B/R's 2026 Heisman Trophy Odds and Rankings after Week 3

Not only did Ole Miss defeat enemy No. 1 in a victory over LSU, but star quarterback Trinidad Chambliss also surged in the 2026 Heisman Trophy race.

Chambliss, who finished eighth in the award's voting last season, propelled the Rebels to that emotional win. He's now a front-runner for the Heisman alongside Miami QB Darian Mensah, who refuses to throw incompletions.

It's also clearly time for Kamario Taylor to have his moment in the spotlight.

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 (+1100)

Keelon Russell, QB, Alabama : Russell recovered from a down day at Kentucky with a gaudy performance in a 50-36 win over Florida State. He threw for 320 yards, rushed for 56 more and totaled four touchdowns. Alabama, now 3-0, hosts South Carolina in Week 4.

Lincoln Kienholz, QB, Louisville : New to the picture is Kienholz, an Ohio State transfer capitalizing on his first starting job. He's thrown two touchdowns and rushed for at least one score in each contest so far, leading Louisville to a 2-1 record—with a competitive loss to Ole Miss not hurting his résumé. Wake Forest comes to town on Saturday.

Julian Sayin, QB, Ohio State : In a 59-3 rout of Kent State, Sayin played only through the opening drive of the third quarter. He completed 18-of-22 passes for 241 yards and two scores, including a Hail Mary touchdown right before half. Ohio State is set to open its Big Ten slate at home opposite Illinois.

Drew Mestemaker, QB, Oklahoma State : After the upset of Oregon, Mestemaker and the Pokes cruised past Murray State 59-0. In a tune-up ahead of Week 4's trip to West Virginia, he threw for 324 yards and five scores.

Dante Moore, QB, Oregon : Meanwhile, the Ducks took out their frustration on Portland State in a runaway 84-0 game. Moore put together a 19-of-23 line for 280 yards and four touchdowns before watching the second half on the sideline. The spotlight returns for Oregon with a showdown at USC up next.

Gunner Stockton, Georgia : Another week, another easy win. Stockton threw for 147 yards and rushed for 97 more in a 45-17 beatdown of Arkansas. Georgia's level of competition rises in Week 4 as Oklahoma heads to Athens.

Josh Hoover, Indiana : Same story for Hoover, whose 273 passing yards and two touchdowns helped Indiana beat Western Kentucky 38-0. He's thrown 10 scores and zero interceptions this season. That turnover-less trend may continue as IU hosts Northwestern in Week 4.

CJ Carr, Notre Dame : Carr had a quiet weekend, throwing for 234 yards and scoring a rushing touchdown in a 27-10 win over Michigan State. Notre Dame now travels to Purdue for what should be a third straight comfortable victory.

Rocco Becht, Penn State : Following a painless nonconference slate, Penn State kicks off Big Ten action at home against Wisconsin. Becht has passed for 751 yards and nine touchdowns with no giveaways to date.

Arch Manning, Texas : On the heels of a remarkable win, Manning was just meh against UTSA. He completed 17-of-33 attempts for 164 yards, managing two touchdowns and adding 50 rushing yards. The comeback to stun Ohio State will bolster his candidacy, but Manning must stack key performances in marquee games. The Longhorns travel to 3-0 Tennessee in Week 4.

Jayden Maiava, USC : Perhaps with an eye wandering toward this Saturday's showdown with Oregon, USC survived a 42-35 tilt at Rutgers. Maiava had a few shaky moments but still passed for a solid 277 yards and two scores.

When you're only playing a half of football, it's going to hurt the box score. When you're Jeremiah Smith, you still have a fine showing anyway.

Though he didn't find the end zone, Ohio State's star playmaker caught five passes for 85 yards in the blowout win over Kent State. Additionally, he became the program's all-time receiving yardage leader.

Neat accolade! Smith should break the receptions and touchdowns marks, too.

As other Heisman candidates have flashier stats, Smith—who has collected 21 catches for 400 yards and three touchdowns—would benefit from a big afternoon against Illinois in Week 4.

4. Kamario Taylor, QB, Mississippi State

How much are you jumping on the bandwagon?

From an entertainment perspective, get yourself all the way on board. Kamario Taylor is a smart, dynamic quarterback—one with an absolute rocket of a throwing arm—in the early stages of a breakout year.

Taylor totaled 413 yards and five touchdowns in a season-opening rout of Louisiana-Monroe. He racked up 313 yards and three scores when Mississippi State smoked Minnesota on the road, then posted 284 yards and four touchdowns in the recent win at South Carolina.

The main question is how much he can sustain this terrific start.

From Week 4 through the end of October, the Bulldogs take on Missouri, Alabama, LSU, Oklahoma, and Texas. It's nothing short of a brutal schedule.

I'll venture to guess that Taylor dips from the Heisman radar. That's not exactly a bold prediction. I am certain we'll be watching him closely, even if that's simply to see what highlight-reel moment comes next.

The bad news is that Malachi Toney endured a mid-game injury that limited his involvement in the second half of a victory at Wake Forest.

The good news, it appears, is that he'll be available in Week 4.

While the 'Canes certainly would have preferred Toney at full strength for 60 minutes, he still amassed 12 catches for 114 yards and a touchdown. That brings his season totals to 28 receptions, 444 yards and five scores—which are second, second and fourth, respectively, in the country.

Miami may understandably choose to reduce Toney's snaps if a lopsided-on-paper matchup with Central Michigan goes as expected.

Given that he's been an absolute monster in the opening half of all three Miami wins, though, it might be all he needs anyway.

Darian Mensah is riding the hottest of hot streaks to open his Miami career, completing an absurd 89.9 percent of his passes. He's thrown for 873 yards at 11.1 per attempt and hasn't tossed an interception.

While he's likely to keep up the torrid pace against CMU in Week 4, Mensah will no longer have Joshua Moore on the outside. The sophomore—an early top-three target—is done for the season with an upper-body injury .

Nevertheless, the 'Canes have Toney and Cooper Barkate with South Carolina transfer Vandrevius Jacobs and promising young wideouts at Mensah's disposal.

Miami's high-scoring, Mensah-led train should keep on rolling.

Sure, there are a pair of interceptions on Trinidad Chambliss' stat sheet. Many other Heisman candidates have avoided a giveaway so far.

He also boasts two victories over Top 25 opponents. That's something no one else can match at this point.

After propelling the Rebels past Louisville in the opener, Chambliss played the leading role in their 32-24 triumph over former coach Lane Kiffin and LSU. Chambliss threw for 363 yards and two scores, including a 14-yard scamper for a game-winning touchdown in the dramatic win.

Clearly, he deserves to be the post-Week 3 Heisman favorite.

That label could also be temporary, considering the relentless nature of Ole Miss' remaining schedule. Five current Top 25 teams remain—next up is Florida in Week 4— plus a trip to Oklahoma left on the docket.

Chambliss, though, has the individual talent to survive that gauntlet.