Rovell: DeVonta Smith’s Heisman Odds, Plus the Biggest Bets on the Alabama Wide Receiver
Tom Pennington/Getty Images. Pictured: DeVonta Smith
When the Heisman odds for this season opened at the Superbook in Las Vegas on Jan. 26, Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith was an afterthought.
- At 4/1, there was Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence and Ohio State QB Justin Fields…
- At 12/1, there was Oklahoma QB Spencer Rattler…
- At 14/1, there was Texas QB Sam Ehlinger and Georgia QB Jamie Newman…
- At 20/1, there was Clemson RB Travis Etienne, Oklahoma State RB Chubba Hubbard, and Notre Dame QB Ian Book…
- At 25/1, there was USC QB Kedon Slovis, LSU QB Myles Brennan, Bama QB Mac Jones, Auburn QB Bo Nix, Miami QB D’Eriq King…
- At 30/1, there was Nebraska QB Taylor Martinez…
- At 40/1, there was Penn State QB Sean Clifford and Alabama RB Najee Harris…
- At 50/1, there was Texas A&M QB Kellen Mond…
- At 60/1, there was Oregon QB Tyler Shough, Iowa State QB Bryce Purdy, Florida QB Kyle Trask, Baylor QB Charlie Brewer, Ohio State RB Master Teague III, Oregon RB C.J. Verdell and North Carolina QB Sam Howell.
- At 80/1, there was Georgia RB Zamir White.
And finally, at 100/1, stood Alabama's DeVonta Smith, given the same odds as 19 other longshots, including Oregon offensive tackle Penei Sewell.
Smith's long odds were less a reflection of his talent and more to do with his position. The last wide receiver to win the Heisman was Michigan’s Desmond Howard 29 years ago.
But Lawrence missed two games due to COVID, including against Notre Dame, and Trask gave the trophy away in a loss to unranked LSU.
With Alabama undefeated and dominating, it came down to Jones and Smith. But the separation came on the Monday after the SEC Championship game, when Smith had two touchdowns on 184 yards.
What’s completely unique about this market is that the bettors who will make the most money on a Smith Heisman win are those who bet on the Louisiana native after he became a favorite.
FanDuel reports that they have a bettor who put down $10,800 (-179) to net $6,033. A William Hill bettor in West Virginia bet $15,716.60 (-220) to net $7,143. And ESPN reported that a bettor at BetRivers in Illinois bet $23,637 (-556) to net $4,251.
Free money? We’ll find out on Tuesday night.
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