Former Alabama teammates now top two favorites for Heisman
October 1st, 2019
The 2019 Heisman Trophy race has turned into quite a human-interest story. Through five weeks of football, the two favorites are Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and Oklahoma QB Jalen Hurts.
2019 Heisman Trophy odds
| Player | Odds |
|---|
Tua Tagovailoa | +175 |
Jalen Hurts | +300 |
Joe Burrow | +300 |
Justin Fields | +500 |
Jonathan Taylor | +800 |
Jake Fromm | +2500 |
Justin Herbert | +4000 |
Sam Ehlinger | +4000 |
Jerry Jeudy | +4000 |
J.K. Dobbins | +4000 |
Hurts transferred to Oklahoma after he played, started and won a national championship at Alabama. Hurts was replaced by Tagovailoa but impressively remained as a leader in the locker room and vocal supporter of the younger quarterback.
Jalen Hurts led Alabama to a 26-2 record as a starter. He was benched in favor of Tua in the national championship and named the backup this year. But he didn't leave. Today he led the Tide to an SEC title so I asked Nick Saban about Jalen's character. His answer says it all pic.twitter.com/0rVHJFDJdk
— Justin Holbrock (@NBC4Justin) December 2, 2018
While they aren't competing against other on the field (yet), it seems they are now on a crash course for each other in New York.
After it up South Carolina and Southern Mississippi for five touchdowns each, Tagovailoa threw for six TDs against Ole Miss. He tacked on 418 yards and also ran for a score, which made him the clear statistical winner of the week. If that type of statistical output continues, nobody will be taking the trophy from the favorite.
For Hurts, an easy win against Texas Tech meant 415 passing yards and three touchdowns, as well as another 70 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground.
After it up South Carolina and Southern Mississippi for five touchdowns each, Tagovailoa threw for six TDs against Ole Miss. He tacked on 418 yards and also ran for a score, which made him the clear statistical winner of the week. If that type of statistical output continues, nobody will be taking the trophy from the favorite.
For Hurts, an easy win against Texas Tech meant 415 passing yards and three touchdowns, as well as another 70 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground.
RAMBOOOO 😤😤
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 28, 2019
Jalen Hurts finds Charleston Rambo on yet another deep completion for @OU_Football. pic.twitter.com/wNZ7eqsIK7
Though there is still plenty of football to be played, Hurts' spear still is not considered quite as sharp as Tagovailoa's. The continued competition between these two as the season progresses will be fascinating to watch and should make for the most intriguing Heisman race in quite some time.
The other Heisman candidate of note from the last week of play is Ohio State QB Justin Fields of Ohio State. The Buckeyes eviscerated Nebraska, and most Heisman voters almost surely got at least a glimpse of the dismantling in a national broadcast. Fields was +1000 at the start of the season, although he hadn't started in college game, because both his talent and the talent around him was no secret.
Whether you want to bet your Heisman opinion or take a stand on a single college football game, you can find all you need at BetAmerica!
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