The 2016 Heisman race could be one of the best in recent memory. The two runners up from 2015 — Clemson's Deshaun Watson and Stanford's Christian McCaffrey — will be back this season, plus guys like Leonard Fournette, Dalvin Cook, and J.T. Barrett are still out there. But who is the favorite right now?
According to the Las Vegas Super Book, it's Watson at 5/1.
Watson had an all-time quarterback season in 2015, throwing for over 4,000 yards, and rushing for another 1,100. Watson accounted for 47 total touchdowns on the year, leading his Clemson Tigers to the College Football Playoff final against Alabama.
The only negative for Watson will be if Clemson can repeat that performance in 2016. The Tigers lost a lot of great players from their 2015 defense, so they will have to make some adjustments to maintain the Top 10 ranking that is often considered needed to win the Heisman Trophy.
Interesting odds are set for Baylor quarterback Seth Russell and Georgia running back Nick Chubb. Both players suffered season ending injuries in 2015, and it is still yet to be seen how they will respond in 2016. Russell being tied with Florida State's Dalvin Cook at 12/1 is certainly a ringing endorsement of Russell's recovery and of the expectations at Baylor.
The full odds are also listed below.
Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson: +500 (5/1)
Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU: +600
Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford: +600
Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma: +1000
Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State: +1200
Seth Russell, QB, Baylor, +1200
J.T. Barrett, QB, Ohio State: +1500
Nick Chubb, RB, Georiga: +1500
Chad Kelly, QB, Ole Miss: +2000
Deshone Kizer, QB, Notre Dame: +2000
Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA: +2000
