Bill Connelly Nov 3, 2026, 07:00 AM ET

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Bill Connelly is a writer for ESPN. He covers college football, soccer and tennis. He has been at ESPN since 2019.

In Week 9, the Heisman race officially got blurry again.

According to the odds at DraftKings , Miami quarterback Darian Mensah became the betting favorite after a strong (and necessary) performance against North Carolina, while the longtime favorite, Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith , was relegated to No. 2 after he generated just 83 receiving yards with new quarterback Luke Fahey as his Buckeyes lost to USC. Just three weeks ago, Smith's odds were an overwhelming -220, equivalent to a 69% chance of winning; now they're at +290 (26%). Things can change pretty quickly.

The Heisman of the Week race, however, went to an old friend. South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers has been an up-and-comer, an epic disappointment and everything in between in what has somehow been only a three-year tenure as the Gamecocks' starting quarterback.…