination?

One of the biggest clashes of college football Week 9 occurs at Beaver Stadium as Penn State welcomes Ohio State to University Park in an all-Big Ten blood bath of a clash. Stroud remains the favorite with odds of +100 from DraftKings, but Miyan Williams (+15000), TreVeyon Henderson (+15000), and Marvin Harrison Jr. (+20000) all have Heisman Trophy odds from the sportsbook.

It’s the evening slate, starting with the 7 p.m. clash between Kentucky and Tennessee that holds spooky Heisman Trophy potential this Halloween weekend. The matchup between Hooker (+200) and Will Levis (+15000) has potential ramifications that go beyond college football’s greatest individual prize and all the way to next April and the 2023 NFL Draft.

Other potential Heisman Trophy contenders in the late windows (and their odds) include USC QB Caleb Williams (+1400) facing Arizona on the road, Michigan RB Blake Corum (+1400) looking to take advantage of a poor Michigan State defense, and North Carolina QB Drake Maye (+4000) facing a Pittsburgh team that hasn’t lived up to their potential so far this fall.

Current Heisman Trophy Odds

• C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State +100
• Hendon Hooker, QB, Tennessee +200
• Blake Corum, RB, Michigan +1400
• Caleb Williams, QB, USC +1400
• Bryce Young, QB, Alabama +2200
• Bo Nix, QB, Oregon +3000
• Stetson Bennett, QB, Georgia +3000
• Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Alabama +4000
• Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina +4000
• Sam Hartman, QB, Wake Forest +4000