Bryce Love is on the Heisman Hunt: Updated Odds
Seven weeks into the college football season, we’ve now got a clearer picture of who the legitimate 2017 Heisman contenders are. Four players are now inside of 5/1, and with the fifth coming in at 16/1, we can almost narrow it down to one of the top four.
Then again, we’ve seen plenty of Heisman winners determined by strong second halves. Derrick Henry was still +2000 in Week 7 of the 2015 season, and Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston were both listed at +700 in Week 7 of their Heisman winning seasons.
Here’s where they stand as of now.
Bryce Love is now tied with Baker Mayfield at +275 as his superhuman 2017 season continues. Just take a look at this game log.
Despite his numbers, he’s still chasing Penn State’s Saquon Barkley, who is the even-money favorite for the second straight week. Barkley has the benefit of playing for the second ranked team in the nation, and playing in the Big Ten East, but if Love can somehow keep up his torrid pace, it would be hard to argue against him come December.
With this week’s updated odds being so top heavy, value looks to be hard to come by. If I had to pick a name I’d look to the preseason favorite, Sam Darnold. USC plays at Notre Dame this weekend which sets up an opportunity for Darnold to impress voters with a statement win. After that, his remaining opponents are Arizona State, Arizona, Colorado, and UCLA. If he puts up the kind of numbers many were expecting from him this season in those games, the recency bias from voters could be enough to win the trophy. You’d have to count on him being able to win at South Bend, though. Following that game he’ll likely either be out of the race, or the value will be gone.
What do you think? Can Love keep putting up ridiculous numbers or is he bound to regress eventually? Do any other names stand out to you? Let us know in the comment section or reach out to us on Twitter @SportsInsights.
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