Saturday's matchup between Oregon and Washington was an opportunity for two of the top Heisman Trophy candidates, Michael Penix Jr. and Bo Nix, to make their case for the coveted award while going head-to-head. Both quarterbacks put on a show, but it was Penix who saw his odds to win the Heisman jump significantly.
Penix was already the favorite in the Heisman race entering Saturday's game with +210 odds to win the award at DraftKings and +200 odds at BetMGM. After his four-touchdown performance, which included a go-ahead score on the Huskies' final drive, Penix is now the odds-on favorite around the market with -145 odds at BetMGM and -150 odds at DraftKings.
Heisman Trophy Odds
Top-10 odds as of Sunday via DraftKings.
| Player | Odds Entering Saturday | Current Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Michael Penix Jr. | +210 | -150 |
| Caleb Williams | +230 | +2000 |
| Bo Nix | +600 | +2000 |
| Dillon Gabriel | +1400 | +800 |
| Jordan Travis | +1800 | +1200 |
| Drake Maye | +2000 | +1600 |
| J.J. McCarthy | +2200 | +1000 |
| Brock Bowers | +3000 | Off |
| Quinn Ewers | +3500 | +4000 |
| Jayden Daniels | +3500 | +1500 |
Nix had an outstanding game in his own right, with 337 yards and two passing touchdowns, but fell on the board by virtue of the head-to-head loss. Nix fell all the way to +2000, tied for the seventh-shortest odds as of this writing.
And there there's Caleb Williams. The reigning Heisman Trophy winner had one of the the worst nights of his college career with three interceptions in the first half— he threw just one INT all season — against a Notre Dame defense that had his number from the opening drive. Williams had only thrown multiple interceptions in a college game once and that was two seasons ago at Oklahoma.
There's likely some upside for Williams, though. While Penix is the clear frontrunner at this stage of the season, USC faces Washington at home Nov. 4 and Williams has a chance to outperform Penix head-to-head. For now, every player in the country is chasing No. 9.
