NCAAF betting: How Rivalry Week can impact Heisman odds

Just last season, Rivalry Week upended the favorite to win the Heisman at BetMGM. NESN reported at the time that then-Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud — now a strong Rookie of the Year candidate with the Houston Texans — was the -130 betting favorite to win the Heisman heading into Rivalry Week. But a loss to Michigan elongated his odds to +2000 and put him behind a new favorite, Caleb Williams. The USC QB went on to win the Heisman.

As for this season, LSU QB Jayden Daniels emerged as the new favorite at -115 at DraftKings heading into the Rivalry Week matchup against Texas A&M. While the Tigers are 11.5-point favorites against the Aggies, Daniels logged 189 yards with no TDs when he faced this rival in 2022 — and a similar performance this Saturday could hurt his Heisman odds.

Those odds could already be shifting before Daniels takes the field on Saturday since Oregon QB Bo Nix is taking the field on Friday when the Ducks host the Oregon State Beavers. Bix was the previous favorite in the Heisman odds and lingers close to Daniels in the listing, so another multi-TD game could make him the favorite yet again. 

Last but not least, the Heisman hopefuls squaring off in one of the week's most-anticipated games: Ohio State running back Marvin Harrison Jr. and quarterback Kyle McCord against Michigan running back Blake Corum and quarterback J.J. McCarthy. Harrison currently has the shortest odds between the three at 40-1 odds (+4000 on the money line), while Corum is listed at 200-1. McCarthy, who was the betting favorite just a couple of weeks ago, is now listed at 300-1 along with McCord.

Rivalry Week kicks off on Thursday, Nov. 23. The Heisman Trophy will be awarded on Dec. 9.