Colorado's Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders get a chance to strengthen their case, and maybe change-up the Heisman Trophy betting odds, with a Week 2 highlight game against Nebraska on Saturday.
The Buffs’ trip to Lincoln at 7:30 p.m. as an underdog is the third-most wagered Week 2 game at BetMGM. The line opened with Colorado +6.5 at BetMGM and moved up to 7.5 before coming back down to 7 on Friday.
ESPN BET, which has Nebraska -7.5, reported the game was among the top five in terms of handle for the week. The Cornhuskers are catching 80% of the bets and 85% of the money to cover.
However, 72% of the handle has come in on Buffaloes to win outright.
BetMGM reported that the Buffaloes +225 is also the most-bet underdog.
??“Colorado continues to see heavy action against Nebraska this week,” Seamus Magee, BetMGM trading manager, said. “The public is all over the Buffaloes moneyline while the sharps tend to be on the Cornhuskers’ spread.”
Most bet (tickets) underdogs to win in College Football Week 2 at #BetMGM
— John Ewing (@johnewing) September 6, 2024
1. Colorado +225
2. Syracuse +120
3. Appalachian State +575 pic.twitter.com/B2Py9717O3
High-scoring affair
Bettors are loving the over in the total points market at ESPN BET as 86.1% of the wagers and 85.5% of the money is in favor of more than 57.5 points being scored.
The in Nebraska vs. Colorado picks total opened at 56.5 and could continue to rise as BetMGM also took more than 80% of the handle on the over early in the week.
Nebraska freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola threw for 238 yards and two touchdowns in his debut, a 40-7 win over UTEP. Sanders, Colorado's signal-caller, eclipsed 400 passing yards and tossed four TDs in Week 1, so it’s no surprise bettors are expecting a high-scoring battle on Saturday.
Popular Heisman candidates
One game against North Dakota State made a lot of people believe in Colorado two-way player Travis Hunter.
Heisman Trophy odds at BetMGM for the Buffaloes' receiver/cornerback jumped from +3,500 before Week 1 to +1,500. The online sportsbook reported this week that he’s the biggest liability with 10% of the handle.
Hunter is down to +1,200 at Caesars Sportsbook, where the five players listed ahead of him are all quarterbacks, including favorite Carson Beck (+700) from Georgia. Sanders isn’t far behind with +1,800 odds to win the Heisman at Caesars.
Why the sudden change for Hunter, though? He played nearly 130 snaps, caught three touchdowns, and went over 100 receiving yards while also shining on defense in a 31-26 Colorado victory. He made a highlight scoring grab in the end zone that went viral.
Bettors love a flashy player, and Hunter gives them that. However, can a two-way player on a team that started the season with a projected win total of 5.5 games win the sport’s most prestigious individual award?
One college football analyst says Hunter “shatters the mold.”
“Travis Hunter, I think if he doesn’t get edged out by his quarterback, could legitimately win the Heisman Trophy regardless of Colorado’s record,” ESPN and SEC Network analyst Paul Finebaum recently said. “Travis Hunter can do it all. We’ve seen that very rarely. He plays his position wide receiver better than anyone and he plays obviously the cornerback position better than anyone.”
