Travis Hunter Heisman Odds: Just Give Him The Award
Heisman ballots go out Monday, December 2. Voters get one week to make a choice, and get their submission in by the December 9th deadline. Five days later, the winner is announced on ESPN, during prime time. Travis Hunter, the WR/CB from Colorado, is the current favorite to win the award on FanDuel. The betting odds on him are currently -115, with Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel in second, at +360, and Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty also at +360.
Barring Cam Ward or Kurtis Rourke doing something mind blowing over the next three weeks, the finalists will be Gabriel, Jeanty, and Hunter. Voting for anyone other than Hunter would be just as asinine as the six baseball Hall of Fame voters who didn't pick Nolan Ryan to get into the Hall in 1999. Some things MUST be unanimous, and Travis Hunter should be a unanimous Heisman winner.
Dillon Gabriel Heisman Case
The Oregon Ducks are undefeated, and the number one team in the nation. A large reason for that, is their quarterback, who transferred in from Oklahoma, by way of UCF. The sixth year senior has a 74.1% completion percentage, is averaging 284.8 yards per game, and has 22 touchdowns to just five interceptions. He's also carried the ball 43 times for 148 yards and six touchdowns.
In most seasons, Gabriel's performance would see him as the favorite for the award, but not 2024. Not only is he not the best player in the country, he may not be the best quarterback in the country. Cam Ward is averaging almost 350 yards per game for the Miami Hurricanes. He's completed 66.8% of his passes, and leads the nation with 32 touchdowns (only 6 interceptions). The knock on Ward, is that his team has a loss, and Oregon doesn't.
Ashton Jeanty Heisman Case
A case was made earlier in the year that Jeanty might be the best running back in college football history. He was averaging over 10 yards per carry at the time, and while his production has come back down to earth, his numbers are still staggering. He has carried the ball 224 times this year for 1,734 yards. He has 23 rushing touchdowns, and is averaging 7.7 yards per carry.
With three games left on the calendar for Boise State, it's all but guaranteed that Jeanty will hit the 2,000 yard mark. Unlike Gabriel, Jeanty is the best player at his position. His team, like Miami, also has one loss, but that's not why he won't win the Heisman. It will be because he has no sacks or interceptions on defense.
Travis Hunter Heisman Case
Hunter is one of the nations best receivers. He currently has 69 receptions (7th in the nation), 856 yards (12th), and 9 touchdowns (6th). His PFF rating of 84.7 is eighth among qualified receivers in college football. Those numbers may pale in comparison to Devonta Smith's 2020 Heisman year, when he caught 117 balls for 1856 yards and 23 touchdowns, but Smith wasn't playing corner back as well.
On defense, Hunter has established himself as one of the nations best corners. He has 21 total tackles on the year for the Colorado Buffaloes. He has 7 passes defended and 2 interceptions. His 86.6 PFF rating is fifth best among qualified defensive backs. Charles Woodson had seven interceptions in 1997, when he became the first defensive player to win the Heisman. He played a little offense, but only caught 11 balls.
The reality is, Hunter is playing almost every snap of the game. He isn't a part-time player on either side of the ball, he is a full time player on both. What he's doing, is akin to Shohei Ohtani going 14-4 as a pitcher, with 225 strikeouts, while also hitting .310 with 35 home runs on offense. Imagine not voting for him as the league MVP, because he was not the #1 pitcher, or the #1 hitter. He'd win the award unanimously, the same way Hunter should win the Heisman.