All eyes were on LSU vs. Ole Miss in Week 3, as Lane Kiffin’s return to Oxford provided the kind of made-for-TV drama college football can create. The raucous fan base got the last cheer when Sam Leavitt was intercepted in the end zone, and the party was on.
During that game, we saw Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss move up the odds board in real time to win the 2026 Heisman Trophy. A big performance in a marquee game is always going to garner favor, and that was especially true for Chambliss. Kiffin is considered an offensive genius, yet Chambliss has not experienced any type of downturn with his former coach now in Baton Rouge.
Heading into Week 4, most sportsbooks list Chambliss and Miami’s Darian Mensah as the runaway favorites for the award. Another player whose stock has risen significantly of late is Mississippi State’s Kamario Taylor, who led an upset of South Carolina in hostile territory at Williams-Brice Stadium. His Bulldogs fell behind 16-0 before outscoring the Gamecocks 41-18 the rest of the way. Taylor completed 18 passes for 251 yards and four touchdowns and added 33 rushing yards.
Mensah has yet to be truly tested, which is a point worth discussing. He is 71 of 79 passing (89.9 percent) for 873 yards with an 11-0 touchdown-to-interception ratio, and he has been sacked only once. But he also has faced Stanford, Florida A&M and Wake Forest. With Miami favored by more than 40 points against Central Michigan this week, Mensah will likely put up big numbers again, albeit against inferior competition.
Meanwhile, Chambliss and the Rebels must avoid a hangover when they head to Gainesville, where an upstart Florida team awaits. Mississippi State hosts Missouri in a coin-flip game — the type of contest in which Taylor’s stock could rise and his Heisman odds could shorten further.
While those three are gaining steam and attention, others have been forgotten to a degree. Former favorite CJ Carr is now the seventh- or eighth-choice at most sportsbooks. The Notre Dame quarterback has posted solid numbers, passing for 726 yards with a 72.6 percent completion rate, a 6-0 touchdown-to-interception ratio and a rushing score. But he doesn’t appear to have received the same attention.
The Fighting Irish have already beaten two Big Ten teams and two opponents arguably better than the teams Miami defeated in its biggest wins. Yet Carr is now priced at about 15-1 at most sportsbooks, with a very soft schedule ahead.
We’ve missed the best number on Louisville quarterback Lincoln Kienholz, but the Cardinals have already made it through the toughest part of their schedule. The close loss to Ole Miss and last weekend’s win over SMU represented the only ranked teams on the schedule, though Kentucky could be ranked by the time the annual rivalry game arrives after Thanksgiving.
Kienholz, an Ohio State transfer, was available at triple-digit odds at most sportsbooks before the season. He is now priced at about 40-1 after accounting for 10 touchdowns, including four on the ground. He has a chance to put up special numbers, but running backs Keyjuan Brown and Isaac Brown are doing the same, which could hurt Kienholz’s candidacy.
While Carr and Kienholz show promise in the Heisman market at their current odds, two long shots from the Big 12 are worth considering.
The first is Utah’s Devon Dampier. The Utes are off to a 3-0 start with wins over Idaho, Arkansas and Utah State. As of now, Utah’s two toughest Big 12 games — Houston and BYU — are at home. The road games are all extremely winnable, and my ratings show the Utes favored in every remaining game.
Dampier is Utah’s third-leading rusher and has a 7-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio with a 71.6 percent completion rate. The Big 12 also looks light on defense, as usual. At odds of 75-1 or better, he is worth a look.
The other player in that range is Kansas State’s Avery Johnson, who is thriving in former Little Apple star Collin Klein’s offense. Johnson has thrown two interceptions, which hurts his candidacy, but he is averaging more than 10 yards per carry and has completed nearly 70 percent of his passes.
As of now, the Wildcats have only one ranked opponent, Houston, remaining on the schedule. They will avoid the aforementioned Utes, as well as Texas Tech and BYU. At this point, I also have Kansas State favored in every remaining game, though not as decisively as Utah in most matchups.
Still, with the Big 12 up for grabs, Dampier and Johnson aren’t bad tickets to invest in at this stage.
