Quinn Ewers gaining steam as Heisman Trophy candidate heading into Week 3
Caleb Williams was the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy before the 2023 season began and the USC star is still out in front. However, there are some other big name quarterbacks gaining on him a bit, as well as some longer shots that are starting to enter the picture. There's also some players that are underperforming, causing them to lose ground and disappear in a hurry. With that in mind, keep reading for some of the risers and fallers in the Heisman race. Each week, I'll dive into the prices and analyze how I'd play this market for the remainder of the season. It's important to see what type of stats a player has racked up already, but how will they do the rest of the way? I'll get into that — and a lot more — here!
MORE: Check out our Pro Picks page for college football best bets from all of our analysts
USC QB Caleb Williams +400 (was +450)
Williams was the favorite to win this award heading into the season and you’re going to get a worse price on him if you’re looking to bet him now. Williams threw for 281 yards with three touchdowns and no picks against Stanford last week, and he also added one rush for 21 yards and a score in that game. Williams has now thrown for 878 yards with 12 touchdowns and no picks through three games. To this point, he is holding serve atop the odds board, but there are some tougher matchups ahead. USC will face Notre Dame, Utah, Washington, Oregon and UCLA in five of its last six games — and the sixth game is on the road against a Cal team with a rock-solid defense. So, Williams might not light up the scoreboard in the second half of the season. That would leave the door open for some of the other candidates. The question is whether the hype train on Williams will lead to him winning this award, whether he deserves it or not. It feels like it can go either way. Vote r fatigue is usually a very real concern, as we just saw in the NBA MVP race. But there’s something different about the spotlight that comes with playing at a high level in Southern California.
Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. +900 (was +800)
Get used to seeing Penix Jr. putting up astronomical numbers on a weekly basis. After throwing for 450 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions against Boise State in Week 1, the lefty gunslinger threw for 409 yards with three touchdowns and one pick against Tulsa in Week 2. Penix Jr. just knows the Washington offense inside and out, and it’s a team that utilizes a pass-heavy attack. The Huskies are also loaded with talent at the wide receiver position, so Penix Jr. often has mismatches all over the field. In fact, it feels like Washington always has at least one pass catcher streaking up the field with no defender in sight. That said, it isn’t the worst idea to throw something on Penix Jr., unless you feel like you missed the boat by not getting him at +1600 before the year. He’s firmly in the conversation after the way he has started the year, and he’ll have some big opportunities to showcase his talent on the national stage. Washington has hig h-profile matchups with Michigan State, Oregon, USC, Utah, Oregon State and Washington State coming this season. And Penix Jr., who is PFF’s third-ranked quarterback, should pass most of those tests with flying colors.