A Look at the Odds on Alabama Players Winning the 2016 Heisman Trophy
Alabama opened the season with plenty of talent but few proven playmakers on the offensive side of the football, but that all changed in a 46-point victory in week one.
Oddsmakers took notice of the performance as well. The 138-yard performance by running back Damien Harris and the four-touchdown effort by quarterback Jalen Hurts landed both players on a long list of Heisman Trophy candidates after one game.
The biggest jump came for Harris, who went from 25-1 to 12-1 at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook. He has the best odds among Alabama players, and Westgate has him 8th in the entire county. Wide receiver Calvin Ridley (30-1) and running back Bo Scarbrough (40-1) had quiet games against Southern Cal but still remain an outside shot.
Meanwhile on Sportsbook, quarterback Jalen Hurts made his debut on the list and opened with the same odds (40-1) as Ridley. That puts both players in a big group of players at a tie for 10th on the Heisman list.
There's way too much football left to be played to argue these odds, but it's interesting to track how oddsmakers perceive the race. Alabama won two of the past seven Heismans but entered this season with very few players in the conversation. With a few more big performances, that could begin to change.