August means college football is upon us, and while we don’t have the excitement to bet on college football just yet, it’s the perfect time to bet on futures. Today, we are going to look over some Heisman picks. As a reminder, I did pick Jayden Daniels to win the Heisman last year.

Here are a few rules we are going to abide by to ensure we are getting longshots. First, the player must have odds of +2000 or worse. Any better than +2000, and they are already being viewed as a legitimate contender. Second, I am only going to pick players who we know are starting. Projecting a quarterback to take over by the second week or someone entrenched in a position battle is not fair to you. One final note: I’m not an expert. Spend your money how you want to. Bet on Alex Orji if you really want (I’d highly recommend against doing so, but you do you, boo boo). All the odds are from FanDuel; use whatever sportsbook you are comfortable with.

Brady Cook – QB, Missouri (+3,500) – Missouri burst onto the scene last year, and Brady Cook was a major reason. Cook registered 21 passing touchdowns and over 3,300 yards in his second full season as a starter. Missouri loses Cody Schrader, who was a reliable running back for the Tigers, which should give Cook more opportunities to throw the ball. Missouri also happens to have arguably the best wide receiver in college football in Luther Burden. An underrated part of Cook’s game is his ability to run the ball. While he is not a true running quarterback, he does know how to escape the pocket. Cook has registered 14 rushing touchdowns over the past two seasons. Rushing touchdowns add up when voters are looking at the box scores later in the season.

Kyron Drones – QB, Virginia Tech (+10,000) – If you are looking for a true wildcard, here you go. Kyron Drones may be the ultimate boom-or-bust player on this list. Drones threw for just 2,085 yards and completed a meager 58.5% of his passes in 2023. Why is he on this list? Let me tell you why. Drones has the explosive playmaking ability you see when highlights of Heisman contenders are shown. He rushed for at least 50 yards in nine different games last year, totaling 818 rushing yards. Drones has also shown his ability to limit mistakes through the air, throwing just three interceptions. He is not fail-proof, as he did fumble the ball eight times. The other thing going for Drones is the easy schedule. Virginia Tech will face Miami FL and Clemson but could realistically be favored in the remaining 10 games. Voters like to see teams that win. If Drones is able to beat Miami or Clemson, he then would have a signature win on his resume as well.

Donovan Edwards – RB, Michigan (+9,000) – One of the biggest reasons Blake Corum struggled to gain traction in the Heisman race was because of the stud backup running back. Corum is off to the NFL, and the backfield now belongs to Donovan Edwards. The biggest issue with Edwards has been consistency when he gets his chances. We have seen Edwards explode in some of the biggest moments, such as scoring two touchdowns in the National Championship game and running wild against Ohio State in the Horseshoe. Michigan is going to rely heavily on the run game this fall after JJ McCarthy departed for the NFL. Alex Orgi is expected to be the starting quarterback, but as of today, the position battle is still ongoing. Edwards is going to be relied upon heavily, and Sherrone Moore is likely going to emphasize the run game. He was the man in charge when Michigan ran the ball on more than 30 consecutive plays against Penn State. With odds of +9,000, the odds are too good to pass up.

Ollie Gordon – RB, Oklahoma State (+7,500) – The leading rusher from the 2023 season has relatively low odds. Gordon finished seventh in Heisman voting last year after going from an unknown running back to the star of the Cowboys. Gordon registered just 19 carries and 109 yards through the first three games of the season before a breakout performance against Iowa State, where he tallied 121 yards. Gordon would finish the season rushing for at least 100 yards in nine games, and more than 200 yards in two of those games. Gordon is a great value because the offense should run through him once again, even with Alan Bowman coming back for another season. His explosive nature and usage will give him enough opportunities to find the end zone and attempt to lead Oklahoma to a Big 12 championship.

Shedeur Sanders – QB, Colorado (+4,000) – I saved this one for last because somehow Shedeur Sanders being a legitimate candidate is a hot take. Look, I understand why he gets the hate. Deion made the team go support his rap career. He ran over to the Arizona State student section and flexed his watch. The media loves Sanders, and if they manage to win eight or nine games, the hype is going to be at an excessive level, as we saw when they only won four games. The other thing about Sanders is he is actually a pretty good quarterback. He threw 27 touchdowns while only throwing three interceptions and rushing for an additional four touchdowns. Sanders did all this while having one of the worst offensive lines in the country and being sacked more than 50 times. The offensive line needs to improve. If the unit does not get better, then Colorado will be looking at similar results to last season. Now, if they do improve and allow even just 20% fewer sacks, I think Colorado could win eight or nine games.