J.J. McCarthy Heisman Trophy odds: Breaking down Michigan QB's status as betting favorite

J.J. McCarthy exorcised some demons in East Lansing on Saturday, and oddsmakers took notice.

After the Michigan quarterback completed 21 of his 27 attempts for 287 yards (the third-highest total of his career) and his first career four-touchdown game in a 49-0 win over Michigan State, McCarthy moved up to the top of the BetMGM odds list to win the Heisman Trophy in 2023.

McCarthy (+240) jumped Washington's Michael Penix Jr. (+300) after the Huskies suffered a bit of a hangover game against Arizona State. Penix threw two interceptions and fumbled once against Arizona State in Washington's 15-7 win, whereas McCarthy was on the bench with the game in hand with over five minutes left in the third quarter.

It's a far cry from McCarthy's last trip to East Lansing, where a fourth-quarter fumble cost Michigan dearly and catalyzed what would be a game-winning touchdown run from Kenneth Walker Jr.

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"That outcome of [2021] was definitely on my mind when I was packing the away bag to head up Friday night," McCarthy told reporters after the game as he wore a utility shirt on the podium. "I was looking at this shirt right here and I haven't worn it since we lost that game. It was actually the first time I wore it. So I just looked and said, 'I'm not gonna live in fear. Gonna wear it with pride.'"

To win in such dominant fashion is one thing, but McCarthy moving to the top of the Heisman odds list is undoubtedly the cherry on top of the weekend.

J.J. McCarthy Heisman odds

McCarthy is now alone atop the latest Heisman Trophy odds, clearing Penix as the current leader. Here's a breakdown of the full odds, courtesy of BetMGM:

• J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan: +240

• Michael Penix Jr., QB, Washington: +300

• Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU: +375

• Jordan Travis, QB, Florida State: +800

• Dillon Gabriel, QB, Oklahoma: +1200

• Bo Nix, QB, Oregon: +2000

J.J. McCarthy 2023 stats

McCarthy's game against Michigan State was a concentrated dose of the efficiency he has displayed all year. Sans one game against Bowling Green, he has been consistent in his dissection of defenses, even without the especially gaudy numbers of some other quarterbacks at large.

McCarthy has completed 78.1 percent of his passes this year for 1,799 yards, 18 touchdowns and just three interceptions (all against Bowling Green).

McCarthy's real Heisman tests, however, are going to come down the stretch of the season. Michigan is heading into a bye week, but Nov. 11 will pit Michigan against Penn State while Nov. 25 will be Ohio State. If McCarthy is to have a real chance of becoming the first Wolverine to win the Heisman since Charles Woodson in 1997, his moment is going to have to come in those games.

J.J. McCarthy stats vs. Michigan State

McCarthy's game against Michigan State was arguably his best of the season to date.

The quarterback was nearly perfect against the Spartans, completing 21 of his 27 passes for 287 yards and four touchdowns. Although it was against a Michigan State program that is a mere vestige of the team it was as recently as two years ago, it was still the kind of all-encompassing dominant performance needed to bump him in Heisman talks (particularly as Penix struggled against Arizona State).

Equally impressive was the way McCarthy dominated. He wasn't just standing tall in the pocket and delivering. He was squeezing throws into tight windows and making rushers miss when necessary.

The fact McCarthy did this in just two-plus quarters only bolsters the MVP claims for the quarterback.

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Michigan players to win Heisman Trophy

Michigan has a long, rich history, but when it comes to the most prestigious individual accolade in college football, the Wolverines are nowhere near the top of the list. Ohio State, Oklahoma, USC and Notre Dame are tied for the most Heisman Trophy winners with seven. Alabama is fifth, with four. And Michigan is tied with Auburn, Army, Florida, Florida State, and Nebraska with three.

The Wolverines had two Heisman Trophy winners in the 1990s: Desmond Howard in 1991 and Woodson in 1997, the last time Michigan won a national championship. Tom Harmon in 1940 is the other player to don the block M to win a Heisman.

• Tom Harmon, 1940

• Desmond Howard, 1991

• Charles Woodson, 1997

Aidan Hutchinson was a Heisman finalist in 2021 before going second overall in the NFL Draft, but Bryce Young won that year in a landslide vote.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: J.J. McCarthy Heisman Trophy odds: Why U-M QB is new betting favorite