2024 Heisman Watch: Travis Hunter tops leaderboard, Jalen Milroe re-enters mix
Week 11 of the college football season featured several standout performances, highlighted by Jalen Milroe’s four-touchdown day in Alabama’s dominant win over LSU.
Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter also had another busy day, playing the vast majority of snaps on both sides of the ball in his team’s win over Texas Tech. That helped him become the new favorite to win the Heisman as Cam Ward‘s Miami squad was dealt its first loss of the season.
Meanwhile, Oregon‘s Dillon Gabriel and Boise State‘s Ashton Jeanty each had solid games on Saturday to keep them right behind Hunter in the Heisman chase.
Here is a look at the current Heisman Trophy odds following a busy Week 11:
Travis Hunter, CB/WR, Colorado: +160
Hunter is the latest player to become the betting favorite to win the Heisman.
Colorado’s two-way star had another top-notch performance as the Buffs defeated Texas Tech, 41-34, on Saturday. Hunter had nine receptions for 99 yards and a touchdown on offense. Defensively, Hunter didn’t record a stat on the box score. But he made one of the more memorable interceptions that didn’t count that you might ever see. His touchdown came on his 99th snap of the game, further impressing those around the nation with his stamina.
Next:Hunter and the Buffaloes take on Utah on Nov. 16.
Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State: +250
Another week, another 150-plus rushing yard performance for Jeanty.
In fact, Jeanty rushed for 209 yards in Boise State’s 28-21 win over Nevada on Saturday. After a couple of weeks of less-than-stellar efficiency, Jeanty’s yards per carry went up, rushing for 6.1 yards per carry along with three touchdowns in Saturday’s victory. The performance kept Jeanty in the thick of the Heisman conversation as he’s now rushed for 1,734 yards on 7.7 yards per carry and 23 touchdowns in nine games.
Next: Jeanty and the Broncos play San Jose State on Nov. 16.
Dillon Gabriel, QB, Oregon: +300
Gabriel now has the best odds among any quarterback to win the Heisman.
Oregon’s quarterback helped his team remain undefeated with its 39-18 win over Maryland. Gabriel completed 23 of 34 passes for 183 yards and three touchdowns to go with 28 rushing yards. He also made history, surpassing Case Keenum for the most touchdown passes ever thrown by a college quarterback with 180 after Saturday’s game. He has 28 total touchdowns on the season as Oregon remains in the driver’s seat to make the Big Ten Championship Game.
Next: Gabriel and the Ducks travel to Wisconsin to take on the Badgers on Nov. 16.
Cam Ward, QB, Miami (Fla.): +800
Ward stood atop the Heisman Trophy leaderboard heading into Week 11. Oh, what a difference one week can make.
A simple glance at Ward’s numbers shows that Miami’s senior QB had another solid outing on Saturday, but an upset loss to unranked Georgia Tech is what hurts Ward’s Heisman chances. He completed 25 of 39 passes for 348 yards and three touchdowns, but the Canes surrendered 271 yards on the ground in a devastating 28-23 loss to the Yellow Jackets.
Next: Ward and the Hurricanes have a bye next weekend before taking on Wake Forest on Nov. 23.
Kurtis Rourke, QB, Indiana: +1500
Saturday’s 20-15 win over Michigan was a tale of two halves for Rourke.
Rourke threw for two touchdowns in the first half, helping Indiana get out to a 17-6 lead as it looked like it was going to get another dominant victory. But Michigan slowed the game down in the second half, with Rourke throwing an interception that helped the Wolverines cut into the lead early in the third quarter. Ultimately, Rourke was able to steer the ship late in the fourth quarter and help Indiana remain undefeated as he completed 17 of 28 passes for 206 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in the win.
Next: Rourke and the Hoosiers have a bye next weekend before traveling to Columbus to take on Ohio State on Nov. 23.
Indiana QB Kurtis Rourke did enough to help the Hoosiers remain undefeated and move to 10-0 in a 20-15 win over Michigan. (Photo by James Black/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama: +1800
Welcome back into the Heisman mix, Mr. Milroe.
Alabama’s star quarterback put up a dominant performance on the ground in the Tide’s 42-13 win at LSU on Saturday night. Milroe rushed for 185 yards and four touchdowns, allowing Alabama to avoid another stressful ending in a matchup that was viewed as a playoff elimination game. Milroe has owned LSU on the ground over the last two years, rushing for 340 yards and eight touchdowns. Following Saturday’s game, Milroe now has 565 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns this season. He only completed 12 of 18 passes for 109 yards, but who needs high-level passing numbers if you can dominate on the ground?
Next: Milroe and the Crimson Tide host Mercer on Nov. 16.
Alabama QB Jalen Milroe has owned LSU on the ground over its last two meetings, rushing for 340 yards and eight touchdowns in those games. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
Jaxson Dart, QB, Ole Miss: +2000
Dart didn’t have the most impressive performance on Saturday, but the final result was enough to help keep him around in the Heisman chase.
Ole Miss’ quarterback completed 13 of 22 passes for 199 yards, a touchdown and an interception to go with a team-high 50 rushing yards in rainy Oxford to beat Georgia, 28-10. Dart briefly left Saturday’s game after taking a hard hit on his interception on the first drive of the game, but he hung in there against a vaunted Georgia defense for the remainder of the afternoon. He’s no longer the nation’s leading passer after Saturday’s games. However, Dart is probably OK with that as Ole Miss’ playoff hopes remained alive with the win.
Next: Dart and the Rebels have a bye next weekend before taking on Florida on Nov. 23.
Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart battled through an early injury, lousy conditions and a tough Georgia defense to keep his team alive in the playoff race. (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images)
Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado: +4000
Colorado is the only team with multiple legitimate Heisman candidates this late in the season.
As Hunter shined on both sides of the ball, Sanders kept his composure in Saturday’s game after his team faced an early 13-0 deficit. He wound up completing 30 of 43 passes for 291 yards and three touchdowns without an interception while also rushing for a touchdown in Saturday’s win. He remains among the best statistical passers in the country as he’s thrown for 2,882 yards, 24 touchdowns and six interceptions this season to go with four rushing touchdowns.
Next:Sanders and the Buffaloes take on Utah on Nov. 16.
Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas: +4000
Ewers might be back to the form that made him one of the few Heisman favorites early in the season.
Texas’ quarterback arguably had the best performance of his college career on Saturday, completing 19 of 27 passes for 333 yards and five touchdowns in a 49-17 win over Florida. At the very least, Saturday was Ewers’ best performance since the rib injury he suffered in September that forced him to sit for two games. Ewers likely has a tough hill to climb to win the Heisman, as no player who missed a game in the regular season has won the award since Andre Ward won it in 1989. However, Ewers’ performance was enough to keep Texas atop the SEC standings on a day when there was some chaos in the conference.
Next: Ewers and the Longhorns take on Arkansas in Fayetteville on Nov. 16.
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