Heisman Trophy Odds: John Mateer Explodes into Heisman Race After Primetime Win Over Michigan
The 2025 Heisman race is heating up, with five quarterbacks leading the way. Arch Manning battled back into the mix, but a new name leads the way with John Mateer. Peter Alexis examines the Heisman trophy leaderboard and the upcoming opponents for these top teams.
Peter Alexis - September 9, 2025, 12:45 PM EDT
5 Minute ReadHeisman Trophy Odds: John Mateer Explodes into Heisman Race After Primetime Win Over Michigan
Week 2 of the college football season was expected to be a cupcake factory, but we saw many top teams struggle with their competition. Clemson nearly lost to Troy after trailing by double digits, and Florida actually went down to South Florida after several late miscues.
The Heisman race wasn't massively affected in those results, but instead saw two new names enter the fold with John Mateer and Dante Moore entering the fold after big wins. In fact, many sportsbooks have Mateer leading the race over Garrett Nussmeier now, thanks to his highlight-filled performance against the Michigan Wolverines under the lights.
So who will build on their resume this week with most of these top quarterbacks facing easier opponents? Nussmeier and Beck both have strong tests, while Mateer and and Arch Manning should be able to put up big numbers in blowouts. Let's take a look at the Week 2 performances and how the Heisman race leaderboard stacks up as of September 9th.
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Heisman Trophy Odds
Heisman Trophy Odds Breakdown
Garrett Nussmeier (+900) Click here to bet on Garrett Nussmeier at FanDuel
Nussmeier is still technically leading the Heisman race if you go by best compared odds, but at many books, he's sitting second fiddle to John Mateer. Nussmeier did his job in the top-10 win over Clemson in Week 1, but was underwhelming in Week 2. He was expected to stat-pad against Louisiana, but the Tigers only won 23-7 and he didn't stand out much.
He'll have another shot to prove himself as a -9.5 favorite against the Florida Gators this weekend at home. It's the second big test for the Tigers, and if they find offensive success, Nussmeier will grow on his lead.
John Mateer (+1000) Click here to bet on John Mateer at FanDuel
Many sportsbooks now have John Mateer leading the race, like DraftKings at +800. But we have his best odds still at +1000 on FanDuel Sportsbook, and if you're looking to take the Oklahoma QB at this point in the season, you'll need the best value.
The Washington State transfer has burst onto the scene after a big win over ranked Michigan on Saturday night. Mateer accounted for nearly 350 total yards and three touchdowns, with two of them coming on the ground. He can improve his stock with a cupcake matchup against Temple this week, before taking on No. 24 Auburn on the road the week after that.
Carson Beck (+1100) Click here to bet on Carson Beck at FanDuel
Not much change here, with Beck maintaining his same +1100 odds. His win over Notre Dame will loom large on the resume, but he has another test this week with the newly-ranked South Florida Bulls coming to town. He'll need to outduel the dual-threat Byrum Brown to continue growing in this Heisman race as Miami sits at -16.5.
Dante Moore (+1300) Click here to bet on Dante Moore at DraftKings
Dante Moore is another QB that jumped into the Heisman conversation out of nowhere. Moore threw for three touchdowns against Oklahoma State in an brutal 69-3 beatdown of the Cowboys. Oregon has now put up nearly 130 points in two games, with Dan Lanning's offense staying on the gas throughout.
Moore and the Ducks will visit the Northwestern Wildcats in their first road test of the season, coming in as four-touchdown favorites to Evanston. Look for the offense to continue dominating as Moore enters the scene.
Arch Manning (+1400) Click here to bet on Arch Manning at FanDuel
The highly-anticipated bounce back game for Arch Manning went well on Saturday, with the junior throwing for four touchdowns and running for another against San Jose State. He accounted for all five scores ion the 38-7 win, but also threw an interception.
While the talent is there, the decision-making will need to improve before they enter the SEC schedule. Luckily, Arch still has a couple easy games against UTEP and Sam Houston to fine-tune his skillset before taking on Florida and Oklahoma in October.
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