2021 Heisman Trophy favorites: Top contenders with the best odds in Week 1

Will the early Heisman favorite be the winner at the end of the season?

The 2021 college football season has arrived, and one of the most entertaining annual aspects of it is the season-long debate over who should win the Heisman Trophy at the end of the regular season in December. And while there are usually clear favorites at the beginning of the seasons, all it takes is one breakout performance for fan bases to start advocating for one of the star players on their team.

While the season officially began last weekend with a few games, we’re entering Week 1 of competition with a full slate of matchups over Labor Day Weekend. So here’s a look at the players with the best odds to win the 2021 Heisman at the beginning of the season.

But first, a few things to keep in mind.

Although former Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith won the 2020 Heisman, the race tends to favor quarterbacks. Smith was the first wide receiver to win since Desmond Howard won in 1991, and since 2000, only three non-quarterbacks have been Heisman Trophy winners (and they all went to Alabama). And, as you’ll see, only one of the players with the top-15 Heisman odds entering Week 1 isn’t a quarterback.

Also, since the College Football Playoff format was established in the 2014-15 season, only once has the Heisman winner not been on a playoff team’s roster (Louisville’s Lamar Jackson in 2016). So it’s likely the winner will play for a serious title contender.

And lastly, as FiveThirtyEight noted a few seasons ago, only once in the last 12 years has the player favored in Week 1 to win the Heisman actually walked away with the trophy, and that was Oregon’s Marcus Mariota in 2014.

OK, onto the 2021 Heisman Trophy odds in Week 1, according to Tipico Sportsbook, as of Thursday morning.

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