B/R's 2026 Heisman Trophy Odds and Rankings after Week 4

As the opening month of the college football season comes to a close, the tone of the 2026 Heisman Trophy conversation is also shifting.

Early on, preseason expectations linger. It's generally wise not to overreact to what happens during nonconference action, especially given the potential for dramatic differences in competition level.

However, when league play begins, the results become more significant.

After a weekend in which eight AP Top 25 teams lost, a deluge of updates to the Heisman race is only reasonable.

While the latest FanDuel odds are listed, the rankings are more subjective as a snapshot of this moment in the season.

Kamario Taylor, QB, Mississippi State (+800)

Trinidad Chambliss, QB, Ole Miss (+1100)

Nate Sheppard, RB, Duke : The nation's leading rusher, Sheppard has surpassed the 100-yard mark in all four victories so far. He's picked up 644 yards and six scores on the ground, while also catching 10 passes for three more touchdowns. Duke has an open weekend before heading to Georgia Tech.

Josh Hoover, QB, Indiana : Although it was closer than anticipated, Indiana beat Northwestern to hit 4-0. Hoover threw for 202 yards and two scores, lifting his season production to 871 yards with 12 touchdowns and no turnovers. Indiana plays at Rutgers in Week 5.

Drew Mestemaker, QB, Oklahoma State : Since the ugly season-opening loss at Tulsa, Mestemaker has propelled Oklahoma State to three straight wins. He just threw for 389 yards and three scores in a victory at West Virginia. UCF awaits in Week 6.

Arch Manning, QB, Texas : The good news is that Manning has helped Texas to a 4-0 record, including a vital win over Ohio State. His numbers, however, have been merely solid. After an open date, the Longhorns will face rival Oklahoma and then five consecutive opponents currently ranked in the Top 25. Manning has a lot to prove.

Devon Dampier, QB, Utah : Dampier has propelled Utah to four consecutive wins and a No. 13 ranking in the AP poll. So far, he's passed for 896 yards and scampered for 135 yards with 11 total touchdowns to one interception. Utah has an extra week to prepare for Kansas.

Keelon Russell, QB, Alabama : Russell's surge continued in a smackdown of South Carolina. While guiding the Tide to a 49-18 win, he racked up exactly 400 yards and totaled five touchdowns. Russell is entering a very challenging three-week window at Mississippi State, home to Georgia and at Tennessee.

Gunner Stockton, QB, Georgia : Stockton tossed his first interception of the year last weekend. Bummer. Anyway, he threw for 171 yards and a score in a 41-13 demolition of Oklahoma. Stockton has accounted for 854 yards and 10 scores as UGA enters a Week 5 clash with Vanderbilt.

Malachi Toney, WR, Miami : Were it not for a questionable penalty, Toney would've had a second score—and an absurd highlight—to bolster his résumé. Instead, he settled for six catches, 120 yards and a touchdown in Miami's 52-3 rout of Central Michigan. Next for Toney and the 'Canes is a key ACC matchup at Clemson on Saturday in prime time.

CJ Carr, QB, Notre Dame : Notre Dame's blowout streak continued as it defeated all four September opponents by 17-plus points. Carr threw for 237 yards and three scores, with an interception, in a 49-10 win over Purdue, then added a fourth touchdown on the ground. ND plays at North Carolina this weekend.

Julian Sayin, QB, Ohio State : Despite taking a back seat to teammate Jeremiah Smith, Sayin has been extremely productive. He's thrown for 1,206 yards at 10.6 per attempt—both ranking eighth nationally—with 12 total scores and a lone interception. Ohio State, though, may need an efficient showing from Sayin to navigate a tricky Week 5 game at Iowa.

Perceptions change quickly in college football.

Last week, Trinidad Chambliss found himself the target of praise, adoration and a whole lot of other kind words. Fast-forward seven days, and that dramatic win over LSU has taken a back seat to a lopsided loss at Florida.

Chambliss still passed for 298 yards, rushed for 44 and threw for three touchdowns. He kept the Rebels competitive until UF owned the fourth quarter.

Ole Miss's main problem is a defense prone to giving up explosive plays. In turn, it shifts a mountain of pressure onto Chambliss and the offense to survive in high-scoring games.

If there's a bright side, it means Chambliss should have impressive box scores.

If the Rebels continue to flail defensively, it'll be tough to avoid more losses—and push Chambliss in the wrong direction for the Heisman.

The challenge with an early top performer like Jadan Baugh is projecting what's ahead. Sure, he flat-out dominated Florida Atlantic, Campbell and Auburn, but how seriously did we need to take a revamped UF team?

Florida obliterated fourth-ranked Ole Miss behind a powerful offense that included Baugh, racing to 142 yards and three touchdowns. He added a 12-yard reception in the air during the Gators' head-turning 52-28 win.

Through four weeks, the junior ranks second nationally with 600 rushing yards and leads the country with 11 scores on the ground.

While the UF schedule doesn't get much easier—a trip to No. 25 Missouri awaits this weekend—Baugh and the Gators are now squarely in the national eye.

3. Kamario Taylor, QB, Mississippi State

The hype is about to take a serious test.

The nation's breakout player of September, Kamario Taylor, ended the month on a high note. He oversaw a fourth-quarter comeback to beat Missouri, throwing for 360 yards and three touchdowns in a dramatic 31-24 win.

Mississippi State is 4-0 for the second time since 2014, when the program held the AP No. 1 ranking for a full month.

That pesky powerhouse looms for MSU, which at least has the advantage of hosting Saturday's game. Even as the underdog, the Taylor-led upstart has a huge opportunity ahead in the early afternoon showdown.

Last week, I mentioned that other candidates have flashier stats and Smith would benefit from a big afternoon in Week 4.

He obviously saw this ranking and took it to heart.

During a 42-19 thrashing of Illinois, Smith pulled in 12 passes for 217 yards and four touchdowns. Most impressively, he set a career-high mark in each category while helping the Buckeyes move to 3-1.

The main priority for Smith and OSU is winning at Iowa on Saturday. That's the measure of success, no doubt.

Nevertheless, the junior receiver only needs 10 receptions and two scores to become the program's all-time leader in both categories. Smith already took the yardage mark two weeks ago.

When a quarterback matches a season-worst total of four incompletions in the fourth game of the season, you know things are going well.

Darian Mensah hit 23-of-27 attempts in a 52-3 rout of Central Michigan, ending the opening month with a 94-of-106 line. That would be an 88.7 completion rate, which is just absurd at this level.

Overall, he's thrown for 1,211 yards and still has more touchdowns (14) than errant passes (12), with zero turnovers. Mensah slithered past two CMU defenders for a first rushing score of the year as well.

The numbers likely won't be near-perfect much longer, of course.

Miami travels to Clemson this weekend, and four unbeaten teams—Pitt, Notre Dame, Duke and Virginia Tech—remain on the slate. It's pretty unconscionable to believe he can sustain this hot of a start.

But there's not much reason to believe Mensah won't still be excellent, either.