Buckeyes' Jeremiah Smith new Heisman favorite after 4-TD game (College Football)

Adam Cairns

Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) catches a touchdown over Illinois Fighting Illini defensive back Tywan Cox (32) during the NCAA football game at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Sept. 26, 2026.

Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith is the new Heisman Trophy favorite after catching a career-high four touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 42-19 rout of Illinois on Saturday.

Smith saw his odds at BetMGM shorten from +1000 last week to +250 on Monday, with trading manager Seamus Magee touting his "monster" game. He leads with 9.2% of the total bets and 18.2% of the money backing him to win the Heisman. Smith is also now the +260 favorite at DraftKings.

His ascension to the top of the Heisman market is leaving sportsbooks exposed to a big loss. Smith is the biggest liability at BetMGM ahead of Miami quarterback Darian Mensah, who has the second-shortest odds at +450 while attracting 7.4% of the total bets and 15.5% of the money.

The third-shortest odds belong to Mississippi State quarterback Kamario Taylor. A +15000 longshot when the Heisman market opened, the sophomore has thrown for 14 touchdowns against only two interceptions while leading the 16th-ranked Bulldogs to a 4-0 start.

Texas quarterback Arch Manning, one of the preseason favorites, continues to see his odds lengthen. After opening at +800, Manning saw his odds lengthen from +1000 last week to +2500 after another uneven performance in the Longhorns' three-point win at Tennessee.

Ole Miss' Trinidad Chambliss can serve as a cautionary tale to Smith about how fleeting Heisman status can be. After vaulting to the +325 favorite after last week's win against LSU, Chambliss saw his odds lengthen to +1100 after the Rebels' decisive loss at Florida. Meanwhile, Gators running back Jadan Baugh vaulted from +6600 to +1000 following the victory.

Oregon quarterback Dante Moore, one of the preseason favorites at +1000, is now off the board after leaving Saturday's game with a concussion.

Player, Opening Odds | Last Week | Current Odds Jeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio State, +1400 | +1000 | +250 Darian Mensah, QB, Miami, +1300 | +325 | +450 Kamario Taylor, QB, Miss. St., +15000 | +1000 | +600 Jadan Baugh, RB, Florida, +15000 | +6600 | +1000 Trinidad Chambliss, QB, Ole Miss, +900 | +325 | +1100 CJ Carr, QB, Notre Dame, +750 | +1500 | +1200 Malachi Toney, WR, Miami, +4000 | +1000 | +1500 Arch Manning, QB, Texas, +800 | +1000 | +2500 Josh Hoover, QB, Indiana, +1200 | +3500 | +2500 Keelon Russell, QB, Alabama, +8000 | +4000 | +2500 Julian Sayin, QB, Ohio State, +1100 | +3000 | +3000 Jayden Maiava, QB, Southern Cal, +1100 | +4000 | +3500 Lincoln Kienholz, QB, Louisville, +8000 | +4000 | +3500 Gunner Stockton, QB, Georgia, +1500 | +4000 | +4000

--Field Level Media

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