Heisman Trophy Race: Michael Penix Jr. is the new betting favorite entering Week 7
Caleb Williams was the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy before the 2023 season began, but Michael Penix Jr. has moved out in front entering Week 7. Penix Jr. has had a huge year for Washington, and people seem hungry to see a new winner emerge. But there's still a lot of football to be played. 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!
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Heisman Trophy Candidates
The Huskies had a bye week in Week 6, but Penix Jr. still jumped in front of Williams. It's actually pretty interesting considering Williams put up somewhat big numbers and helped his team win an emotional game. But either way, there's a new name at the top of the board. And Week 7 will either keep him there the rest of the season or bury him quite a bit. Washington is facing Oregon in a massive Pac-12 showdown this week. If Penix Jr. leads the Huskies to a win, it's hard to envision him giving up the top spot in the near future. After this week, Washington faces Arizona State and Stanford. Those are two games the Huskies should really win. But I wouldn't bet Penix Jr. in this market because he ends the year against USC, Utah and Oregon State. I think the Huskies can potentially lose two of those three games, which would make it difficult for him to win.
The oddsmakers must really hate Arizona. Last week, Williams threw for 219 yards with a touchdown and no picks, while also rushing for 41 yards and three scores in a triple overtime win over the Wildcats. He really showed a lot of heart in leading USC to that win, but Vegas clearly thought it was a lackluster performance against mediocre competition. Now, Williams is second on the odds board to win the Heisman. And while I like these odds a little more than last week's, I still wouldn't bet him moving forward. I'm not a big believer in USC's ability to make the College Football Playoff, as the Trojans defense is atrocious. I see USC potentially losing another two games, which would probably take him out of contention here.