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Sep 13, 2025; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) warms up on the sidelines during the first quarter against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

How USC's Jayden Maiava Is Still Quietly Making A Case For Heisman Trophy

Originally posted on USC Trojans on SI
By Caden Handwork | Last updated Oct 2, 2025 11:00 AM ET

Through five weeks of the 2025 college football season, the race for the Heisman Trophy is starting to heat up with new favorites that include a pair of quarterbacks, including Oregon's Dante Moore and Miami's Carson Beck.

USC starting quarterback Jayden Maiava has made a strong case as an underrated contender for the Heisman. Maiava has guided USC's explosive offense to a 4-1 start to the season and leads the Big Ten in passing with 1,587 yards, 11 touchdowns, and an interception. Entering USC's bye week, what are Maiava's current odds to win the Heisman?

Jayden Maiava's Current Heisman Odds After Week 5

Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

According to the updated Heisman Trophy odds by BetMGM, Maiava is at +2000 to win the award. On Saturday, USC suffered its first loss of the season, losing 34-32 on a walk-off field goal to the No. 22 Illinois Fighting Illini.

In the loss, Maiava threw for 364 yards, two touchdowns, and recorded his first interception of the season, while completing 69.8 percent of his passes.

Three other quarterbacks are tied with Maiava with +2000 odds to win the Heisman trophy, including Arch Manning (Texas), Gunner Stockton (Georgia), and Sam Leavitt (Arizona State).

Big Ten Players Ahead of Maiava in Heisman Odds

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Three Big Ten quarterbacks and an Ohio State wide receiver enter week 6 as the players in the conference with the best odds to win the Heisman. Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, one of the most talented players in all of college football, currently has the third-best odds to win the Heisman at +1000.

The list of quarterbacks in the Big Ten that have higher odds than Maiava includes Ohio State's Julian Sayin (+1700), Indiana's Fernando Mendoza (+1300), and Oregon's Dante Moore (+750).

Moore has the best odds to win the Heisman after leading No. 2 Oregon to a thrilling 30-24 overtime win over No. 7 Penn State on Saturday. Moore has thrown for 1,210 passing yards, 14 touchdowns, and an interception.

How Can Maiava Improve His Heisman Odds?

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While Saturday's loss to Illinois was a prime opportunity for Maiava to improve his Heisman odds, there are still chances in front of him to leapfrog other contenders. Three games that will define USC's season and Maiava's chances of becoming the ninth Trojan player to win the Heisman are upcoming on the schedule.

A valuable performance and wins against No. 20 Michigan (Oct. 11), No. 21 Notre Dame (Oct. 18), and No. 2 Oregon (Nov. 22) will give Maiava a boost as a contender to win the Heisman. That is, of course, assuming that USC doesn't fall flat in its other games on the road against Nebraska and Northwestern, Iowa, and UCLA at home.