Hurts’ Hype Train Picks Up Steam; Oklahoma QB Closes in on Favorites Tagovailoa, Lawrence in Latest Heisman Odds

• Jalen Hurts’ odds to win the Heisman Trophy have shortened from +790 to +690.
• The favorites – Trevor Lawrence and Tua Tagovailoa – have such an easy schedule in front of them.
• Alabama’s offense averaged 49.0 points per game in 2018.

Oklahoma quarterbacks have won back-to-back Heisman Trophies and another one could be in the mix for the award in 2019. There’s a lot of hype surrounding Alabama transfer Jalen Hurts and the talk on the block is that Lincoln Riley is ready to unleash his talent. Is Hurts truly the best bet or is a better play on the board?

2019 Heisman Trophy Odds

*Odds taken 07/03/19

Hurts’ Odds Have Shortened

When Hurts transferred from Alabama to Oklahoma, experts weren’t exactly sure what to expect. Hurts had won a lot of games at Alabama but he was mostly asked to be a game manager rather than a prolific passer. However, he’s been receiving rave reviews in practice and the experts have taken notice.

Reps of #Oklahoma QB Jalen Hurts at Elite 11 Finals pic.twitter.com/biQDxjZwE2

— Steve Wiltfong (@SWiltfong247) June 30, 2019

Hurts has already received a Big 12 Player of the Year projection from a recent Bleacher Report breakdown. At a recent Elite 11 camp, Hurts really stood out. As a result, his Heisman Trophy odds have shortened from +790 down to +690.

The Most Accomplished Transfer Ever?

What’s interesting about Hurts is that he could genuinely be the most accomplished transfer in college football history. We’re not talking about a player who was a problem on his team or didn’t mesh with the coaching staff. He was simply replaced by a quarterback that fit the system better.

But when you look at the numbers, Oklahoma is getting a transfer who was a True Freshman All-American, a former SEC Offensive Player of the Year and a national champion. He’s 26-2 in his career as a starter who had an epic 2016 campaign with 36 total touchdowns and 3736 combined yards.

Trevor Lawrence Still the Best Bet

I have a hard time betting anyone other than Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence to win the Heisman. Is there value with Hurts? Quite possibly. However, I really see this award going to either Tua Tagovailoa or Lawrence.

With Lawrence, I just can’t see him having anything but a stellar campaign. The Clemson quarterback is so far ahead of the field in the ACC and the conference is filled with so many cupcakes that he should pile up the numbers each and every week. He split time with Kelly Bryant early in the season and still finished with 3,280 passing yards, 30 touchdowns and four interceptions.

He got better as the season progressed, capping off a strong campaign with 674 passing yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions in the two playoff games – one of which included a thrashing of Alabama. This year’s schedule is so easy that he’d have to take a big step back to blow this.

As for Tua, Alabama also has a cakewalk of a schedule. Tua and Alabama were incredible in the regular season last year, averaging 49 points per game. On top of that, he’ll be focused to make amends for a shoddy performance in the championship game. It’s going to be hard to knock off the signal caller of a team that puts up numbers like that.

I have no problem betting Lawrence straight up as he seems to have the easier path, but a shrewd bet might be to bet both of these quarterbacks and you win your bet either way. I’d be very surprised if neither one took home the award at the end of the season.