NCAA football betting: Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence no longer favorite to win Heisman Trophy
Trevor Lawrence is set to miss a second game after testing positive for COVID-19, and sportsbooks have reacted accordingly.
Lawrence, the star Clemson quarterback who is projected to go No. 1 in the 2021 NFL draft, is no longer the betting favorite to win the Heisman Trophy. At BetMGM, Lawrence now has the third-best odds, falling behind two other quarterbacks: Alabama’s Mac Jones and Ohio State’s Justin Fields.
Jones is currently the favorite at +150 with Fields next in line at +175. Lawrence is now +300 after previously being the favorite among oddsmakers.
Lawrence, over Clemson’s first six games, threw for 1,833 yards and 17 touchdowns with just two interceptions while completing 70.7% of his passes for the top-ranked Tigers.
Lawrence, though, tested positive for COVID-19 last week and missed the team’s win over Boston College. It was a close game. The Tigers had to rally from a 28-13 halftime deficit, but eventually emerged with a 34-28 victory.
Freshman D.J. Uiagalelei started in Lawrence’s place and threw for 342 yards and two touchdowns and added a 30-yard rushing score. With Lawrence still sidelined due to the ACC’s return-to-play guidelines, Uiagalelei will get the start once again on Saturday in Clemson’s highly-anticipated matchup against No. 4 Notre Dame in South Bend.
Jones, Fields having excellent seasons
Jones and Fields, meanwhile, are off to tremendous starts in 2020 as well.
Jones, in his first season as Alabama’s full-time starter, has been tearing up SEC defenses for the No. 2 Crimson Tide. The redshirt sophomore is third in the nation with 2,196 passing yards to go with 16 touchdowns and just two interceptions. His completion percentage, 78.5%, is tops among quarterbacks who have played in more than two games.
Fields, thanks to the Big Ten’s late start, is among those in the two games or less category. But those two games have featured sparkling performances. Fields, who finished third in the 2019 Heisman voting, was 20-of-21 for 276 yards and two touchdowns in a blowout victory against Nebraska and followed that up by going 28-of-34 for 318 yards and four scores in the win over Penn State.
Who are the other Heisman candidates to know?
There is a significant gap between Jones, Fields and Lawrence and the rest of the field.
Next in line are Florida QB Kyle Trask (+2000), Alabama RB Najee Harris (+2500), Alabama WR DeVonta Smith (+2500), BYU QB Zach Wilson (+2500) and Clemson RB Travis Etienne (+4000).
With BYU 7-0 and up to No. 9 in the latest Associated Press Top 25, Wilson has been a hot name, especially in NFL draft circles. The junior has been excellent so far in 2020. He has thrown for 2,152 yards and 19 touchdowns while completing 74.6% of his throws.
Etienne, now the ACC’s all-time leading rusher, has two top 10 Heisman finishes in his illustrious college career. The senior finished seventh in the Heisman voting in 2018 and was ninth in 2019.
Other candidates include Miami QB D’Eriq King at +8000 while Oklahoma QB Spencer Rattler, Texas QB Sam Ehlinger, Oklahoma State RB Chuba Hubbard and Texas A&M QB Kellen Mond are all listed at +10000 at BetMGM.
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