Steve Starr
- BetOnline only lists four players in its 2019 Heisman futures following Week 8
- Tua Tagovailoa dropped to +300 after suffering a high-ankle sprain on Saturday
- LSU’s Joe Burrow (+125) is the new favorite to hoist the bronze statue
This year’s Heisman race has resembled a season of Survivor with the field of contenders dwindling each and every week.
The show’s long-haired beauty (Trevor Lawrence) was surprisingly voted off the island after Week 7 and we were all blindsided this weekend when star running back Jonathan Taylor fumbled away his Heisman hopes in a 24-23 upset loss to Illinois.
With the field now trimmed to only four players, let’s look at the latest odds at BetOnline and determine who will be the sole survivor.
2019 NCAA HEISMAN TROPHY ODDS
| Player (Position, Team) | Odds |
| Joe Burrow (QB, LSU) | +125 |
| Jalen Hurts (QB, Oklahoma) | +200 |
| Tua Tagovailoa (QB, Alabama) | +300 |
| Justin Fields (QB, Ohio State) | +900 |
FALLING ODDS: TUA TAGOVAILOA
Tagovailoa suffered a high-ankle sprain in the second quarter against Tennessee, causing his odds to freefall from -175 just last week to +300. All indications suggest that the junior signal-caller will be back for Alabama’s Nov. 9th showdown against No. 2 LSU, but it’s difficult to take any football program at its word.
Tua only had 155 yards and an interception on his stat line when he was forced out of the game last week against Tennessee, and he’s missing out on another prime opportunity to pile up numbers against Arkansas this Saturday.
Tua Tagovailoa told his teammates he will be back for LSU according to Terrell Lewis pic.twitter.com/v84fo5Tyiv
— Ryan C. Fowler (@RyanCFowler) October 20, 2019
However, if he returns healthy in two weeks and outduels LSU quarterback Joe Burrow, the bronze statue would practically be in the bag.
That scenario would seem to make the 21-year-old a prime buy-low candidate until you remember that a late-season ankle injury also opened the door for Kyler Murray to swoop in and steal Tua’s Heisman last season.
NEW FAVORITE: JOE BURROW
In addition to being the new Heisman Trophy favorite, Joe Burrow has replaced Tagovailoa as the No. 1 overall pick in 2020 NFL mock drafts. That sounds like a good thing until you realize the poor kid would have to play for Cincinnati or Miami.
The Tigers senior continued his flawless play in Week 8, completing 78 percent of his passes for 327 yards and four touchdowns in a 36-13 win over Mississippi State. In just his seventh game, he also set the LSU record for passing touchdowns (28) in a single season.
IT’S A FAMILY SHOW, CBS. pic.twitter.com/Ikmm1ug873
— Connor O’Gara (@cjogara) October 19, 2019
Burrow’s success against ranked opponents — 278 yards and five touchdowns against No. 9 Texas and 293 yards and three touchdowns against No. 7 Florida — gives him a sterling resume, but things only get harder from here.
The 22-year-old hosts No. 9 Auburn this Saturday before travelling to Tuscaloosa for a game that will likely determine both the Heisman Trophy winner and the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoffs.
