Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa growing favorite to win Heisman Trophy

Tua Tagovailoa has emerged as a growing betting favorite to win the Heisman Trophy as the college football regular season hits its halfway point, oddsmakers say.

“Tua is more than a scratch favorite now,” according to BetOnline, meaning a bettor gets less than even odds with him.

The Alabama quarterback is listed at 2/3 this week, according to the website BetOnline, down from 7/4 last week.

His closest current competition, according to the oddsmakers, is LSU quarterback Joe Burrow (3/1), who has overtaken Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurts (7/2).

Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who had been the early favorite in January after leading the Tigers to the national championship, has dropped to seventh at 33/1.

The betting site Bookmaker said, “We are looking at a three-man race of Tagovailoa, Hurts and Burrow. We are expecting this one to come down to the last week of the season.”

The Heisman voting deadline is Dec. 9 with the winner announced on Dec. 14.

Tagovailoa, a Saint Louis School graduate, was the favorite for much of fall 2018 but was overtaken late by Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray. Murray out-pointed Tagovailoa, 2,167 to 1,871, in the voting.

Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor, a 20/1 pick, is the only non-quarterback among the eight leading players in the odds.

No Alabama quarterback has won the Heisman Trophy in its 84-year existence. The Crimson Tide has had two winners, both running backs, Mark Ingram (2009) and Derrick Henry (2015).

They are the only non-quarterback winners in the past 18 years.