Hunter has scored nine touchdowns and racked up over 850 receiving yards in the nine Buffaloes games so far, but his Heisman push is fueled by the fact that he might be even better as a defender than a wide receiver. So far this season, Hunter has snagged two interceptions, forced a fumble and locked down other top receivers in coverage.
As of November 12, Hunter had +125 odds to win the Heisman, according to ESPN, and +100 odds on BetMGM. According to BetMGM, Hunter opened the season with +3,500 odds to take home the trophy.
“Travis is the best college football player in the country,” CU head coach Deion Sanders said in October. “We all know that. Why are we even deliberating over that? ... Because we’re looking at the best college football player ever. There has never been a Travis Hunter, and I’m up here saying that.”
Sanders himself was a two-sport athlete, famously playing professional baseball and football at the same time. His son, Shedeur, is the quarterback throwing Hunter passes, and both of the Sanderses have publicly campaigned for Hunter to win the award.
Hunter, for his part, has backed Shedeur for the award on social media, but everything has gone right for the two-way star to take home the Heisman. So what needs to happen to make the odds stick?
Other Heisman Candidates Trip Up
This week was only the second week of the season that Hunter sat alone at the top of the Heisman odds. The first week was October 30, after he was crowned Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week for his career-high 153 receiving yards and two touchdowns.Between this week and October 30, Hunter was tied with University of Miami quarterback Cam Ward, but Miami lost its first game of the season on November 9 to Georgia Tech. Worse, the game ended on a strip sack of Ward, placing him fourth in the latest rankings. If Miami can’t rebound or if Ward produces more bumbling moments, that would help Hunter’s case.
Three other quarterbacks with much higher odds than Hunter to win the award at the start of the season — Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, Georgia’s Carson Beck and Texas’s Quinn Ewers — have all fallen behind. But other players have taken their places.
University of Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who currently has +275 odds on ESPN and +350 on Bet MGM, is Hunter’s closest competition at the moment. Gabriel opened the season with +800 odds to win the award, but then he went on to set the record for most total touchdowns in college football history. Gabriel also has the advantage of having beaten the team of another Heisman candidate in Boise State University running back Ashton Jeanty.
Jeanty has been an absolute star so far in 2024, rushing for 1,734 yards with 23 touchdowns on the ground. However, like Hunter, Jeanty has been limited by injury at times; coming from a non-power five conference school makes his odds even tighter. The running back is currently sitting with +400 odds from both ESPN and BetMGM.
Rounding out the top five is University of Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke, who joins Jeanty as having not even been in consideration for the award to start the season. Rourke has surged in recent weeks as Indiana stays unbeaten, thanks in large part due to Rourke’s efficiency as a passer.
If Indiana remains undefeated and wins the Big Ten Championship, that would be a significant blow to Hunter and boost to Rourke, so CU fans should hope the Ohio State defense takes it to the Hoosiers when the teams match up on November 23 to ensure the Indiana team has at least one loss.
Rourke and Gabriel could face off in the Big Ten Championship, as well, giving Gabriel another chance for a statement win against another candidate. That’s something Hunter has no chance of notching.
Heisman votes are due December 9, and the Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC championship games will be played on December 7, making it even more vital for CU to win out and make the Big 12 Championship matchup to be sure Hunter is fresh on voters’ minds; Jeanty plays in the Mountain West, which will hold its championship on December 6.
CU Has to Win Out
CU continuing to rack up wins is key to Hunter winning the Heisman. Even Heisman winners from some of the least-lauded teams, like Lamar Jackson, who won at Louisville in 2016, or Robert Griffin III, who won at Baylor University in 2011, still led their teams to at least nine wins. Last season’s winner, Jayden Daniels only lost three games during his award-winning season at Louisiana State University and still became only the second quarterback to win the Heisman with that many losses and no wins over top-20 teams.CU has lost two games and does not have a top-20 win yet, so Hunter may have to make history again to take home the Heisman. However, Colorado has a chance to earn a top-20 win if the Buffaloes play BYU in the Big 12 title game. BYU is currently ranked seventh to CU’s eighteenth.
The Buffaloes face Utah, Kansas and Oklahoma State to close out the season and could still solidify a 10-2 record if they win out. Losing one of those games would be a blow to Hunter’s chances, particularly as a loss could also mean CU doesn’t reach the Big 12 Championship to get Hunter that top-20 win.
Hunter needs to play his best football in that stretch of games, too. If he racks up at least a touchdown in each and an interception or other big defensive play in two of those games, he may lock down the trophy.
Hunter and Sanders Must Stay Healthy
Hunter also has to stay healthy in the remaining games, which is no guarantee. He missed three games last season and was limited in two games this season with a shoulder injury. During that two-game span in October, Hunter’s Heisman odds went from +450 entering week six to +2,000 by the end of week eight. Since then, Hunter has worked his way back, but another setback in the final weeks would have an impact on voters, especially if all of his competitors stay healthy. And by playing on both sides of the ball, the chances of injury are always higher than with other candidates.
In addition to Hunter staying healthy, Shedeur must stay healthy, too. According to BetMGM, Sanders has +5,000 odds right now to win the Heisman, placing him ninth in the race. There’s a reason Colorado is the only team with two athletes in that top ten: Both are playing great, and they complement each other exceptionally well.
“They got they own thing going,” Deion said of the pair after the team’s first win of the season, in which Shedeur threw three touchdowns to Hunter. That “thing” has led to both athletes being projected to be picked in the first round of the NFL draft in the spring.
Hunter needs that magic to continue if he wants to win the Heisman.
