A school in the Mountain Time Zone has not produced a Heisman Trophy winner in 30 years.
For the time being in Week 7, the top two candidates are from that region. Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty and Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter are the top two betting favorites for the Heisman Trophy heading into the midpoint of the college football season.
Colorado's Rashaan Salaam (1994) is the last Heisman Trophy winner from the Mountain Time Zone.
Which star will take the late-night spotlight in Week 7? Hunter – who has played 662 snaps this season – leads the Buffaloes against No. 18 Kansas State at 10:15 ET. The Broncos travel to Hawaii for a Mountain West Conference matchup at 11 ET, where Jeanty will continue a video-game-like-season where he averages 10.9 yards per carry.
MORE: Picks against the spread for Week 7's Top 25 matchups
A pair of quarterbacks – Miami's Cam Ward and Alabama's Jalen Milroe – also are among the top four candidates. Those four candidates have stood out. Will there be a shake-up in Week 7?
Current Heisman Trophy Odds
Jeanty, Hunter, Ward and Milroe are the only four players with Heisman Trophy odds better than +1000, according to Caesars. A look at their odds heading into Week 7.
| PLAYER | SCHOOL | POS. | ODDS |
| Ashton Jeanty | Boise State | RB | +270 |
| Travis Hunter | Colorado | WR/CB | +310 |
| Cam Ward | Miami, Fla. | QB | +380 |
| Jalen Milroe | Alabama | QB | +950 |
Milroe was the leader last week at +165 before the Crimson Tide lost 40-35 to Vanderbilt. Hunter was +425 last week, and Ward was +550. Jeanty was at +900 last week.
Heisman Trophy candidates
Here is a closer look at the top four candidates in the Heisman Trophy race for 2024:
Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State (+270)
2024 stats: 95 attempts, 1,031 yards, 10.9 ypc., 16 TDs
These are truly video-game stats, and it is difficult to pin-point the best one.
Jeanty averages 10.9 yards per carry. That would shatter the record for a running back at least 200 carries. Bryce Love averaged 8.1 yards per carry in 2017. Love finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting behind Baker Mayfield that season. Rashaad Penny averaged 7.8 yards on 289 carries in 2019.
According to Opta Analyst, Jeanty is averaging 8.9 yards per carry on 30 attempts against eight-man fronts. That is a cheat code for the video game.
It comes down to whether Jeanty can take a run at Barry Sanders' single-season rushing record. Sanders rushed for 2,628 yards in 11 games – an average of 238.9 yards per game. He added 222 yards in the bowl game for a true total of 2,850 yards.
Jeanty averages 206.2 yards per game. He is on pace for a 12-game total of 2,474 yards, a 13-game total of 2,681 yards and a 14-game total of 2,886 yards. The last running back to take a serious run at Sanders was Melvin Gordon, who rushed for 2,587 yards and 29 TDs in 2014. Gordon averaged 174.2 yards through five games. He also finished second in the Heisman voting that year.
It is tough for running backs to win the Heisman. Jeanty might be the favorite now – but he has to maintain that absurd pace – we are talking 2,500 yards – and likely push Boise State at least close to the College Football Playoff conversation to stay there.
Travis Hunter, WR/DB, Colorado (+310)
2024 stats: 46 catches, 561 yards, 6 TDs, 16 tackles, 2 INTs, 1 forced fumble
Hunter had a bye week, but he stayed in the No. 2 spot ahead of the showdown with the Wildcats.
The snap count remains the selling point. According to Pro Football Focus, he has played 317 snaps on offense, 333 snaps on defense, and 12 snaps on special teams. He's on pace to play 1,589 snaps this season – which is 32.4% more than the 1,074 snaps he played in 2023.
That alone will keep Hunter in the race if he stays healthy. What would push him over the top?
He has to continue to play at a high level on both sides. He has a 85.2% catch percentage. He ranks fifth in the nation in receptions and eighth in receiving yards. He has five contested catches, and he is performing at the level of a first-round receiver.
One who can play defense, of course. He has two interceptions in Colorado's last three games. According to PFF, he has the fifth-highest grade among cornerbacks. Hunter appears to be a virtual lock to get to New York at this point, but the path to winning the Heisman Trophy isn't that easy.
The Buffaloes have to stay in the national spotlight, and that opportunity is here against a Big 12 favorite in Kansas State. On a loaded college football Saturday, Hunter could have the final say in that late-night window.
Cam Ward, Miami (+380)
2024 stats: 2,219 passing yards, 69.2%, 20 TDs, 5 INTs
Ward led an incredible second-half comeback against Cal in Week 6. The Hurricanes trailed by 25 points with 8:06 left in the third quarter. Ward, however, responded with 277 yards of total offense in the fourth quarter and threw the game-winning TD pass to Elijah Arroyo with 26 seconds remaining.
Ward finished with 437 yards, two TDs and an interception. He leads the FBS with 369.8 passing yards per game entering Miam's bye week. Ward also leads the FBS with 20 TD passes and ranks sixth with a 182.4 passer rating.
Ward has ranked among the best deep-ball passers in college football so far. According to PFF, Ward is 21 of 37 (56.8%) for 700 yards, eight TDs and zero interceptions on passes of 20 yards or more. He also is averaging 5.8 yards per carry with three rushing TDs.
Ward did throw a bad pick six at Cal on an ill-advised throw. Are those interceptions a problem? The last three Heisman winners – Jayden Daniels (4 INTs in 2023), Caleb Williams (5 INTs in 2022) and Bryce Young (7 INTs in 2021) – did not make that many mistakes. Still, if Ward gets the Hurricanes into the College Football Playoff, voters will skip over the interception total.
A road trip to Louisville on Oct. 19 might be the best game left on the schedule.
MORE: Updated College Football Playoff projection after wild Week 6
Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama (+270)
2024 stats: 1,274 passing yards, 73.4%, 11 TDs, 2 INTs, 283 rushing yards, 9 rushing TDs
Milroe slid from first to fourth in the odds after Alabama lost to Vanderbilt. That loss was not all on Milroe – who hit 18 of 24 passes for 320 yards, a TD and an interception. Milroe did lose a fumble on a sack in the fourth quarter, and he had just 10 rushing yards against the Commodores.
Milroe still has a few factors that could easily get him back in the race. He has the benefit of the SEC spotlight – where the Crimson Tide have a matchup against Tennessee on Oct. 19 at Neyland Stadium. He leads the FBS with a 201.2 passer rating among full-time starters – a stat he can enhance in Week 7 against South Carolina. Milroe also ranks eighth in the FBS with a 73.4% completion percentage, an increase from 63.5% last season.
He has improved, and that performance against Georgia in Week 5 can always be reheated if Alabama wins the SEC championship. At that point, Milroe will have games against No. 8 Tennessee, No. 21 Missouri, No. 13 LSU, No. 18 Oklahoma and a potential SEC championship. The other three candidates will not have that many stages against ranked opponents.
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When is the Heisman Trophy Ceremony?
The Heisman Trophy will be awarded on Dec. 14, 2024; one week after the conference championship games. The ceremony will be televised on ESPN.
