Through Week 4 of the College Football season, there is still no clear Heisman favorite. The Flames suffered their first loss of the season last Friday at the hands of the Syracuse Orange. As a non-Power-Five quarterback, the team’s success is very important in regards to Malik’s Heisman odds, and another loss could very well knock Malik out of serious contention.
Even in the loss, Malik had a good performance, throwing for 205 yards and 3 touchdowns, while adding on 50 rushing yards as well. On the season, Willis has 818 passing yards and 10 touchdowns with 274 rushing yards and another 4 touchdowns. Willis has yet to throw an interception on the season and owns a quarterback rating of 89.5 which is good for third in the nation.
Vegas Insider updated their 2021 Heisman Odds after Week 4, here’s their top five:
- Matt Corral, QB-Mississippi +150
- Bryce Young, QB-Alabama +300
- JT Daniels, QB-Georgia +1700
- Spencer Rattler, QB-Oklahoma +2100
- Desmond Ridder, QB-Cincinnati +2600
- Malik Willis, QB-Liberty +5000
Matt Corral remains the clear Heisman favorite after week 4. The Rebels had a bye week this past week but will be tested next week against Alabama.
Bryce Young holds steady at the number two spot. Young threw for 313 yards, 5 touchdowns, and an interception in the Crimson Tide’s win over Southern Miss last Saturday. Young and Corral will go head-to-head next week, in a game that could make a huge difference in the Heisman race.
JT Daniels made a jump back into the top 5 after a slow start to the season. Daniels had 129 yards and 2 touchdowns against Vanderbilt. Daniels only has 567 yards passing for 5 touchdowns and 2 interceptions on the year, which makes his jump back into the top 5 a bit confusing.
Another head-scratcher is Spencer Rattler. Rattler threw for 256 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in the Sooner’s slight win over West Virginia. Oklahoma fans started chanting for the Sooner’s backup quarterback to replace Rattler at one point in the game, as the preseason Heisman favorite continues to have a slow start to the season. Rattler has thrown for 1,017 yards, 8 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions on the season. Desmond Ridder remains in the 5th spot after a bye this past weekend. Ridder and the Bearcats have a huge matchup against Notre Dame coming up this weekend.
Malik’s Heisman odds remained at +5000 this week. While Corral is probably recognized as the Heisman favorite so far, there isn’t any one player that has made significant strides in distancing themselves from the rest of the pack. Due to this, Willis is still very much alive in the Heisman hunt despite Liberty’s loss. If the Flames quarterback can continue to put up an average of at least 4 touchdowns a game and continue to limit turnovers, Willis should stay in legitimate contention for College Football’s top honor.
While individual stats are important, so is Liberty’s success as a team. The Flames enter Saturday’s game against UAB as underdogs for the first time this season, so getting a win Saturday will be the most important factor in Malik’s Heisman odds.
