Mountain West RB goes from 200-1 long shot to Heisman betting favorite

Las Vegas Review-Journal

1 month ago

Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty (2) runs away from Utah State safety Malik McConico (21) ... — Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty (2) runs away from Utah State safety Malik McConico (21) on a 75-yard touchdown run in the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Boise, Idaho. . (AP Photo/Steve Conner)

Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty (2) looks over the defense before the snap against Utah State in the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Boise, Idaho. Boise State won 62-30. (AP Photo/Steve Conner)

It’s rare for anyone but a quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy, with QBs claiming the award 20 of the past 24 years.

It’s even rarer for a player from a Group of Five conference to strike the Heisman pose.

Former Navy quarterback Roger Staubach in 1963 was the last player from a team currently in a Group of Five conference to win the Heisman.

Boise State junior running back Ashton Jeanty has a chance to beat the odds this season and become the first Mountain West player to win the award.

Jeanty was a 200-1 preseason long shot at the Westgate SuperBook to win the Heisman, but is now the consensus favorite after an upset-filled weekend of college football that saw five top-15 teams fall.

Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe fell from the favorite to the fourth choice after the Crimson Tide’s upset loss to Vanderbilt.

That paved the way for Jeanty, who jumped from the 9-1 fourth pick at Caesars Sportsbook to the +270 favorite after rushing for 186 yards and three touchdowns in the Broncos’ 62-30 rout of Utah State.

Jeanty sat out the second half, but still leads the nation in rushing yards (1,031) and rushing touchdowns (16) for No. 17 Boise State (4-1). The Broncos play at Hawaii on Saturday, then have a bye week before playing at UNLV on Oct. 25.

“The Heisman market is always volatile, which makes it both fun and difficult to book,” Caesars head of football Joey Feazel said. “With the amount of upsets that happened last weekend, we saw a shake-up occur on the derived markets such as the Heisman Trophy winner market.

“As a result of the shake-up, the most consistent players arise from the ashes. Ashton Jeanty is putting up video game numbers and is on pace to break Barry Sanders’ FBS regular-season rushing record (2,628 yards), so I think it is warranted at this point of the season to have him as the favorite.”

Jeanty wasn’t on the Heisman radar until rushing for 267 yards and six touchdowns in the Broncos’ season opener against Georgia Southern. He followed with 192 rushing yards and three touchdowns in a 37-34 loss at No. 3 Oregon.

Jeanty is the 2-1 favorite at BetMGM and the +220 favorite at Boyd Gaming over Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter (+310 at Caesars).

Hunter, a junior wide receiver and cornerback, is the Heisman favorite at Circa Sports (+275) and the SuperBook over Jeanty, the +325 second choice at Circa.

Hunter, who opened at 60-1 at Circa, has 46 catches for 561 yards and six touchdowns for the unranked Buffaloes (4-1), as well as two interceptions.

Last time out, he had nine catches for 89 yards and a touchdown in Colorado’s 48-21 win at Central Florida on Sept. 28. He also intercepted a pass, after which he struck the Heisman pose.

Miami quarterback Cam Ward is the 5-1 third choice at BetMGM, and Milroe is 11-1.

Former BYU quarterback Ty Detmer was the last player from a non-Power Four conference to win the Heisman in 1990, when the Cougars were members of the Western Athletic Conference.

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on X.