Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor is crashing the quarterbacks’ Heisman party.
Taylor, a junior averaging 146.7 rushing yards per game for a Badgers team that has dominated three opponents — including then-No. 11 Michigan last Saturday — has climbed to fourth in the Heisman odds on multiple sportsbooks.
He is listed as +800 (8-1 odds) at FanDuel Sportsbook, PointsBet and BetAmerica.
Alabama junior quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is the favorite, to varying degrees. He is +200 at BetAmerica, +300 on FanDuel and +400 PointsBet.
With Taylor being the exception, the quarterbacks of the six highest-ranked teams in the country are generally the Heisman frontrunners.
PointsBet lists Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurts and LSU’s Joe Burrow at +450, followed by Ohio State’s Justin Fields (+800), Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence (+1000) and Georgia’s Jake Fromm (+1600).
Lawrence was the preseason favorite, but he has posted modest stats for top-ranked Clemson, ranking 54th nationally in passing efficiency. His five interceptions are one more than he had all of last season, when he led the Tigers to the national title. The lack of a marquee matchup on the rest of Clemson’s regular-season schedule further contributes to Lawrence’s declining Heisman odds.
That’s not the case for Taylor and No. 8 Wisconsin, which still has Michigan State, Ohio State, Iowa and Nebraska left in the regular season.
Taylor led the nation in rushing last season (168.8 yards per game) as he finished ninth in Heisman voting, while the Badgers went 8-5. Historically speaking, his team’s success will be crucial to his chances of winning.
Only three running backs have won the Heisman since another Wisconsin back — Ron Dayne — did so in 1999. Each of those three were boosted by being on great teams. Mark Ingram (2009) and Derrick Henry (2015) were on Alabama squads that won the national title that season, while USC’s Reggie Bush (2005) helped lead the Trojans to the championship game.
–Field Level Media
