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When it comes to major individual awards in North American sports, the Heisman Trophy stands as one of the most prestigious. The annual award recognizes the most outstanding player in college football.
While winning the Heisman Trophy doesn’t guarantee that a football player will have a long professional career, it’s a life highlight for anybody. The winner joins the prestigious Heisman Club alongside all the past winners.
This guide will help explain the key aspects of betting on the Heisman Trophy, including potential top Florida sportsbooks, recent winners and other trivia.
Live Heisman odds at FL online sportsbooks
See below for current Heisman Trophy odds at Florida online sportsbooks as soon as betting lines are live.
How to bet on Heisman Trophy futures
Heisman Trophy odds come out after the previous college football betting season has concluded. These early lines evaluate the probability of all the top players winning the trophy in the upcoming season.
Sportsbooks use statistic modeling along with their past experience to set the odds. That way the sportsbooks’ liability is limited if a player begins seeing a large amount of the betting action causing the sportsbook lines to shift. Still, a well-placed bet can result in a big win.
Because only one player across the country wins the award, the odds will usually be quite high for every selection, especially before the season even starts and the award ceremony is still far in the future. Because of this, you sometimes see bettors place multiple small wagers on several top candidates, as one win will more than cover all of the other losses.
One thing to keep in mind is the worst-case scenario. Perhaps the player that you bet on misses the entire season with an injury or the season is suspended due to an extraordinary event such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Most sportsbooks will void bets if the player doesn’t play a snap, but if a player is injured midseason, the bet likely will stand. Check with your sportsbook for the specific rules that apply to you.
Where to bet on Heisman futures
When you’re betting on Heisman futures, the main thing to remember is to use a legal Florida sportsbook. Legal sportsbooks must follow certain rules that ensure that your money and personal information are safe.
With multiple sportsbooks in many legal sports betting states, the competition between them can benefit bettors. The books all try to outbid one another with promotions, bonus bets and bonus deals to attract new customers. Here are some of the major sportsbooks with a large presence across legal markets in the US.
DraftKings Sportsbook Florida
One of the largest sportsbooks in the United States, DraftKings began as a daily fantasy sports company before expanding into the sports betting business. It’s a trusted name with various bonuses for sports bettors to check out.
Read our full review of the DraftKings Florida sportsbook app here.
Caesars Sportsbook Florida
For people who are familiar with the Caesars brand in Las Vegas or one of its other retail locations around the globe, they may want to use that same company’s sportsbook. Another reputable brand that is a great choice alongside the other sportsbooks in this section.
Read our full review of the Caesars Florida sportsbook app here.
FanDuel Sportsbook Florida
Another sportsbook that started as a daily fantasy sports operator, FanDuel has found itself at the forefront of the wave of legalization in the US. With plenty of sign-up bonuses and promotions, it’s no wonder that it’s been able to attract bettors in every market where it’s launched to date.
Read our full review of the Fanduel Florida sportsbook app here.
BetMGM Sportsbook Florida
MGM is one of the largest companies in the gambling space, with its online sportsbook BetMGM adding to that. For those who want to stay connected to the MGM brand, its sportsbook is a great option with a quality rewards program.
Read our full review of the BetMGM Florida sportsbook app here.
Recent Heisman Trophy winners
To give us some idea of where the award has gone in recent years, here are the 10 most recent winners alongside their school and position.
| Year | Name | Position | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Bryce Young | Quarterback | Alabama |
| 2020 | DeVonta Smith | Wide Receiver | Alabama |
| 2019 | Jow Burrow | Quarterback | LSU |
| 2018 | Kyler Murray | Quarterback | Oklahoma |
| 2017 | Baker Mayfield | Quarterback | Oklahoma |
| 2016 | Lamar Jackson | Quarterback | Louisville |
| 2015 | Derrick Henry | Running Back | Alabama |
| 2014 | Marcus Mariota | Quarterback | Oregon |
| 2013 | Jameis Winston | Quarterback | Florida State |
| 2012 | Johnny Manziel | Quarterback | Texas A&M |
| 2011 | Robert Griffin III | Quarterback | Baylor |
Heisman Trophy betting trends
As with many individual awards in the sport of football, quarterbacks tend to be the winners, particularly in recent years. If the winner is not a quarterback, he is most likely someone who plays another offensive skill position and has put up video game-like numbers. These players get much of the media attention as well as being crucial to their teams’ success.
Recent Heisman trends also suggest a change in the age of the winners. Historically, the winners were upperclassmen who had experience playing college football before they entered bigger roles with their teams. Recently, however, younger players have had chances to lead teams even as freshmen. This has resulted in some younger Heisman winners than in the past.
Another trend has been the relative struggles of preseason favorites to win the award. While this isn’t too unusual in any betting market where the preseason favorite will have an implied probability of less than 50%, it’s good to keep in mind if you’re new to betting on the Heisman.
In terms of key stats, the traditional box score statistics still rule above all. Imagining what a player’s stat line would look like on the back of a football card is a good exercise for building a case for a player. In addition, contenders generally need to play for highly successful teams to be part of the Heisman conversation.
Should I ever bet on a repeat Heisman winner?
Only once. Archie Griffin won the award in 1974 and 1975, his junior and senior years. He played at Ohio State and is still the only player to ever win the award in multiple seasons, much less in back-to-back years. However, as more young players successfully handle outsized roles in college football, we could see another repeat winner soon.
In addition to winning the award twice in a single college career — a task that is already very demanding — a player would need to win the award in back-to-back years to match Griffin’s achievement.
When is the best time to bet on Heisman futures?
Heisman betting odds tend to come out just after the previous season has ended and stay open late into the season. Because the market is open for so long, one of the key questions to answer is when to place your bet. There are advantages to betting at different points in the season, which we’ll break down here.
Betting early, before the season starts, gives you a chance at finding some value in the early lines. These lines will be a bit softer as sportsbooks have less information to predict who will win the award. Keep in mind that the information will also be limited for you, however. There will also be a slightly larger house edge in lots of these lines as the sportsbooks need to have strong protection against liability.
Betting during the season is a different landscape. There is more information and evidence available as the players started building their case for the trophy. The odds will be lower for the favorites as it becomes clearer who has a chance to win. Betting during this time means that you will have to be shrewder to find value, but you will have more information on which to base your picks.
There is no clear answer as to when the best time is to bet on Heisman futures. However, if you’re looking for a bigger return, then you may want to consider betting earlier. However, this is a more difficult bet, so it’s up to you to balance the competing factors.
Has anyone won the Heisman Trophy and the NFL MVP?
While the Heisman Trophy is not a guarantee of NFL success, Heisman winners have gone on to win the NFL MVP. Some recent examples are Lamar Jackson and Cam Newton. Both are quarterbacks who are threats when running or throwing.
Jackson played his college football at Louisville, where he befuddled defenders with his agility and ability to throw on the run. He was a late first-round pick by the Baltimore Ravens and won an NFL MVP a few years later when he used those same skills to dominate the NFL.
Newton won the Heisman Trophy while at Auburn. He was a bit earlier in this generation of dual-threat quarterbacks and possessed a startling combination of speed, size, power and skill. Newton would eventually be the first overall selection in the NFL draft as the Carolina Panthers took him over everyone else.
Who votes for the Heisman Trophy winner?
There are three groups of people who get votes for the Heisman Trophy: media members, past winners and fans.
For media members, the voting pool is in the hundreds. The Heisman committee ensures that the votes from this group are spread evenly across the country to reduce potential geographic bias toward a specific team or conference closely.
Previous winners of the award are expected to stay connected as part of the Heisman family and interact with other players who have received the award. Part of the way that they stay connected to the trophy is by having a vote each year.
Finally, the fans also get a vote. In recent years, Nissan has run a poll for the fan vote. The result counts as just one vote, so it doesn’t have a massive impact on the overall outcome. However, it is significant that the people get a voice.
When do we know who won the Heisman?
The Heisman Trophy award ceremony is right before the national championship. We’ll know the nominated finalists before the actual televised event.
This means that playoff and bowl game performances don’t factor into the voting for the award. It’s only the regular season that matters when assessing a player’s chances for the award.
Other popular college football futures bets
While betting on the Heisman Trophy is a popular option, there are other college football odds that attract betting action. Futures bets can be popular as they can provide excitement over a full season with a single wager. Here are some additional popular futures bets found at legal NCAAF betting sites in Florida.
National championship winner
While picking the Heisman winner is the most popular individual futures bet, picking the winner of the national championship is the most popular team futures bet. The two are similar in that both achievements are the most sought-after for their respective levels.
With so many teams in the NCAA, picking the national title winner can be difficult. One thing that makes it easier is the fact that a select group of schools tend to dominate the landscape and be in contention every year.
Conference winners
Rather than betting on the national title winner, betting on a conference winner can be a way to lower your risk. The different conferences will have slightly different characteristics, with some being more competitive than others.
Conferences with just one or two teams that sit alone at the top can offer a chance to either pick a long-shot team with big odds or pick one of the favorites for a safer option.
Season win totals
Betting on season win totals of individual teams is popular across many sports, and college football is no different. You’re betting on how many games a team will win in the upcoming season. Sportsbooks will release a line for each team far in advance of the season, and you can bet whether a team’s actual win total will be over or under its line.
The totals you are betting on will usually be only for the regular season. Playoffs and bowl games will not count, as it’s impossible to tell which teams will be playing where at that time of year.