Heisman Trophy betting odds: Favorites, contenders, future picks for Week 9 including Mensah, Toney

October 26, 2026 · by SPW Pipeline

The Heisman race is starting to dwindle as most sportsbooks list six players at 25-to-1 or lower; then there’s a major drop-off in odds to 60-to-1. The favorite to win the Heisman everywhere is Jeremiah Smith, but that may not last long. Julian Sayin is out for the regular season and possibly the postseason, so Smith’s chances of winning take a major hit with a backup quarterback. Darian Mensah and Malachi Toney put pressure on Smith after demolishing Pitt, while a few other Heisman long shots creep for their chance to strike. Let’s take a look at the top 10 Heisman odds entering Week 9!

1. Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State Buckeyes (+110)
2026 Stats: 52 rec | 984 rec yards | 18.9 ypc |12 TDs
Last Game: Bye Week
Next Game: At USC — Saturday at 7:30 PM ET

Jeremiah Smith had a bye week to work with the new starting quarterback, but the question is, who will it be? Luke Fahey or Tavien St. Clair? Ryan Day has kept it close to the vest so far, but either way, the bye week came at the right time. Ohio State has a ranked road game at USC, and Smith is on an all-time heater. Smith has led Ohio State in receiving yards in all seven games and has 31 catches for 584 yards and nine touchdowns over the last four games. Despite that, he’s in jeopardy of losing the Heisman unless he carries this offense into the Big Ten Championship unscathed.

Darian Mensah and Miami gave all the critics who said they shouldn’t be the No. 1 team in the country one heck of a response. Mensah tossed four touchdowns and 387 yards on 31-of-37 (83.8%) against Pitt on Saturday. Malachi Toney caught 194 of Mensah’s 387 yards and three of his four touchdowns. Miami rolled to 52 points and 506 yards of offense in the win and goes to Chapel Hill for a date with the Tar Heels. Following this Saturday’s meeting with UNC, Miami goes to Notre Dame on Nov. 7, so North Carolina is a letdown spot for the Hurricanes. Mensah had 175 passing yards and one touchdown in the 32-25 win at North Carolina last year with Duke.

Malachi Toney caught a career-high and program record with 16 receptions against Pitt and pulled in 194 yards and three touchdowns. He was unguardable, and in the first half alone, Toney caught 12 passes for 157 yards and two touchdowns. Toney scored in six out of seven games this season and five games of 100-plus yards. North Carolina ranks 11th in coverage grades this season, so this matchup on paper looks like a challenge, but something tells me Toney won’t see it that way.

4. CJ Carr, Notre Dame Fighting Irish (+2000)
2026 Stats: 1,639 pass yards | 19 total TDs | 55.1 comp% | 1 INT
Last Game: Bye Week
Next Game: Vs Navy — Saturday at 12:00 PM ET

CJ Carr is coming off his first career game without a passing touchdown or any touchdown, for that matter, and it came in one of the biggest games of his young career. Notre Dame had a chance to stun BYU on the road, but fell short from eight yards out with four seconds left losing 28-24. It was a thriller, and Carr had season highs in passing yards (261), pass attempts (49), and completions (27). Carr won’t have to throw as much against Navy, but I’d expect multiple passing touchdowns. He threw for three touchdowns and 218 yards on 13-of-16 against Navy last season. With everything that happened this week including BYU and Ole Miss losing, plus Julian Sayin‘s injury, the door has opened again for Carr.

5. Jesse Legree, Oregon State Beavers (+2000)
2026 Stats: 46 rec | 1,040 rec yards | 22.6 ypc | 14 TDs
Last Game: Bye Week
Next Game: At Fresno State — Saturday at 11:00 PM ET

Jesse Legree had a bye week to announce his return to Oregon State. We didn’t think we’d see press conferences in 2026 announcing you’re staying at the school midseason, but the message was clear: the Beavers are on the come-up. Legree has scored a touchdown in all seven games and recorded 100 yards too. The true freshman has scored two or more times in four straight games and in that span, he has 29 catches for 564 yards and 10 touchdowns — only numbers rivaled by Jeremiah Smith.

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Trinidad Chambliss had a career-high three interceptions thrown in the 34-27 loss at Texas over the weekend. It was a stunning performance as he threw three interceptions, all of last season! Chambliss threw a season-high 52 passes as Ole Miss was in a trailing game state. Chambliss and Ole Miss will have to run the table if he wants back in the conversation.

Bear Bachmeier and BYU were on top of the world a week ago, but that’s how quickly things can change in college football. BYU lost in 2 OT at UCF in the best game of the weekend. Bachmeier had three total touchdowns and 294 total yards, but posted his second game with a completion percentage of 50% or lower this year (16/32). BYU will have to win at Utah to make the Big 12 Championship and for Bachmeier to be taken seriously in the Heisman race.

Sam Leavitt has not tossed back to back gems for LSU. He threw for four touchdowns and 289 yards on 31-of-38 (81.6%) against Mississippi State, then followed that up with 387 yards, and four total touchdowns at Auburn. LSU has scored 31 and 38 points, plus put up 379 and 552 yards of offense since losing to Kentucky. Lane Kiffin and company are on thin ice and know it.

Drew Mestemaker has been on a mission to lead the country in passing yards. He’s currently sitting second in yards (2,326) and fourth in passing touchdowns (20). Oklahoma State suffered a tough 35-32 loss at Houston, but follo

Source: sports.yahoo.com — article syndicated from the publisher’s feed; all rights remain with the original publisher.

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