Each week this college football season, For The Win will take a look at the 2026 Heisman Trophy race and break down the contenders. Check back every Tuesday as the best college football players in the country jockey for position with both oddsmakers and bettors. All odds via BetMGM.
It's hard to believe we're already approaching the midpoint of the college football season, but things move fast around here. Though we still have eight more weeks in the regular season, we seem to already have a clear Heisman Trophy favorite emerging.
Jeremiah Smith became the odds-on favorite to win college football's most prestigious award last week, and after another record-setting performance against the Iowa Hawkeyes, he's further cementing his lead.
Here's how
the Heisman odds leaderboard looks as we enter Week 6, per BetMGM.
T16. Jayden Maiava, Nico Iamaleava (+10000)
Odds Last Week (Opening Odds)
- Maiava (+2500)
- Iamaleava (+10000)
We start with a pair of Los Angeles quarterbacks in Maiava and Iamaleava. The former is back on the board despite turning in arguably his weakest performance of the season in the win over Washington, throwing for 245 yards with a touchdown and a pick. Iamaleava, meanwhile, joins for the first time after UCLA's bye week. He didn't throw a touchdown in the Bruins' first two games, but he's tossed four in his last two outings.
15. Jadan Baugh (+8000)
Odds Last Week (Opening Odds)
- Baugh +1200 (N/A)
Baugh's Heisman candidacy likely came to an end in Florida's blowout loss to Missouri. The Tigers completely shut down the Gators' run game, and Baugh was held to just 13 yards on 12 carries in a 45-17 defeat.
T13. Sam Leavitt, Austin Simmons (+6600)
Odds Last Week (Opening Odds)
- Leavitt +6000 (+2500)
- Simmons (+10000)
Leavitt's odds took a slight dip after LSU's blowout win over McNeese. The Tigers eclipsed 700 yards of offense, though Leavitt had just 176 through the air. Though he threw three touchdowns, he also tossed his seventh interception of the season. Simmons, meanwhile, rejoins the board after an elite outing against the Gators. He threw for 340 yards and two touchdowns, and he still hasn't thrown an interception this season.
T11. Josh Hoover, Drew Mestemaker (+5000)
Odds Last Week (Opening Odds)
- Hoover +5000 (+1600)
- Mestemaker +5000 (+6600)
Neither Hoover nor Mestemaker's odds changed this week. The former threw for 251 yards and four touchdowns in Indiana's dominant win over Rutgers, while the latter had a bye and will return to action against UCF on Saturday.
T9. Julian Sayin, Kamario Taylor (+4000)
Odds Last Week (Opening Odds)
- Sayin +3000 (+1400)
- Taylor +700 (+15000)
Sayin threw for 324 yards and three touchdowns against Iowa, but he's not getting the same Heisman love as his top wideout, and his odds dropped a bit this week. Taylor saw one of the steepest dropoffs of the week after completing 55.9% of his passes with two interceptions in the loss to Alabama.
T6. Arch Manning, Gunner Stockton, Malachi Toney (+3500)
Odds Last Week (Opening Odds)
- Manning +3000 (+850)
- Stockton +4000 (+2500)
- Toney +2500 (+4000)
Manning's odds took a slight dip while Texas was on bye, while Stockton's odds jumped after one of his best performances of the year. He completed 25 of 32 passes for 295 yards and three touchdowns against Vanderbilt. Tony, meanwhile, had his quietest game of the season after he caught five passes for just 40 yards, which put a bit of a dent in his odds.
5. Trinidad Chambliss (+1600)
Odds Last Week (Opening Odds)
- Chambliss +1200 (+1600)
Chambliss' odds took a big dip after the loss to Florida, and he continues to trend in the wrong direction while Ole Miss was on a bye. He'll look to get back on track against Vandy in Week 6.
T3. CJ Carr, Keelon Russell (+900)
Odds Last Week (Opening Odds)
- Carr +1200 (+700)
- Russell +1300 (+2500)
Carr, the preseason favorite, remains in the mix as we approach the midpoint of the season. He helped his case on Saturday, throwing for four touchdowns in subpar weather as Notre Dame beat North Carolina. Taylor, meanwhile, continues to assert himself as a contender. The first-year starter is improving every week, and he threw for 285 yards and scored four total touchdowns in Alabama's road win over Mississippi State.
2. Darian Mensah (+500)
Odds Last Week (Opening Odds)
- Mensah +400 (+1100)
Mensah no longer leads the way in the Heisman odds as he did earlier this season, but he remains the top challenger to Smith this week. He had his least efficient performance of the year against Clemson, but he threw for 227 yards and a touchdown while also scoring on the ground. He has yet to throw an interception this season.
1. Jeremiah Smith (-120)
Odds Last Week (Opening Odds)
- Smith +250 (+1600)
Smith now has minus odds to win the Heisman after a 200-yard game in Ohio State's road win over Iowa. He broke two more Buckeyes career records in this game — all-time receptions and receiving touchdowns — and is now the school's triple crown-holder after breaking the career receiving yards record earlier this season. He leads the nation with 44 catches for 823 yards, and his nine touchdowns tie for first nationally as well.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: 2026 Heisman Trophy odds tracker, Week 6: Jeremiah Smith further cements his case
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