Heisman Trophy 2015 Candidates: Betting Odds For TCU’s Boykin, Ohio State’s Elliott, JT Barrett And More

Trevone Boykin TCU 2015 — TCU quarterback Trevone Boyking leads the early pack of Heisman Trophy favorites. Getty Images

Add the status of prohibitive Heisman Trophy favorite to the ever expanding hype-machine surrounding the TCU Horned Frogs. According to the latest odds from Bovada.lv, senior quarterback Trevone Boykin stands as a 9/2 favorite to win college football’s most coveted individual award and to lift the Horned Frogs once again above the Big 12 this coming season.

Boykin is coming off an exceptional junior year, highlighted by his 3,901 passing yards for 33 touchdowns, a 145.9 passer rating, 61.2 completion rate, and another 707 rushing yards and eight scores.

As Boykin’s star continues to ascend, so does that of the Horned Frogs, a program that just barely missed out on one of the four College Football Playoff berths last season. Using the perceived snub as fuel, TCU is widely expected to contend with conference rivals Oklahoma and Baylor for the Big-12 crown, as well as a spot in the national title conversation.

Boykin leads the pack of Heisman favorites, but by a slim margin, with several candidates from Columbus in the mix. The defending national champion Ohio State Buckeyes have four potential Heisman candidates on the roster, with running back and CFP title game hero Ezekiel Elliott leading the way at 7/1 odds, followed by quarterback J.T. Barrett at 9/1, quarterback Cardale Jones at 16/1, and recently converted wide receiver Braxton Miller at 20/1.

However, only Elliott’s stock will remain intact before the season starts. Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer has yet to name his starting quarterback, though Miller made the decision much easier by opting to play more of a hybrid half-back role. The choice will come down to Barrett or Jones, with the winner likely moving up the Heisman standings.

Only a freshman last season, Barrett exploded for 2,834 passing yards and 34 touchdowns to 10 interceptions, completing 64.9 percent of his passes, and gaining another 938 yards and 11 scores on the ground. But Jones stepped in after Barrett went down with an ankle injury and guided Ohio State to the national title.

While the Big-12 and Big Ten own most of the early Heisman favorites, the SEC and Pac-12 have several candidates to watch.

Auburn junior quarterback Jeremy Johnson stands at 10/1, right beside Georgia running back Nick Chubb, and both have big shoes to fill this season. Johnson takes over for Nick Marshall, but has shown off his considerable abilities in spots during his first two years with the Tigers. In 13 career games, Johnson has completed 73.1 percent of his passes for 858 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions, and he’ll have last year’s leading receiver D’haquille Williams to target.

The sophomore Chubb enters the season with a far stronger track record. He took over the starting Bulldogs role after Todd Gurley went down with a major knee injury, and rocked opponents for 1,547 yards and 14 touchdowns.

USC’s Cody Kessler stands as the program’s first legitimate Heisman threat in years. The redshirt senior turned heads with his 3,826 yards and 39 touchdowns to only five interceptions last season, and looks to build on that success with a Trojans recruiting class that ranks No. 2 in the nation and budding star in JuJu Smith.

Check out the Heisman favorites below, and the full list at Bovada.lv.

Odds to Win 2015 Heisman Trophy

Trevone Boykin, QB, TCU 9/2

Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Ohio State 7/1

J.T. Barrett, QB, Ohio State 9/1

Jeremy Johnson, QB, Auburn 10/1

Nick Chubb, RB, Georgia 10/1

Cody Kessler, QB, USC 12/1

Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson 14/1

Leonard Fournette, RB, LUS 14/1

Cardale Jones, QB, Ohio State 16/1

Dak Prescott, QB, Mississippi State 16/1