Joe Burrow blows past Tua Tagovailoa in latest Heisman odds

Another week into the college football season, and we have another quarterback ready to throw his name in the ring for the Heisman Trophy chase. After a monster prime-time performance on the road against Texas, LSU quarterback and Ohio State transfer Joe Burrow has entered the race and comes into the week with odds of +400 to win the award.

2019 Heisman Trophy odds

Burrow came up big against Texas

Burrow had a fantastic performance on the biggest stage of the week, and performances like that are essential to create “Heisman moments." Burrow went 31-of-39 through the air for 471 yards and four touchdowns on the road, including an enormous play on third-and-17 to seal the game. I predicted LSU to cover the spread because of Burrow’s clutch play, but even I did not expect him to perform as gamely as he did.

LSU looks like an entirely different offense this year, and Burrow clearly has plenty of weapons to keep this train rolling. The biggest question for Burrow will be whether his team can continue to win. Facing difficult SEC West competition, I don’t expect him to put up similar numbers every week, so significant wins—most notably against Alabama and Florida—will be needed. The Heisman isn’t won in Week 2, so I’m not ready to declare Burrow the bet yet at +400.

Etienne needs to step up

Clemson's two Heisman candidates did little to enhance their standing against Texas A&M, as Trevor Lawrence put in workmanlike game (268 yards passing and one touchdown), while Travis Etienne struggled, with only 53 yards on 15 carries and no touchdowns. If Etienne wants to surpass Lawrence, he needs to do it with overwhelming statistical dominance, so one more mediocre statistical week will eliminate him from the race.

Lawrence is still the deserving favorite, but he is going to need to start throwing more touchdowns if he wants to win the award.

Pass on Tua

Alabama's Tua Tagovailoa threw for an unimpressive 227 yards but did tack on three touchdowns against overmatched New Mexico State.

Tagovailoa’s big games are ahead of him, and everybody knows Alabama has multiple NFL draft picks on the roster, so he needs to pass the blind stats test in order to have any chance to win. I’m passing on Tagovailoa at +500.

Hurts is the value play

Oklahoma's Jalen Hurts wasn’t given the opportunity to rack up great stats against South Dakota, either, but the fact that his odds drifted up to +700 makes him enticing.

Hurts will have plenty of other games to put up big numbers, and nothing has really changed from what we saw after Week 1, when he plummeted to +500. Hurts at +700 is the value play on the board right now.

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Whether you like the favorites or a dark horse, check out all the Heisman contenders' odds at BetAmerica!