Ty Simpson, step on up, you are the newest in a growing list of “Who wants to win the 2025 Heisman Trophy” contestants.
While Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer was sticking a fork in his fledgling Heisman hopes with a three-interception performance against Texas and Oregon’s Dante Moore put a significant dent in his with two picks in a home loss to Indiana, Alabama’s junior signal-caller leapt to the front of the pack with another impressive outing at Missouri.
Simpson threw three touchdowns in the 27-24 win over the Tigers, pushing his season total to 16 against a lone interception. Simpson is now the co-favorite at +350 at BetMGM along with a familiar foe — former Georgia and current Miami quarterback Carson Beck.
Beck, who was the +500 favorite last week, saw his odds trimmed even further despite not even playing.
That’s because Moore, who owned the second shortest odds at +700, couldn’t overcome poor pass protection in the Ducks’ 10-point home loss to the Hoosiers. That more than wiped out the good vibes from a three-touchdown performance against Penn State, which just fired its coaches after two embarrassing losses since.
Moore is now in longshot status at +1700, which also places him behind Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza (+550), Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (+1400) and his Buckeyes teammate quarterback Julian Sayin (+1500).
Just behind Moore are three quarterbacks from undefeated teams: Texas A&M’s Marcel Reed (+2000), Ole Miss’ Trinidad Chambliss (+2000) and Southern Cal’s Jayden Maiava (+2200).
Beck holds a slight +360 edge over Simpson (+370) at DraftKings, where Mendoza is +550 followed by Sayin at +1500 and Smith at +1600
HEISMAN TROPHY ODDS*
PLAYER, POS, TEAM, OPEN, WEEK 7, CURRENT
Carson Beck, QB, Miami (+2000), (+500), (+350)
Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama (+5500), (+800), (+350)
Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana (+5500), (+1300), (+550)
Jeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio State (+1300), (+800), (+1400)
Julian Sayin, QB, Ohio State (+2000), (+1500), (+1500)
Dante Moore, QB, Oregon (+2000), (+700), (+1700)
Marcel Reed, QB, Texas A&M (+4000), (+2000), (+2000)
Trinidad Chambliss, QB, Ole Miss (OFF), (+1500), (+2000)
Jayden Maiava, QB, Southern Cal (+6000), (+3000), (+2200)
Gunner Stockton, QB, Georgia (+3500), (+3000), (+2500)
CJ Carr, QB, Notre Dame (+5000), (+2000), (+3000)
Joey Aguilar, QB, Tennessee (+5000 Week 2), (+2000), (+3000)
Arch Manning, QB, Texas (+900), (+8000), (+8000)
Simpson’s rise into the Heisman conversation has been steady since the Crimson Tide’s season-opening loss at Florida State. After being +5500 to start the season he was still on the outside looking in at +1000 just two weeks ago. But with others continuing to stumble, Simpson has taken full advantage.
Mendoza also enjoyed a strong jump back into the thick of the conversation in leading Indiana’s win at Oregon that vaulted the Hoosiers to No. 3 in the nation.
The constant churn at the top is setting up to be a big win for sportsbooks.
Moore had just taken over as the biggest liability at BetMGM, having accounted for 16.9 percent of all money wagered on the Heisman market. That had surpassed preseason favorite Manning, who has drawn 9.5 percent of the money but fell out of the race with poor outings in losses to Ohio State and Florida.
The book’s third-biggest liability is Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, who received some love from the public as a longshot to begin the season but has not emerged as a Heisman factor. Mateer stood to be a big liability after bursting out of the gates, but may have too far to go to recover from his three-pick outing in a return from hand surgery Saturday.
The biggest remaining liability for BetMGM is Smith, who has the shortest odds among non-quarterbacks. The sophomore has hauled in 40 passes for 505 yards and 7 touchdowns during the Buckeyes’ 6-0 start.
Also likely out of the conversation are LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier and South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers, who spent short stints atop the Heisman odds earlier this season.
Nussmeier, who outdueled Sellers in a 20-10 win by the Tigers, has drawn 6.3 percent of the total bets but currently sits as a +4000 longshot. Sellers has plummeted to +10000 but remains fifth at the book while being backed by 5.7 percent of all bets.
–Field Level Media
