CBS Sports: Nick Bosa, Ed Oliver Are 'Worst Values' For Heisman Bettors
Defensive players winning the Heisman is exceedingly rare, making Nick Bosa and Ed Oliver bad bets to win the trophy.
Nick Bosa and Ed Oliver are standout defensive linemen for Ohio State and Houston, respectively. They are unquestionably among the best few players in all of college football.
Both players appeared on the early odds lists for Heisman Trophy winners. Each is given 66/1 odds.
You should absolutely not bet on either of them. Doing so would be basically equivalent to throwing away money.
Only one defensive player has ever won the Heisman trophy: Michigan's Charles Woodson. He was aided by the fact that he was also a stud kick returner and played wide receiver.
A few days ago, CBS Sports' Tom Fornelli published a list of the worst Heisman bets. The list features a trio of big-name quarterbacks: Tua Tagovailoa, Khalil Tate, and Jake Fromm.
UCF QB McKenzie Milton also cracks the list, which makes sense. UCF may be coming off of an undefeated season, but Group of Five players are at a huge disadvantage, and the Knights are going through a coaching change.
Bosa and Oliver are the worst bets, however. From Fornelli's write-up:
Listen, I have always been That Guy who gets annoyed that defensive players don't get nearly as much love as they deserve in the Heisman conversation. That said, you'd have to be an idiot to take either of these guys at 66/1. It's not going to happen.
If you want to bet on either Bosa or Oliver, I have a much better idea. Contact me on Twitter, and I'll give you my Venmo information, and you can just send me the money instead. Cool?
This isn't to say that the two defensive lineman won't be worthy. There have been a few examples of recent seasons where defensive players were probably snubbed for the Heisman.
One good recent example is former Nebraska standout Ndamukong Suh. He was an absolute force in college, and virtually swept the awards on the defensive side.
Suh only finished third in Heisman voting, however. If Bosa or Oliver wants to buck the trend, they should probably find a way to get some work on the offensive end (or, more work in Oliver's case).
