The Heisman Trophy finalists have been announced, and with Alabama’s Derrick Henry, Clemson’s Deshaun Watson and Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey going to New York, they are the only three players on the board before Saturday’s trophy presentation. Not surprisingly, Henry is an overwhelming favorite, per Bovada.
Alabama’s Derrick Henry is the overwhelming Heisman favorite now, but he had to gain ground to get there
The path to the top wasn’t so straightforward for the Crimson Tide’s punishing back.
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
| Player | Odds | Odds Last Week |
| Derrick Henry, RB, Alabama | 1/12 | 1/3 |
| Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford | 6/1 | 12/1 |
| Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson | 22/1 | 5/1 |
Henry’s stock only rose after a 189-yard performance against Florida in the SEC Championship Game, and it’s going to be tough for either of his challengers to catch him. Watson’s stock dropped after a win in the ACC Championship Game only because McCaffrey had a historic game against USC in the Pac-12 Championship Game, racking up over 200 rushing yards and 100 receiving yards en route to breaking Barry Sanders’ season all-purpose yards record.
Henry is great, and it makes sense why he’s the favorite — he plays for Alabama and broke Herschel Walker’s SEC single-season rushing record — but by the numbers, McCaffrey, Watson and Florida State running back Dalvin Cook might deserve the award more.
One player who’s not mentioned? LSU running back Leonard Fournette, who was the runaway favorite early in the season. After an awful performance against Alabama, Fournette never got back on track in the Heisman race. But it’s not just him. The odds have fluctuated a lot throughout the season. Courtesy of OddsShark:
| Player | August 1 | August 25 | October 5 | October 19 | November 2 | November 9 | November 16 | November 24 | November 30 | December 8 |
| Derrick Henry, RB, Alabama | +1800 | +2500 | +2200 | +1600 | +1400 | +150 | -150 | -250 | -300 | -1200 |
| Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson | +1600 | +1200 | +2500 | +2200 | +900 | +800 | +700 | +300 | +500 | +2200 |
| Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Ohio State | +700 | +500 | +900 | +1600 | +800 | +700 | +450 | +1400 | +1200 | Off the board |
| Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU | +1200 | +1200 | -200 | -200 | -225 | +200 | +450 | +1400 | +1200 | Off the board |
| Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford | Off the board | Off the board | Off the board | +2500 | +2500 | +1600 | +5000 | +5000 | +1200 | +600 |
| Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma | Off the board | Off the board | +2500 | Off the board | Off the board | Off the board | Off the board | +1400 | +1800 | Off the board |
| Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State | Off the board | Off the board | +6500 | +2200 | Off the board | Off the board | Off the board | +5000 | +2000 | Off the board |
| Keenan Reynolds, QB, Navy | Off the board | Off the board | Off the board | Off the board | Off the board | Off the board | Off the board | +2500 | Off the board | Off the board |
| Corey Coleman, WR, Baylor | Off the board | Off the board | Off the board | +4000 | +4000 | +800 | +2500 | +6600 | Off the board | Off the board |
| Trevone Boykin, QB, TCU | +450 | +500 | +950 | +750 | +500 | +1600 | Off the board | Off the board | Off the board | Off the board |
Only two players stayed on the board the whole season: Henry and Watson.
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