Oregon's loss to Washington makes LSU QB Jayden Daniels the massive Heisman favorite
Daniels is -1400 at BetMGM to win the award
LSU’s Jayden Daniels is now the overwhelming favorite to win the Heisman Trophy following Oregon’s loss in the Pac-12 title game.
Daniels is -1400 at BetMGM to win the award after No. 3 Washington beat No. 5 Oregon 34-31 on Friday night. The Huskies are heading to the College Football Playoff at 13-0 while Oregon and QB Bo Nix are 11-2 and destined for a New Year’s Six bowl game instead of the playoff.
Nix and Daniels entered the weekend as the top two Heisman contenders, and it was very plausible that Nix could effectively clinch the Heisman with a great performance in an Oregon win over the Huskies.
Instead, Oregon’s defense couldn’t stop Washington in the fourth quarter, and it was Michael Penix Jr. and Washington who were celebrating a playoff berth.
Penix is now the No. 2 favorite to Daniels at +1000, while Nix is +1200.
How the three QBs stack up
Daniels was at a possible disadvantage to Nix because LSU is 9-3 and not playing on conference championship weekend. Instead, that might have turned into an advantage even though Nix didn’t have a horrible game. Though Nix did throw his third interception of the season and threw 13 incompletions, he threw for three touchdowns and also rushed for 69 yards.
Nix entered the game completing over 78% of his passes. He was 21-of-34 for 239 yards Friday night. Both he and Daniels enter the final weekend of Heisman voting with 40 TD passes, though Daniels has played in 12 games to Nix's 13.
While the two quarterbacks' passing stats are very similar, Daniels has a huge edge on the ground. Daniels has been LSU's leading rusher and leads all quarterbacks with 135 carries for 1,134 yards. He's also rushed for 10 TDs.
Nix has rushed 53 times for 228 yards and six touchdowns.
Penix averages more yards per game than either Daniels or Nix, though his completion percentage is worse and he's thrown for fewer touchdowns. He also isn't a threat on the ground at all. Though Washington's undefeated season will keep him in the Heisman mix — and likely earn him a trip to New York as a finalist — his numbers don't stack up favorably to the other two.
The Heisman finalists will be announced Monday night ahead of the ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 9.
