Todd Gurley listed among Heisman Trophy favorites

With “big boy” college football kicking off on Thursday night, virtually every major outlet has weighed in on the Heisman Trophy race. However, it is always noteworthy to see what the leading odds-makers in the country think, and in their latest Heisman Odds, Bovada has placed Georgia Bulldogs running back Todd Gurley among the favorites to take home the hardware with 14-to-1 odds.

Gurley has been prominently featured on various All-American lists and “Heisman Watch” articles, and with good reason, as the “experts” in the bookmaking community seem to agree he is very much in the mix. His sophomore season did not live up to the lofty expectations set by a breakout freshman season, but in limited time, the 6-foot-1, 226-pound Gurley rushed for 989 yards on 6.0 yards per carry, and added to that with 441 yards receiving and 16 total touchdowns in only 10 games.

Reasonable projections would place a healthy Todd Gurley as a threat to exceed his freshman production (1,502 total yards, 17 touchdowns) during the 2014 season if he remains healthy, and that alone (combined with UGA’s success) would put him in the running. However, there is a ceiling that would give Gurley a shot at 2,000 total yards and 25 touchdowns if all goes to plan, and that level of production would almost certainly place him in New York for the Heisman presentation with a chance to take home the trophy.

Here are Bovada’s odds for the 2014 Heisman Trophy:

• Jameis Winston, Florida State – 9/2
• Marcus Mariota, Oregon – 5/1
• Brett Hundley, UCLA – 10/1
• Bryce Petty, Baylor – 12/1
• Melvin Gordon, Wisconsin – 12/1
• Nick Marshall, Auburn – 12/1
• Trevor Knight, Oklahoma – 18/1
• Derrick Henry, Alabama – 20/1
• TJ Yeldon, Alabama – 20/1
• Everett Golson, Notre Dame – 20/1
• Connor Cook, Michigan State – 25/1
• Ameer Abdullah, Nebraska – 33/1
• Duke Johnson, Miami (FL) – 33/1
• Karlos Williams, Florida State – 33/1
• Mike Davis, South Carolina – 33/1
• Myles Jack, UCLA – 40/1