It’s only June, but it’s never too early to start thinking about your college football betting strategy.

The betting odds for the 2018-19 Heisman Trophy were released today. This list is full of many new names, but one of this year’s favorites isn’t new to preseason Heisman buzz. Last year’s Heisman runner-up Stanford RB Bryce Love is near the top of this year’s early Heisman favorites.

Is is a lock for Love will win the Heisman this season? Early Heisman favorites haven’t been so lucky in recent years. Oregon QB Marcus Mariota is the only early top favorite in the last decade that went on to win the Heisman. Last year’s winner Oklahoma Baker Mayfield had the second-best odds of winning it going into last season, behind USC QB Sam Darnold.

Who are this year’s early Heisman favorites? Do any standout as a nice value bet?

RB Jonathan Taylor – Wisconsin Badgers – +750
RB Bryce Love – Stanford Cardinal – +800
QB Tua Tagovailoa – Alabama Crimson Tide – +900
QB Trevor Lawrence – Clemson Tigers – +900
QB Jake Fromm – Georgia Bulldogs – +1200
QB Khalil Tate – Arizona Wildcats – +1400
QB J.K. Dobbins – Ohio State Buckeyes – +1500
QB Jarrett Stidham – Auburn Tigers – +1600
QB Justin Herbert – Oregon Ducks – +1800
QB Trace McSorley – Penn State Nittany Lions – +1800
QB Will Grier – West Virginia Mountaineers – +2000
QB Kelly Bryant – Clemson Tigers – +2000
QB Shea Patterson – Michigan Wolverines – +2000
QB Jake Browning – Washington Huskies – +2200
QB Dwayne Haskins – Ohio State Buckeyes – +2200
RB Cam Akers – Florida State Seminoles – +2500
RB Rodney Anderson – Oklahoma Sooners – +2500
QB Drew Lock – Missouri Tigers – +2500
QB McKenzie Milton – Central Florida Knights – +2800
RB D’Andre Swift – Georgia Bulldogs – +2800
QB Brandon Wimbush – Notre Dame Fighting Irish – +3500
QB Nick Fitzgerald – Mississippi State Bulldogs – +3500
RB Damien Harris – Alabama Crimson Tide – +5000
RB Travis Etienne – Clemson Tigers – +5500
QB Ryan Finley – NC State Wolf Pack – +5500
WR David Stills – West Virginia Mountaineers – +6600
DL Ed Oliver – Houston Cougars – +6600
DL Nick Bosa – Ohio State Buckeyes – +6600
RB Justice Hill – Oklahoma State Cowboys – +8800
QB Frank Nutil – Temple Owls – +10000

That is one hell of a list. I like the defensive line love from the sportsbooks by adding Ed Oliver and Nick Bosa as longshots. They would need to dominate and score some touchdowns from fumbles or make a few Jadeveon Clowney-like hits that go viral…but I wouldn’t waste your money on those bets.

Okay, let’s knock off a few of the early Heisman favorites off the list. If you’re looking to make a small early offseason bet, I would erase any competitors in a QB battle. If you have a hunch about either of the Ohio State or Clemson quarterbacks, by all means, go for it. I just want to cross them off right now since there is too much risk. I would also erase McSorley, Lock and Browning off your list. McSorley may struggle without RB Saquon Barkley and I don’t think Lock and Browning can string together enough great offensive performances during conference play.

Here are my top-four best value bets:

1. Shea Patterson (Michigan) +2000 – Jim Harbaugh hasn’t really had a true pocket passer since he took the job at Michigan. Patterson transferred from Ole Miss and faced great SEC defenses on a regular basis. The Big Ten has a couple good defenses, but Patterson could pad his stats against Rutgers, Indiana and Maryland. Also, Patterson could help them contend and possibly beat the Buckeyes at the Shoe in November.
2. D’Andre Swift (Georgia) +2800 – The Bulldogs had a resurgence last season. They won games with a young quarterback and a talented backfield. Nick Chubb and Sony Michel were both drafted and Swift is now the man in Athens. He’s a little guy, but he is quick and has good hands. He averaged 8.2 yards per carry in his freshman season and averaged 9.7 yards per reception. He could do damage all over the box score and will have plenty of national games to get recognized.
3. Will Grier (West Virginia) +2000 – Grier put together a very good season in his first eligible year at West Virginia. He threw 34 touchdowns and he missed most of the game against Texas, season finale at Oklahoma and their bowl game. I have no doubt he would have had 42+ touchdowns if he didn’t get injured. Grier has the biggest edge in this race as he has WR David Stills catching balls. Grier will benefit greatly from having an elite receiver, as many early Heisman QB favorites don’t have that convenience. Grier grew as a passer since his first year at Florida and if he stays on that trajectory, he will be in the Heisman race.
4. McKenzie Milton (UCF) +2800 – Milton put up some insane numbers last season for the Knights. He threw 35 touchdowns and ran in seven more scores. He threw for 3,795 yards and competed 69% of his passes. He led Central Florida to a win over Auburn in the Peach Bowl, although his overall numbers in that game weren’t great. The thing that hurts Milton is that they don’t have any big nationally-televised games. Their biggest tests will be at home against Temple and then their season finale at South Florida…neither will be a big ratings success. Those aren’t marquee match-ups that will get him featured on ABC in prime time. Milton will end this upcoming season with ridiculous numbers and there’s a chance he could stand out enough to be in the Heisman conversation.

The four betting suggestions above all have the best overall value, but Taylor, Love and Tagovailoa are no doubt the three most plausible Heisman winners right now. They all get nationally-televised games and all have NFL buzz around them (that helps nowadays).

Jonathan Taylor is really the only elite weapon Wisconsin has on offense, so he will be fed the ball as much as possible. Bryce Love is another dual-threat running back with speed and hands to catch the ball. Love also has the important late-season game against Notre Dame that is always prominently featured on NBC or ESPN. Tagovailoa has the most hype thanks to his performance in the National Championship game. The only thing that could hurt him is the Jalen Hurts drama. Will they have a playing-time split or will Tagovailoa have a traditional starting quarterback job? It’s the biggest unknown in the state of Alabama right now.

Are there any dark horses out there that catch your eye?

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About the Author…

Bobby Roberts (otherwise known as Sweetbob) is the creator of ‘America’s White Boy’ and contributor at Project Shanks. His writing has been featured on ESPN’s ‘SportsNation’, Sports Illustrated’s Hot Clicks, Guyspeed, and various other sites. You can follow him on Twitter at @Sweetbob.