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 was a wild Week 3 in college football, and after a day filled with upsets and wild finishes, we have some significant changes to the Heisman odds board.
Darian Mensah entered the weekend as a sizable favorite, and he's still on top of the odds after another productive and highly efficient outing against Wake Forest. However, there's a new contender at the top as Mensah no longer has the sole share of first place in the Heisman race.
Here are the latest Heisman odds
entering Week 4, according to BetMGM.
T18. Kevin Jennings, Aaron Philo, Austin Simmons, Drew Mestemaker, Jadan Baugh (+6600)
Odds Last Week (Opening Odds)
- Jennings (+8000)
- Philo (+8000)
- Simmons (+10000)
- Mestemaker (+6600)
- Baugh (N/A)
We have a handful of newcomers to the odds leaderboard this week. Jennings is here despite struggling in SMU's loss to Louisville, throwing for just one touchdown with two interceptions, while Simmons also didn't have his best game against Troy, completing 10 of 19 passes for 91 yards. Mestemaker cracks the list after a huge game in which he completed 20 of 22 passes for 324 yards and five touchdowns. Meanwhile, a pair of Gators make the leaderboard in Philo, who threw for 204 yards and a touchdown in the win over Auburn, and Baugh, who ran for 162 yards and three touchdowns. Baugh ranks second nationally in rushing yards and ties for first in rushing touchdowns.
T15. Dante Moore, Sam Leavitt, Bear Bachmeier (+6000)
Odds Last Week (Opening Odds)
- Moore +2500 (+1100)
- Leavitt +2500 (+2500)
- Bachmeier (+6600)
Moore and Leavitt's odds took a hit this week, despite the former being essentially perfect in an 84-0 win over Portland State. Despite battling back from being listed as doubtful for one day on the injury report, Leavitt struggled through the air in the loss to Ole Miss, throwing for just 158 yards and a pick, though he did manage 63 yards and a touchdown with his legs. Bachmeier joins the rankings after a fairly efficient performance against Colorado State, though he threw a pick and didn't score a touchdown.
T13. LaNorris Sellers, Lincoln Kienholz (+5000)
Odds Last Week (Opening Odds)
- Sellers (+5000)
- Kienholz (+8000)
We have another pair of newcomers here. Sellers' odds are where they started the season after an up-and-down outing in the loss to South Carolina. He threw for 282 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 52 yards, but he did toss a pair of interceptions. Kienholz, meanwhile, was excellent in Louisville's win over SMU, totaling over 200 yards and three touchdowns between his arm and his legs.
T11. Jayden Maiava, Gunner Stockton (+4000)
Odds Last Week (Opening Odds)
- Maiava +2000 (+2500)
- Stockton +3000 (+2500)
Both of these signal-callers saw their odds take a hit after Week 3 despite performing well in wins. Maiava threw for 277 and two touchdowns in a win over Rutgers that was tighter than it should have been, while Stockton was efficient with his arm and ran for 97 yards in a dominant win at Arkansas.
10. Josh Hoover (+3500)
Odds Last Week (Opening Odds)
- Hoover +2000 (+1600)
Hoover didn't do much in the win over Western Kentucky to warrant a dip in his odds. He completed 18 of 24 passes for 273 yards and two touchdowns, but that wasn't enough to start trending up in the Heisman race.
9. Julian Sayin (+3000)
Odds Last Week (Opening Odds)
- Sayin +1700 (+1400)
Sayin had a nice bounce-back in Ohio State's win over Kent State, completing 18 of 22 passes for 241 yards and two touchdowns. Doing that against a MAC squad wasn't enough to arrest his slide, however.
8. Keelon Russell (+2500)
Odds Last Week (Opening Odds)
- Russell +3000 (+2500)
Russell, meanwhile, is climbing the leaderboard after an impressive outing in a shootout win over Florida State. He threw for 320 yards and three touchdowns, and he was a factor with his legs once again as he broke a 57-yard touchdown run.
7. CJ Carr (+1400)
Odds Last Week (Opening Odds)
- Carr +1400 (+700)
Our preseason favorite remains in the mix, though his odds did take a slight hit after not throwing a touchdown in the win over Michigan State. He did score once on the ground, though, and was an efficient 18 of 24 for 234 yards through the air.
T3. Arch Manning, Jeremiah Smith, Malachi Toney, Kamario Taylor (+1000)
Odds Last Week (Opening Odds)
- Manning +800 (+850)
- Smith +700 (+1600)
- Toney +1000 (+4000)
- Taylor +1000 (+15000)
Manning took a slight tumble after completing just 50% of his passes in a win over UTSA, though he did run for a season-high 53 yards and still threw a pair of touchdown passes. The same is true for Smith despite catching five passes for 85 yards and becoming Ohio State's all-time career receiving yards leader. Toney is holding firm, though he had another huge game in which he caught 12 balls for 114 yards and a touchdown. Taylor, meanwhile, is the week's biggest riser. He bounced back from an early pick to throw for 251 yards and four touchdowns in a road win over South Carolina.
T1. Darian Mensah, Trinidad Chambliss (+325)
Odds Last Week (Opening Odds)
- Mensah +450 (+1100)
- Chambliss +1300 (+1600)
Mensah having to share the top spot is to no fault of his own. His odds actually went up after starting the game 20 of 20 and ultimately finishing 30 of 34 for 220 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Wake Forest. But Chambliss is on the rise after an elite performance in an emotional win over LSU. He completed 33 of 48 passes for 363 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for a third.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: 2026 Heisman Trophy odds tracker, Week 4: Darian Mensah has a new co-favorite
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