[h=1]Best 2016 Heisman value bets[/h]Phil Steele
ESPN Staff Writer
ESPN INSIDER
Last season was the first time you could bet on the winner of the Heisman trophy in Las Vegas. This year, it looks like another close race. Clemson QB Deshaun Watson is the betting favorite at 9-2, and LSU RBLeonard Fournette and Stanford RBChristian McCaffrey are next at 5-1.
While Watson is my pick to win the award, there's little value in betting him at 9-2. Below, I've listed my top three value bets for the 2016 Heisman Trophy.
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[h=3]Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State Seminoles (10-1)[/h]The Heisman is an award for the best player in college football, but in most cases he must play for a team that is among the nation's best. Cook plays for Florida State, which should be a title contender and which hosts Clemson on Oct. 29. A win in that head-to-head meeting would likely put him ahead of Watson in the race. When I talked to Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher this spring, he told me Cook was one of the hardest workers on the team. He averaged 7.4 yards per carry last season en route to 1,691 rushing yards and also had 244 yards receiving. Florida State has a veteran offensive line (74 career starts), which is a nice group to run behind.
[h=3]Jalen Hurd, RB, Tennessee Volunteers (50-1)[/h]Tennessee might be favored in every game this season, except against Alabama on Oct. 15. The Volunteers get the Tide at home; the Vols led in Tuscaloosa last year with three minutes left and have a much more experienced team this season. Hurd will remind you of last year's winner, Derrick Henry. Hurd is 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds, and he rushed for 1,288 yard last year behind an average offensive line. The O-line goes from two returning starters last year to four in 2016, and should open bigger holes for Hurd.
[h=3]Damien Harris, RB, Alabama Crimson Tide (200-1)[/h]If you want to pick a player who is not on the board of odds to win the Heisman, you have to ask what the odds are. I asked, and the odds on Harris are 200-1. He was the No. 2 running back coming out of the spring, behind Bo Scarbrough, who is 25-1. I think Harris will eventually win the job, and that makes him a real dark horse. Alabama is my top-rated team in college football, and the featured Tide running back is always a threat to win the Heisman.
ESPN Staff Writer
ESPN INSIDER
Last season was the first time you could bet on the winner of the Heisman trophy in Las Vegas. This year, it looks like another close race. Clemson QB Deshaun Watson is the betting favorite at 9-2, and LSU RBLeonard Fournette and Stanford RBChristian McCaffrey are next at 5-1.
While Watson is my pick to win the award, there's little value in betting him at 9-2. Below, I've listed my top three value bets for the 2016 Heisman Trophy.
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[h=3]Damien Harris, RB, Alabama Crimson Tide (200-1)[/h]If you want to pick a player who is not on the board of odds to win the Heisman, you have to ask what the odds are. I asked, and the odds on Harris are 200-1. He was the No. 2 running back coming out of the spring, behind Bo Scarbrough, who is 25-1. I think Harris will eventually win the job, and that makes him a real dark horse. Alabama is my top-rated team in college football, and the featured Tide running back is always a threat to win the Heisman.
