Heisman watch: Travis Hunter, Ashton Jeanty lead contenders

Week 13 of the 2024 college football season has concluded with movement in the Heisman Trophy race.

Several quarterbacks are still among the group of top contenders for college football’s most prestigious award, but Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter and Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty are the current favorites — and are the only skill position players in the conversation in the BetMGM odds.

Cam Ward (Miami), Dillon Gabriel (Oregon) and Jalen Milroe (Alabama) lead the group of quarterbacks after some movement among the position group over the weekend.

Heisman favorites: Travis Hunter, Ashton Jeanty lead the way

The two skill position players remain at the top of what is usually a quarterback-favored award.

Hunter is the clear favorite as of Saturday night but Colorado did fall short in a 37-21 loss at Kansas. He had eight receptions for 125 yards and two touchdowns for the Buffaloes. He also had seven total tackles and a pass breakup on defense. Hunter became the second player with 10 receiving touchdowns and multiple defensive interceptions in the same season since 1980, according to ESPN.

Jeanty reached the 2,000-rushing-yard milestone for the season on the road against Wyoming before leaving the game. There was some concern about the star running back’s status after he suffered an apparent left leg injury in the third quarter, but Jeanty did return to the game; the injury will be something to monitor.

Who else is near the top of the Heisman rankings?

Miami quarterback Cam Ward is third among the contenders but is first among the quarterbacks. Ward has spent some time as the favorite throughout the season.

Ward completed 27 of 38 passes for 280 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in a 42-14 victory over Wake Forest.

Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel and Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe trail behind Ward by a large margin. Gabriel and the Ducks were on a bye week in Week 13; they are preparing for a rivalry game against Washington next Saturday.

Milroe is likely to see his stock plummet after throwing three interceptions in a 24-3 loss to Oklahoma. He finished the night completing 11 of 26 passes for 164 yards.

Contender’s stock drops

Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke saw his Heisman campaign come to an end Saturday with the Hooisers’ 38-15 road loss to Ohio State. It was Indiana’s first loss after winning its first 10 games. Rourke completed just eight of his 18 pass attempts for 68 yards.

He went from +3000 on Friday night to +50000 on Saturday night.