Ohio State fans get double the hope for a Heisman Trophy win with way-too-early odds

The never-too-early odds for the 2026 Heisman Trophy are out, and it's no surprise to see Ohio State with two entries high on the list.

Quarterback Julian Sayin was fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting this past season, and he's tied for the third-best odds at -1100. Who is he tied with? None other than his teammate and primary target in the passing game, Jeremiah Smith, who finished sixth in the Heisman Trophy.

Heisman duo gives Buckeyes decisive edge

The sportsbooks already have the Buckeyes as co-favorites to win the 2026 CFP title, sharing the honors of being early favorites with Indiana. And a big reason for that is the expectation that the Ohio State offense will be one of the best in the country regardless of who the offensive coordinator is.

Sayin proved to be worthy of his five-star ranking out of high school. He was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year and threw for 3,610 yards and 32 touchdowns in 2025. Smith accounted for over a third of the production with 1,243 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns. He has won the Big Ten receiver of the Year award in consecutive seasons.

Smith is also a two-time first-team All-American, earning Consensus All-American honors this past season. 

Both players have tended to defer to the other when it comes to the individual awards. Late last season, Smith said the Heisman was Sayin's award and Sayin returned the favor by calling Smith the best player in the country on several occasions.

Sayin and Smith are behind Texas quarterback Arch Manning (-650), which isn't a shock and, much like last season, the Buckeyes can squash his Heisman hopes on September 12, when they travel to Austin for the second leg of the home-and-home series between the two powerhouse programs.

Ahead of Manning at -600 odds is Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr, which is a little surprising. Carr was fine in 2025, especially behind a great running game, but nothing about his first season said 'future Heisman winner'. However, he's a Notre Dame quarterback, so the possibility is always there. Heck, Ron Powlus was supposed to win two of them.