Despite a late season loss, likely taking Colorado out of the Big 12 Championship Game, Travis Hunter’s Heisman campaign continued to gain ground in the eyes of oddsmakers.
The Buffaloes lost to Kansas 37-21 on Saturday, but Hunter continued to show out, hauling eight catches for 125 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The two-way threat had a near interception and seven tackles as well, but Colorado didn’t force a punt all game in the loss.
While a loss is incredibly harmful to most Heisman hopefuls, Hunter actually improved his standing in the race as Ashton Jeanty battled an injury in Boise State’s close call against Wyoming and Miami’s Cam Ward had an unspectacular stat line against Wake Forest.
Hunter is now the biggest favorite he has been all season, -750 at FanDuel Sportsbook, which translates to an 88% chance of winning the award with only Jeanty and Ward inside of +6000 with two weeks of play left.
Here’s the full list of odds ahead of the final week of the regular season.
Hunter’s Heisman Trophy case continues to be a unique one, doing something that hasn’t been done before as he plays nearly every snap at an incredibly high level.
He ranks top seven in the country in receptions (82), receiving yards (1,036) and receiving touchdowns (11) while also shutting off a side of the field as a top five cornerback.
In terms of odds, it appears that Colorado’s record isn’t as impactful as it is for other candidates.
Ward, who was the favorite prior to the Hurricanes’ lone loss of the season to Georgia Tech, continues to be priced as a relative long shot, but will likely finish the season as the nation’s leading passer.
The top challenger, Jeanty, suffered an injury in Boise State’s Week 13 win at Wyoming, but returned in the fourth quarter to engineer what would end up being the game winning touchdown drive. The superstar running back had 160 yards on the ground with a touchdown, but continued to fall further from Barry Sanders' single season rushing record. With that development, oddsmakers feel compelled to drop his odds further from Hunter.
Where does the market go next?
Colorado will play arguably the worst defense in the Big 12 on Saturday in Oklahoma State as the team needs to hope for more chaos in the conference to make the title game. If the team can’t have some bounces go its way, this will be the last chance for Hunter to showcase his Heisman level.
Meanwhile, Jeanty and the Broncos are into the Mountain West title game, set to face UNLV in a rematch from a thriller a few weeks back or Colorado State.
Miami must win at Syracuse in order to secure its spot in the ACC Championship Game against SMU as the team continues to battle for College Football Playoff positioning, which gives Ward the ability to leave some solid last impressions as well.
Hunter has likely lost the ability to get a last call on the Heisman Trophy race with the results from Week 13, but oddsmakers seem unfazed with its movement towards the one-of-a-kind player.