Georgia running back Todd Gurley made a big move up the Heisman oddsboard this week, thanks to a spectacular performance against Tennessee, and Nebraska RB Ameer Abdullah and Notre Dame QB Everett Golson have cracked our list of favorites.
Here are our new Heisman odds, updated after Week 5 college football action.
1. Marcus Mariota (Oregon QB, 3/1). The favorite has completed 74.0 percent of his passes for 1,135 yards and 13 touchdowns without an interception. Mariota has rushed for 214 yards and three TDs while averaging 6.5 yards per carry. He leads the Ducks against unbeaten Arizona on the national stage Thursday in Eugene.
2. Kenny Hill (Texas A&M QB, +450). Hill leads the SEC and is third in the nation in passing yards (1,745). The sophomore out of Dallas Southlake High School returned to his home area Saturday to guide the Aggies to a 35-28 comeback win over Arkansas. Trailing 28-14 in the fourth quarter, Hill hit a pair of TD passes for 86 and 59 yards to help Texas A&M force overtime. In the extra session, Hill connected with Malcome Kennedy on a 25-yard scoring strike. He has led the Aggies to five straight wins by posting a 17/2 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
3. Todd Gurley (Georgia RB, 5/1). Gurley rushed for a career-high 208 yards and two TDs to lead Georgia to a 35-32 home win over Tennessee. The junior RB is eighth in the nation in rushing yards (610) and leads all SEC backs in rushing yards per game. Gurley has scored seven TDs in just four games. He can pad his stats in Saturday's home game vs. Vanderbilt.
4. Bryce Petty (Baylor QB, 8/1). Petty threw for 336 yards and one TD, and the senior QB also rushed for 47 yards and two scores to lead the Bears to a 49-28 win at Iowa State. He's the architect for the nation's top-rated offense. Petty has Baylor undefeated going into Austin to face Texas this weekend. He has a 7/1 TD-INT ratio and three rushing scores.
5. Ameer Abdullah (Nebraska RB, 10/1). The nation's leading rusher (833 yards) has scored 10 TDs to help Nebraska to a 5-0 record. He enjoyed his third game with 200-plus rushing yards in Saturday's blowout win over Illinois. Abdullah can roar his way up the Heisman contention ranks by leading the Cornhuskers to an upset win Saturday at Michigan State.
6. Everett Golson (Notre Dame QB, 12/1). When Notre Dame is undefeated, it's a given the quarterback is going to be in the Heisman conversation. The reality of Golson's campaign will come down to how he plays Saturday against Stanford and later in the season at Florida State.
7. Dak Prescott (Mississippi State QB, 12/1). Prescott has the Bulldogs undefeated going into back-to-back home games vs. Texas A&M and Auburn. If he can guide his team to a pair of victories, Prescott will be right in the middle of the conversation.
Fringe contenders include BYU QB Taysom Hill (15/1), Auburn QB Nick Marshall (18/1), FSU QB Jameis Winston (18/1), Alabama WR Amari Cooper (20/1) and UCLA QB Brett Hundley (22/1) and East Carolina QB Shane Carden (30/1).
Sporting News' Heisman Watch: Gurley, Abdullah ascend
Brian Edwards is a college football handicapper who contributes a weekly column to The Linemakers on Sporting News. For more valuable information and insight, follow him on Twitter @vegasbedwards and visit his website, BrianEdwardsSports.com.
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