Another week, another dominant showing on both sides of the ball from Colorado BUffaloes star CB/WR Travis Hunter. Even in defeat, Hunter proved his worth, showcasing his talents on both sides of the ball for the Buffaloes, and cemented his status as the best player in college football.
Does any other player have a shot at this point?
Travis Hunter Heisman Odds: -800 (was -360)
Look, we’ll hear any argument for the Heisman at this point. So long as any argument also gets fair treatment and understands just how impressive Hunter’s season in 2024 has been.
If you want to draw a direct comparison, or as close to a direct comparison a we can find, you must go back to the 1997 college football season. That season, otherwise known as the year of Charles Woodson, is the only time a defensive player won the Heisman Trophy, and Woodson did so by contributing on offense and special teams as well.
For Hunter’s sake here, the comparisons to Woodson are almost not even fair … for Woodson. In that 1997 season, let’s look at Woodson’s production away from the defensive side of the ball:
- 33 returns, 283 yards, 1 TD
- 11 receptions, 231 yards, 2 TD
- 3 rush attempts, 15 yards, 1 TD
- 47 all-purpose touches, 529 all-purpose yards, 4 TD (offense/special teams)
Woodson’s defensive totals are a bit trickier to define due to lack of total and overall defensive statistics, but he brought in 7 interceptions across 11 games in 1997.
Now, compare those just to Hunter’s receiving production:
- 82 receptions, 1,036 yards, 11 TD
That’s in addition to Hunter’s three interceptions, five pass breakups, and a handful of splash plays, just like Woodson had during his Heisman year.
The numbers just simply don’t add up any other way: Hunter is going to win the Heisman Trophy this season. And if you got your tickets when he was +1400 following a brief absence for an injury, then good on you. You clearly read somewhere that told you to do so (right here, of course).
Ashton Jeanty Heisman Odds: +650 (was +380)
As great of a season as Ashton Jeanty is having — and it’s remarkable — it’s just not set to compare to Hunter’s when the year is over. Hunter is leading the Big 12 in receptions and touchdowns while playing nearly every snap on defense this year to boot.
Jeanty is as dominant as they come on the offensive side of the ball, but in reality, it’s looking like he would have needed to add more through the air like he did last season to diversify his portfolio, so to speak.
Let it be known that Jeanty is still the only person who holds a candle to Hunter, but at this point, the flame is growing dimmer and dimmer.
Cameron Ward Heisman Odds: +1400 (was +1300)
The Miami Hurricanes star QB has set new program records for yards and likely will go down as one of the best career cases of the transfer portal after Cam Ward has vaulted his draft stock and cemented his place in New York at least.
However, with the loss to Georgia Tech last weekend, Ward was going to have to go world-beater on everyone Miami plays to end the year. Even though he threw for 280 yards and two touchdowns against Wake Forest, in order for him to have climbed up these rankings, he would have needed a performance like that of Jayden Daniels in the waning stages of the season.
Dillon Gabriel Heisman Odds: +2500 (was +300)
It’s pretty much over for Dillon Gabriel’s Heisman candidacy it appears, as the odds have doubled since a week ago. Sure, Gabriel was on a bye week and yes, he’s made college football history with his touchdown totals, but the simple fact of the matter remains: Gabriel (nor any QB this year) can come close to Hunter.
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In fact, Gabriel and Ward may not even garner the invites at this point to New York for the ceremony as it may be one of the bigger runaways in recent memory. Still, Gabriel has two more games to showcase what he can do and why he should be invited, including a rivalry game against Washington and a Big Ten Championship against Ohio State.
Win those — convincingly — and maybe, Gabriel impresses some voters in the process.
The Heisman Field
- Travis Hunter, WR/CB, Colorado: -800
- Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State: +650
- Cam Ward, QB, Miami (FL): +1400
- Dillon Gabriel, QB, Oregon: +5000
- Will Howard, QB, Ohio State: +20000
- Carson Beck, QB, Georgia: +25000
- Cade Klubnik, QB, Clemson: +25000
- Jaxson Dart, QB, Ole Miss: +25000
- Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama: +25000
- Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado: +25000
- Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas: +25000
- Drew Allar, QB, Penn State: +25000
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