The best time to place your wager on Mac Jones winning the Heisman Trophy was in January. The second best time is now.

*Let's be clear: this isn't a proclamation that Jones will win the Heisman Trophy; this is amateur gambling advice based solely on his performance and the movement of his odds.

Considering the Crimson Tide fanbase was somewhat split on whether Jones would even be the starter Week 1, it's fair to have not placed money on the odds. Considering expert analysts weren't completely confident Jones would be the starter, it's fair to have not placed money on the odds.

In January, Westgate Superbook in Las Vegas held the Alabama quarterback 25/1 (+2500) odds of winning the illustrious award.

Anyone who put that bet down is looking mighty smart right about now. A blind $100 bet at the time would be looking at a $2,500 cash out.

But now, the facts are out: Mac Jones is a damn good quarterback taking a similar route to last year's winner, Joe Burrow.

He leads in nearly every statistical category in passing and just thumped what was widely considered the best defense in college football in the Georgia Bulldogs. That being said, Trevor Lawrence remains the odd's favorite to return from a January trip to New York City (hopefully) with trophy in hand.

Currently, Vegas Insider has Jones at a 4/1 (+400) odds. Now that $100 bet pays just $400, and while that's a step loss from 10 montha ago, it's the best bettors are going to get for the remainder of the season.

That has more to do with Trevor Lawrence than it does with Jones. The Clemson Tigers face one of its toughest schedules this season as three teams are ranked in the six remaining scheduled games, with Pittsburgh being a sneaky team to peek back into the Top 25 by the time the Panthers meet the Tigers in Death Valley in late November.

Clemson's schedule is actually more difficult down the stretch than Alabama's, according to Team Rankings. Alabama currently doesn't have a ranked team on the schedule, whereas Clemson has two, with Pittsburgh potentially being a third.

The possibility that Trevor Lawrence's play dips in comparison to Mac Jones is objectively higher than not. Should Jones close the gap on Lawrence, the Alabama QB will see his odds raise, meaning a much smaller payout to late bettors.

Then we get to conference championships, where both are expected to wind up at season's end.

Alabama could be facing either Florida or Georgia. The Gators provide a shootout opportunity that provides the chance at inflated stats and late game herois while the the Bulldogs have already been shredded once by Jones.

Conversely, Clemson could see North Carolina, or a rematch with Notre Dame or Miami, who the Tigers throttled 42-17 two weeks ago. Clemson has won the ACC Championship game by a combined score of 229-102. The Tigers tend to have no problem in this game, meaning less chances for heroics for Lawrence and the demand for inflated stats.

The race will be tight all the way to New York from here on out. Jones has faced his toughest test until Atlanta while Lawrence has his toughest compition ahead of him. How it shakes out could be entirely dependant on the final efforts of Championship Weekend. That's fun for fans and a nightmare for betters who haven't taken a side.

And you can bet you'll stand to make more money on Jones now than in December.

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