Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. makes significant jump in Heisman odds after Week 8 performance
Marvin Harrison Jr. saw his odds to win the Heisman Trophy grow as large as +8000. Now, he's back in the race to win the Heisman after a dominant performance against Penn State.
All eyes this weekend were on No. 3 Ohio State taking down No. 10 Penn State in a low-scoring, defensive battle, 20-12, but the game’s best player, Marvin Harrison Jr., once again dominated the Nittany Lions’ secondary.
After catching 10 passes for 185 yards in Happy Valley last season, Harrison reeled in 11 catches, 162 yards and the game-sealing touchdown late in the fourth quarter Saturday afternoon.
An expected early first-round pick, Harrison, who entered the season with the best non-quarterback odds to win the Heisman Trophy award at +2000, saw his odds grow to 80/1 in recent weeks with the Buckeyes offense hitting a lull. His resurgence against Penn State caught the eyes of oddsmakers at BetMGM.
The Philly native wasn’t the only player that saw their odds shrink or grow longer from this weekend’s Week 8 action. Here’s an updated look at the 2023 Heisman Trophy odds more than halfway into the college football season.
» READ MORE: Marvin Harrison Jr. remains popular ticket to win 2023 Heisman as CFB season opens Saturday
2023 Heisman Trophy winner odds (via BetMGM)
As of Monday morning, Harrison is tied for the sixth-best odds to win the award, listed at +2000. The next closest non-QB on the list is Michigan running back Blake Corum, with 125/1 odds to win the Heisman.
Two of the biggest shifts, outside of Harrison, came from the presumptive top two quarterbacks in the 2024 NFL Draft: USC’s Caleb Williams, who is a free fall on the Heisman odds board, jumping from +3000 to +10000 after the Trojans’ second straight loss and North Carolina’s Drake Maye, who saw his odds dip from +1400 to +5000 after Saturday’s loss to Virginia.
After Michigan rolled another Big Ten opponent on Saturday — led by quarterback J.J. McCarthy’s four touchdown performance and completing 70% of his passes — for the fifth straight game, he moved up as the Heisman favorite with Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr., throwing two interceptions in a win late Saturday night. Charles Woodson was the last Wolverines player to win the award in 1997.
Meanwhile, LSU’s Jayden Daniels and Florida State’s Jordan Travis continue putting up gaudy numbers for their offenses, both seeing small movement in their odds to win the Heisman. Daniels jumped from +1300 to +3750, while Travis’ odds lowered from +1300 to +800.