2015 Heisman Trophy NCAA Football Odds Week 4 Update

Posted by Alex Murphy on Tuesday,September 22, 2015 7:00, EDT in

As we enter the fourth week of the 2015 NCAA Football betting season, it is becoming clearer that very few players are able to maintain their efficiency in the quest to win the Heisman Trophy. At the moment, TCU’s starting QB and Heisman favorite Trevone Boykin has a firm grip in the college football odds to claim the coveted title, but he is facing tough competition from a host of players after stunning performances in Week 3. Read on as we take a look at these star players and what they’ve been able to do so far, including what can be expected from them in Week 4.

2015 Heisman Trophy Candidates NCAA Football Odds Week 4 Update

BEST OF THE BEST

Trevone Boykin, QB, TCU

After a slow start in Week 1, Boykin has made good value of his reputation as the hottest Heisman hopeful with solid back-to-back games against Stephen F. Austin and SMU. Following his 285 passing yards and four touchdowns in the 70-7 blowout win over Stephen F. Austin in Week 2 (where he in fact left the game in the third quarter), Boykin solidified his NCAAF odds to win the 2015 Heisman Trophy by accounting for a whopping six touchdowns (5 passing, 1 running) in TCU’s 56-37 win over SMU in Week 3. Moreover, the dual-threat QB was responsible for over 500 offensive yards in the Week 3 victory over SMU, unleashing 454 passing yards from his cannon arms (on 21/30 passes) and adding 50 yards through his legs on 11 carries. Producing such video-game numbers against Texas Tech on the road in Week 4 won’t be easy, but his performance should still be huge, considering the Red Raiders have a challenged defense that is allowing nearly 30 points per game (29.6) through its first three games.

Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU

For a player described by his coach as having “speed and strength and balance and all the adjectives that you use to describe a very, very special back,” Fournette is certainly punctuating the story with his solid on-field performances. In his first game this season in Week 2 Mississippi State (after LSU saw their Week 1 game against McNeese State canceled due to bad weather), the star back exploded for 159 rushing yards and 3 touchdown on 28 carries, helping his team to a crucial win. Then in Week 3, after Auburn safety Rudy Ford smack-talked the LSU star prior to their clash on Saturday, Fournette responded with a remarkable showing at the Death Valley, pounding the ground hard for 3 touchdowns and 228 rushing yards on a school-record 12 yards per carry. After he got into the offseason Heisman talks following a strong performance in the 2014 bowl game against Notre Dame, where he featured an 89-yard TD run and a 100-yard kickoff return for a score, there’s definitely going to be a lot of deserved hype on Fournette now that he is already proving his worth. When questioned about the hype after Saturday’s game, the smooth-talker said, “I don’t feed into it.” Well, you don’t have to feed it into it Fournette, we have enough appetite to do all the feeding on your behalf.

Nick Chubb, RB, Georgia

While Fournette is definitely making a lot of noise right now, you can be sure that Chubb, Sony Michel and Georgia’s offensive backfield won’t be going away any time soon. In their blowout win over South Carolina on Saturday, Chubb led the running game with 159 yards and had two touchdowns for his 11th straight 100-plus rushing yards game. Michel, as always, was also crucial to the team, tallying 83 total yards of offense (averaging 7.5 yards per play) and 3 total touchdowns, raising his long shot odds to win the Heisman. But if you are looking for solid value on your money, Chubb is your go-to guy in Georgia.

Chad Kelly, QB, Ole Miss

Compared to quarterback names like Boykin (TCU), Cardale Jones (Ohio State) and Cody Kessler (USC), Kelly was a no-name QB entering the 2015 season. Three games into the season, Chad Kelly t-shirts are selling like hot cake in Mississippi, thanks to his blistering start with the Rebels. Most recently in the biggest game of his young career, Kelly flourished highly, passing for 341 yards and 3 TDs with zero picks to lead the Rebels to a stunning 43-37 road upset win over Alabama. For the season so far, the signal-caller is impressively averaging 64.4 completed passes and a sterling 12.30 yards per attempt. More notably, Kelly has already racked up a whopping 898 passing yards and 9 TDs passing against just 1 interception, making him the current 2015 FBS leader with a Total QBR of 92.3. It’s still a long way to go in the season, but if Kelly can continue to make the kind of big plays we’ve seen from him in the first three games, and Ole Miss (3-0, 1-0) also continues to win games, then the 6-2, 215-pound junior QB will be a player to watch in the 2015 Heisman Trophy NCAA Football odds.

BEST OF THE REST

Derrick Henry, RB, Alabama

The Alabama Crimson Tide may have played themselves out of this year’s college football playoff with the heartbreaking loss to the Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday, but Henry’s place in the Heisman talks is just fine. As Alabama’s premier running back, Henry did his best against Mississippi’s stellar defense by collecting 127 rushing yards and one touchdown. This was after he scored six touchdowns in his first two games this season (three in each of the two games).  Though he could have greatly benefited from an Alabama win in Week 3, I believe he won’t be feeling too bad about his solid stats against Mississippi, which are in fact very likely to improve when the Tide host the lowly Louisiana Monroe this Saturday.

Cody Kessler, QB, USC

Like Alabama, the Trojans may have played themselves out of the playoffs, but that doesn’t mean that Kessler’s name should be guttered from the list
of Heisman hopefuls. Yes, losing 41-31 to the unranked Stanford Cardinal won’t be good for his résumé, but with a strong stat line of 25-of-32 passing for 272 yards and 3 touchdowns for a QB rating of 93.5 in the loss to Stanford, only a fool would refuse to cut Kessler some slack. I mean, this guy didn’t throw a pick against Stanford’s mean defense, and in his first two games against Arkansas State and Idaho, he combined for 650 passing yards and 7 passing TDs. If Kessler and USC can bounce back with a strong performance in their Week 4 road clash against Arizona State, as we expect them to do, then the flame-thrower should be back in good business in the Heisman odds.

Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Ohio State

How is the offensive MVP in the 2014-15 National Championship game doing so far this season? Answer: Probably like everyone else in the Ohio State team—good, but could do better if they play to their full potential. After rushing for 101 yards and 3 TDs in the blowout win over Hawaii in Week 2, Elliott recorded his eighth straight 100-yard game in Week 3, rushing for 108 yards on 23 carries against Northern Illinois. Failing to score a TD when the likes of Fournette and Chubb each notched a couple of scores in Week 3 will definitely hurt his stock, but if he can bounce back with a big game in Week 4 against WMU, all will be forgiven by the many Oho State supporters wishing him a win in the Heisman Trophy contention.

Greyson Lambert, QB, Georgia

The hype train in Georgia (3-0, 2-0) is at all-time high, and the Greyson Lambert-led offense is to blame for the deranged support from their fans. For most part, we’ve been talking about Georgia’s lethal running game that has been torching up defenses in all kinds of ways. But after Lambert had a record-breaking night on Saturday, helping Georgia to a 52-20 rout over Steve Spurrier’s South Carolina, more limelight will be shifting his way. The young quarterback set the NCAA record for completion percentage in a single game, completing 24 of 25 passes (96 percent) for a career-high 330 yards plus three touchdowns against South Carolina. Greyson also set a new school record by completing 20 passes in a row, leaping over Mike Bobo’s previous school record at 19. With a soft home game against Southern in Week 4, you can expect Georgia’s triple-threat offense to continue with its explosiveness in the air and on the ground.

WORTHY MENTIONS

Cardale Jones  and J.T. Barrett, QBs, Ohio State

The two QBs are coming off a lackluster showing in their 20-13 victory over Northern Illinois, and Urban Meyer’s indecisiveness in picking a main starter (by constantly rotating them on the field) is hurting their statistics. However, if Ohio State continues to win games and maintain the push for a second straight National Championship, then both Jones and Barrett should still remain as worthy contenders for the Heisman trophy.

Paul Perkins, RB, UCLA

The stud Bruins runner is a key reason behind UCLA’s 3-0 start to the season, accounting for 3 TDs rushing and 429 yards on the ground on 58 rushing attempts, along with 82 receiving yards on 7 receptions. Despite his good numbers, Perkins’ Heisman hopes are shaky because UCLA hasn’t looked too solid so far, recently escaping with a 1-point win over BYU.

Brandon Harris, QB, LSU

With 21 of 31 completed passes (67.7 percent), 145 passing yards, one passing touchdown and an adjusted QBR of 90.7, along with 2 running TDs and 104 rushing yards in his two games with the Tigers this season; Harris is certainly doing enough to get the job done. However, because of the overshadowing performance from his main running back (Fournette), very few votes are likely to go in his favor.