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Best College Football Bets Week 5: Heisman odds for three(!) KU, K-State star players

The Wildcats are ranked in the top 25. The Jayhawks are undefeated. And the Sunflower State is currently home to three Heisman hopefuls.

It would be an understatement to say this has been a good month of football for both Kansas and K-State.

The early success that Chris Klieman and Lance Leipold have found this season has added an interesting new betting option for fans of each team.

Coming into the season, K-State running back Deuce Vaughn was thought to be the only Heisman Trophy candidate at either school. But he is currently considered more of a long shot to win the most prestigious award in all of college football than teammate Adrian Martinez and KU quarterback Jalon Daniels.

If you saw that coming, take a bow.

Daniels is the current in-state favorite with odds as low as +2500 (or 25 to one) at Draft Kings. Only five other players are listed ahead of him nationally -- Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud, Alabama QB Bryce Young, USC QB Caleb Williams, Tennessee QB Hendon Hooker and Georgia QB Stetson Bennett. That means Daniels would be a potential Heisman finalist if the season ended today.

You can find Martinez not far behind him at +4000. The K-State quarterback burst onto the scene with a spectacular game against Oklahoma last weekend that featured 382 yards and five touchdowns.

Then there is Vaughn rounding out the top 20 at +6000. The K-State running back has amassed 517 total yards and scored three total touchdowns this season.

This is uncharted territory. K-State has produced a few Heisman Trophy contenders over the years, but almost never two from the same team. The Jayhawks haven’t given us even a long shot player since Todd Reesing in 2009.

Question is: Are any of them worth betting money on?

Probably not.

Stroud (+140) is such a heavy favorite at the moment that sports books are barely offering even money on him. But if you like long shots, it might be fun to place a small wager on your favorite “local” star.

Daniels provides some appeal, because his stats have legitimately been Heisman quality. He has already thrown for 890 yards and 11 touchdowns on top of rushing for 326 yards and four touchdowns. But the Jayhawks aren’t going to go undefeated, and his star will almost certainly dim after every Big 12 loss.

If Martinez continues to play the way he did against Oklahoma, he could stay in the mix. But remember, he didn’t do much of anything in K-State’s first three games.

Vaughn seems to have the most staying power. He was a preseason Heisman hopeful and has mostly lived up to the hype as a junior. If he keeps doing what he is doing, he could receive some votes by the end of the season.

Around the Big 12

West Virginia (+10.5) at Texas: The Mountaineers are getting a generous helping of points here, considering they are coming off a 33-10 road victory over Virginia Tech and haven’t played since Thursday.

Oklahoma State (+1.5) at Baylor: The Bears are arguably Big 12 favorites following their road win over Iowa State. But the Cowboys are coming off a bye. This should be the game of the week in the conference.

Oklahoma (+6.5) at TCU: The Horned Frogs are 3-0 in real life and against the spread this season. Now they get Oklahoma at home with the Sooners coming off a loss to Kansas State. Seems like a good spot for TCU.

Texas Tech (+8) at Kansas State: The real number here to focus on is the over/under of 57 points. Red Raiders like to go fast on offense. They managed to run 100 plays against Texas last week. Traditionally, K-State has responded by going slow in this matchup. Not this time. Chris Klieman said earlier this week that he wants the Wildcats to speed up the game and move quickly between offensive plays the same way they did last week against Oklahoma. This could easily turn into a shootout and fly past the over.

Iowa State (-3.5) at Kansas: Read full breakdown below in best bets.

Fascinating odds across the country

  • Nebraska is one of only six teams with an 0-4 record against the spread. So why are the Huskers favored by nearly a touchdown against Indiana?

  • The other 0-4 teams: Auburn, Boston College, Colorado, Colorado State and Utah State.

  • Washington at UCLA should be a fun game on Friday night. Both teams are undefeated in real life and against the spread this season. The Huskies are favored by a field goal.

  • The other remaining undefeated teams against the spread are Oregon State, UNLV, Arkansas State, Southern Mississippi, TCU, Minnesota, Kansas, James Madison and South Alabama.

  • Kent State covered the spread as huge underdogs against Oklahoma and Georgia (and fell one point shy of doing the same against Washington). It lost all three games, but deserves extra credit. Kent State is favored by 11.5 points over Ohio this week.

  • The highest O/U of the week is Oklahoma/TCU at 68.5.

  • The lowest O/U of the week is Navy/Air Force at 37.5

College Football Best Bets Week 4

We got off to a slow start this season, but our best bets have bounced back with a 7-3 record over the past two weeks.

Let’s hope we can stay hot.

Colorado +17 at Arizona: Another week, another chance to fade Colorado. The Buffaloes are 0-4 with all four of their losses coming by at least 25 points. They are without a doubt the worst team from a power conference. I don’t see their luck changing on the road this week, even against a below-average opponent like the Wildcats. Pick: Arizona.

Iowa State +3.5 at Kansas: Have I mentioned that the Jayhawks have covered the spread in seven straight games dating back to last season? I have? Well, here’s a different stat for you, then. Iowa State Matt Campbell is 5-13 in games that involve a spread of 3.5 points or lower, according to ESPN gambling expert Chris Fallica. You don’t want to bet on the Cyclones in a virtual pick-em. Pick: Kansas.

Georgia at Missouri O/U 54.5: The Tigers are only averaging 13 points against power-conference foes this season, and that includes a fluke touchdown that came in garbage time against Kansas State. Those numbers are unlikely to improve against the nation’s No. 1 team. The Bulldogs are going to do all the scoring in this game, and they haven’t topped 50 points this season. All four have their games have gone under. Pick: Under.

LSU -9 at Auburn: Bryan Harsin’s Tigers needed every break in the world to survive against Missouri last week. And they didn’t even cover the spread! Auburn is 0-4 against the spread this season, and I don’t see that changing against a rapidly improving team like LSU. Pick: LSU.

Purdue +12 at Minnesota: The Gophers are 4-0. They have also outscored their opponents 183-24 so far this season. I see another lopsided victory in their future with an injured Purdue team coming to town on Saturday. The Boilermakers are 1-3 against the spread. Minnesota has also covered in all of its games. Pick: Minnesota.

Last week: 3-2. Season record ATS: 9-9-1.