Heisman Trophy Odds: Sam Darnold’s hype isn’t slowing down

USC Football quarterback Sam Darnold remains the odds-on favorite to win the Heisman Trophy in 2017 as his hype refuses to slow down.

Even though the memory of the 2017 Rose Bowl and the heroic performance which vaulted Sam Darnold into the national spotlight is now six months old, the hype surrounding the Trojan quarterback hasn’t lost any steam.

Updated Heisman Trophy odds from the Westgate Las Vegas Superbook show that well enough, with Darnold atop the pile of players seeking college football’s most coveted award.

Darnold’s odds are at 5/1, which is where he stood when the line opened back in April. He remains well ahead of Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield, who saw his odds shift from 7/1, and Louisville’s Lamar Jackson at 8/1 each.

Though Darnold started the year well within the pack when it comes to Heisman odds, by February Bovada listed him as their favorite with 4/1 odds and that money line has only gotten more pronounced. Darnold currently has 11/4 odds over Mayfield, who stands at 7/1.

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Meanwhile, Washington’s Jake Browning currently carries 12/1 odds and UCLA’s Josh Rosen has 20/1 odds.

The USC Football star is certainly deserving of the faith in his abilities. Darnold’s near-perfect fourth quarter against Penn State in the Rose Bowl helped the Trojans erase a 17-point deficit before winning the game on a field goal as time expired. But signs that Darnold was a special talent emerged long before he hit an inch-perfect touchdown to tie the game in the final minutes.

As a redshirt freshman, Darnold sparked USC on a nine-game winning streak to end the season, throwing for 3,086 yards on 67.2 percent passing, with 31 touchdowns and just nine interceptions.

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Improving on that performance in his second year as a starter and leading USC back to national relevance would go a long way towards securing Darnold a spot in New York in December with a shot at adding to the Trojan trophy collection.