Week 7 was full of absolute college football chaos around the country.
The weekend featured No. 1 and No. 2 going down on the same day for the first time in 14 years, while five of the top-10 teams suffered losses. Those results certainly shook up the College Football Playoff picture quite a bit, but they didn't have major effects on the Heisman race.
Jeremiah Smith remains the clear favorite entering Week 8. Though he had his quietest outing of the season, he came in clutch when the Buckeyes needed him in their tight road win over Indiana.
However, that did open the window for a different player to close quite a bit of the gap behind Smith in the odds as we enter Week 8. Here's how the Heisman odds look as we enter the fourth weekend of October,
courtesy of BetMGM.
10. Jayden Maiava (+8000)
Odds Last Week (Opening Odds)
- Maiava +10000 (+2500)
Maiava and the Trojans were on bye this week, but he was a beneficiary of the chaos around college football as his odds went up anyway while idle. He returns to action this week in a road trip at Wisconsin.
9. Gunner Stockton (+6600)
Odds Last Week (Opening Odds)
- Stockton +1500 (+2500)
Stockton's odds are plummeting after a rough outing in Georgia's stunning loss against Auburn. He threw for 272 yards and two touchdowns, but he also threw two costly interceptions and fumbled late in the game, which gave the Tigers the opportunity to kick a game-winning field goal.
8. Drew Mestemaker (+5000)
Odds Last Week (Opening Odds)
- Mestemaker +4000 (+6600)
Mestemaker's odds dropped despite a valiant effort on the road in a 35-32 loss to Houston. Mestemaker threw for 365 yards and three touchdowns, though he did toss an interception — his sixth of the season.
7. Bear Bachmeier (+2500)
Odds Last Week (Opening Odds)
- Bachmeier +12500 (+6600)
Bachmeier is soaring up the odds board this week after playing the game of his life in the upset win over Notre Dame. He scored every way, finding the end zone once through the air, twice on the ground and even once as a receiver. He's this week's second-biggest riser as a result.
6. Malachi Toney (+2200)
Odds Last Week (Opening Odds)
- Toney +5000 (+4000)
After a fairly quiet outing in the win over Clemson, Toney bounced back in a big way in a double-overtime barn-burner against FSU. He caught 11 passes for 154 yards with a pair of touchdown receptions, and though he's now pushing for a spot in the top five, he has just the third-best odds among receivers.
5. Jesse Legree (+1800)
Odds Last Week (Opening Odds)
- Legree +12500 (N/A)
Legree's surprise Heisman candidacy continues, and he made a major move this week after another lights-out performance in the blowout win over rival Washington State. He caught eight balls for 108 yards in two touchdowns, and he remains the nation's leader in receiving yards (1,040) and receiving touchdowns (14).
4. CJ Carr (+1400)
Odds Last Week (Opening Odds)
- Carr +1000 (+700)
Carr's odds took only a minor hit after a tough outing against a fantastic BYU defense on the road in a loss. He completed just 27 of 49 passes but still threw for 261 yards. He didn't turn the ball over, but he also never found the end zone despite leading an impressive final drive to give the Irish a chance before controversially running out of time.
3. Trinidad Chambliss (+700)
Odds Last Week (Opening Odds)
- Chambliss +1500 (+1600)
Chambliss is now squarely back in this race after a huge outing in a 31-3 win over top-15 Missouri. He threw for 241 yards with three touchdowns and one more on the ground, and he finds himself back in third as a result.
2. Darian Mensah (+350)
Odds Last Week (Opening Odds)
- Mensah +1100 (+1100)
Mensah has shrunk the gap considerably after a big day in a tight win over rival FSU. He threw his first interception of the season, but he also completed 23 of 34 passes for 326 yards and three touchdowns — which the Hurricanes needed every bit of.
1. Jeremiah Smith (-130)
Odds Last Week (Opening Odds)
- Smith -220 (+1600)
Smith managed to maintain his lead despite a quiet outing against Indiana by his standards. However, the biggest play of his four-catch, 68-yard outing was the most important in the game, as Julian Sayin found him in the end zone on a 38-yard fourth-down pass despite being blanketed by Indiana defenders. Something to watch as Smith looks to further solidify his favorite status is the quarterback position, with Sayin set to miss "several weeks" after exiting the win with what appeared to be a shoulder injury.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: 2026 Heisman Trophy odds tracker, Week 8: Challenger to Jeremiah Smith emerges
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