Heisman Watch: Ranking the Top 5 Heisman Odds Candidates Heading into Week 12

Heisman Watch: Ranking the Top 5 Heisman Odds Candidates Heading into Week 12

We're just about arrived at the final stretch for the Heisman trophy as the college football race for glory begins to take shape in the last few conference games. The Colorado Buffaloes can't stop winning, and Travis Hunter is a major reason for that as he cleans up on both sides of the ball

Meanwhile, Oregon Ducks have flown to the top of the rankings, so has star QB Dillon Gabriel as he climbs in the Heisman odds and tries to keep pace with Hunter. Previous leader Ashton Jeanty is still putting up video game numbers on the ground, but has struggled to match the hype from Hunter as the best non-QB on the list. Cam Ward suffered a defeat as No. 3 Miami went down against Georgia Tech, and his odds suffered as a result.

Before you make your Week 12 college football picks, make sure you read our Heisman Watch list and get in on the Heisman odds action before all the favorites are too short to bet.

Heisman Odds

This week's Heisman odds look similar to a week ago, with Travis Hunter continuing his stay at the top after another huge game against Texas Tech. He is now a true odds-on favorite with just a few games remaining.

Ashton Jeanty and Dillon Gabriel are all still very much in the mix, and the next few games are going to determine everything in this tightly-contested race. Let's break down the latest Heisman odds and take a look at the upcoming chaos for these top candidates.

Heisman Watch: Top 5 Heisman Odds

1. Travis Hunter - Colorado WR/CB (-115)

Travis Hunter is finally a minus-odds favorite for the first time this season, as he continues to lead the Colorado Buffaloes to victories. Hunter currently has 850 yards receiving and nine touchdowns. Add that in with seven pass-defenses and two interceptions while playing almost the entire game on both sides, and you have a dominating stat sheet on the year. He has 250 yards and three touchdowns in the last two games alone. If Hunter adds four more touchdowns and 300 yards on the year over these final three regular season games, and the Buffaloes emerge victorious in all three, you can basically lock up this award. Colorado controls their own destiny in the Big 12 standings as they hunt for a conference championship appearance against BYU. Propelling a 4-8 team to that spot while playing both sides of the ball certainly warrants a Heisman win, and all eyes will be on the Buffs as they take on Utah, Kansas, and Oklahoma State in the next three weeks. On the other side, if Colorado loses two of these three games and falls apart down the stretch, the Heisman race is wide open once again, and Dillon Gabriel will likely take over.

2. Dillon Gabriel - Oregon QB (+360)

Dillon Gabriel started the season at the top of the Heisman odds at +700, and has been nearly flawless this year, but he's still not at the top. Gabriel has led the Ducks to an undefeated 10-0 start in his first year with the team and their first season in the Big Ten. It is all extremely impressive to say the last, and Gabriel has a great supporting cast of stars around him. They have just two games left against Wisconsin and Washington, who are mediocre opponents that the Ducks will beat up on. Gabriel's position in this list is more of a holding pattern, as he waits for his chance to dominate in the Big Ten championship and for the results of Travis Hunter's final few games.

3. Ashton Jeanty - Boise State RB (+360)

Ashton Jeanty is still sitting in this third position, but has faltered in recent weeks as Travis Hunter starts to pull away as the best position player. Jeanty is putting on incredible feats each week, adding 200 yards and three touchdowns last week against Nevada, but will it be enough? It's crazy to say, as we haven't seen RB numbers like this in years, but the competition element and the dynamics are tough to account for. Boise is beating up on bad Mountain West teams, while Travis Hunter is excelling in a more-talented Big 12 and playing on both sides of the ball. If a 200-yard and multi-touchdown performance isn't enough for his odds to increase, he will essentially need Hunter to fall apart at the top of this list in order to take back the lead.

4. Cameron Ward - Miami QB (+800)

Cam Ward has just about taken himself out of contention after the Hurricanes fell on the road to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. He was right in the middle of the pack with Dillon Gabriel last week, but adding a loss that Oregon doesn't have is going to be hard to come back from. This award is usually built for quarterbacks, but with two non-QB's balling out this year, it will be even harder to get back in the race. Don't get me wrong, he has incredible stats at 3,500 yards and 32 touchdowns that these other two QB's don't have, but trying to top them being undefeated is going to be a tough feat. The Canes have off this week before wrapping up with Wake Forest and Syracuse, two opponents that aren't going to move the needle, no matter how much Miami wins by. An ACC Championship will help, but Ward will need serious help from these other contenders losing.

5. Kurtis Rourke - Indiana QB (+1400)

Kurtis Rourke has shockingly entered the fold down the stretch here, as the Indiana Hoosiers just can't stop winning. Rourke has started in every game except one due to injury, and has led the Hoosiers to an undefeated record through 10 games, their best start in program history. They are off this week as they prepare for a star-studded showdown with the Ohio State Buckeyes next week, and Rourke will attempt to do the impossible in Columbus. If he is able to upset the Buckeyes in Week 13 as a double-digit underdog, you can consider him to have an outside shot in this race after putting up 21 touchdowns and just four interceptions in the Big Ten. He has similar stats to Dillon Gabriel, and the story for the Hoosiers is much more oriented towards this award.