- Jeremiah Smith remains the Heisman favorite: The Ohio State wide receiver leads at +122 odds, with a 93.4 PFF grade and an FBS-leading 4.78 yards per route run.
- Darian Mensah leads all FBS quarterbacks: The Miami quarterback has +270 Heisman odds, a 92.5 PFF grade and 22 touchdown passes against just one interception.
- Malachi Toney continues his surge: The Miami receiver sits at +360 odds after producing 348 receiving yards and five touchdowns over the past two weeks, while leading the FBS in receiving grade.
The Heisman Trophy race has become a three-man competition heading into Week 9, with Ohio State‘s Jeremiah Smith and Miami‘s dynamic duo of Darian Mensah and Malachi Toney holding a commanding lead over the rest of the field. Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr has the next-best odds at +2000.
Here are the Heisman Trophy favorites based on betting odds heading into Week 9.
WR Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State (+122)
Jeremiah Smith‘s lead in the Heisman Trophy race continues to shrink following a subpar performance by his standards against Indiana, a bye week, and the dominant play of Miami‘s two offensive stars. Despite the gap closing, Smith remains arguably the most dangerous receiver in college football.
Smith ranks second among FBS wide receivers (behind Malachi Toney) in PFF grade (93.4) and is tied for second nationally with 12 touchdown receptions. His 4.78 yards per route run leads the FBS, while his production on deep targets of 20 or more yards has been nearly flawless. Smith has earned a 99.9 PFF receiving grade on those throws, totaling 421 yards and six touchdowns.
Smith remains the Heisman Trophy favorite, but with quarterback Julian Sayin sidelined, the door could be opening for Miami‘s dynamic duo to overtake him as the season progresses.
QB Darian Mensah, Miami (+270)
No quarterback has been as surgical through the air as Miami‘s Darian Mensah. He has thrown 22 touchdown passes with just one interception this season, and has thrown at least three touchdown passes in all but one game. His 92.5 PFF grade leads all FBS quarterbacks.
The Tulane-to-Duke-to-Miami transfer is completing more than 80% of his passes and has an impressive 17.2% completion percentage over expectation, which leads all FBS quarterbacks. Mensah has been lethal on intermediate throws of 10-19 yards, recording more touchdowns (10) than incompletions (eight) on those attempts.
Darian Mensah: PFF grades by game
| Week | Opp. | Att. | Comp. | Yards | Overall grade | Passing grade | BTT | TWP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | STANFO | 30 | 27 | 401 | 92.6 | 93.0 | 3 | 0 |
| 2 | FLORAM | 15 | 14 | 252 | 92.4 | 91.4 | 1 | 0 |
| 3 | WAKEFO | 34 | 30 | 224 | 76.9 | 78.0 | 1 | 0 |
| 4 | CENMIC | 27 | 23 | 338 | 91.8 | 91.5 | 4 | 0 |
| 5 | CLEMSO | 27 | 18 | 227 | 60.8 | 61.8 | 1 | 3 |
| 7 | FSUSEM | 34 | 23 | 326 | 63.2 | 66.6 | 2 | 3 |
| 8 | PITTPA | 37 | 31 | 387 | 92.5 | 92.4 | 3 | 0 |
WR Malachi Toney, Miami (+360)
Malachi Toney has established himself as one of the most electrifying players in college football and a legitimate contender for the Heisman Trophy. The Miami wide receiver has yet to earn a PFF game grade below 76.6 this season and has found the end zone in all but one game. His Heisman campaign has gained significant momentum over the past two weeks, a stretch in which he has totaled 348 receiving yards and five touchdowns.
The sophomore wideout is the highest-graded wide receiver in the FBS and leads the nation with a 95.2 PFF receiving grade against man coverage. He also ranks first in receiving yards against man coverage (382) and yards per route run (7.67) while tying for the FBS lead with five touchdowns.
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