Bo Nix likely fumbles Heisman chances in Pac-12 title game loss as LSU's Daniels surges

Bo Nix saw his Heisman trophy odds go for a ride during a wild Pac-12 championship game

LAS VEGAS — Going into the Pac-12 championship game, it looked like a two-horse race for the 2023 Heisman trophy. Bo Nix was the favorite at sportsbooks around the nation, heading into Friday night’s tilt against Washington with -190 odds at DraftKings Sportsbook.

The other contender, LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels, wasn’t playing this weekend and could do nothing but watch and hope Oregon (and Nix) lost. Daniels had +150 odds at DraftKings.

And, of course, Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. — who was the Heisman favorite for a week earlier this season, had 14-1 Heisman odds.

With Oregon a 10-point favorite at sportsbooks, it was expected that Nix would have a big game, but instead it was the Huskies who struck early and often, building a 17-3 second-quarter lead.

At this point in the game, Daniels became the Heisman favorite at DraftKings, with -200 odds, while Nix was at +140 and Penix. Jr had crept up to 10-1.

Oregon would use a seven-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to pull to 20-10 at halftime. At this point, Daniels was still a big favorite at DraftKings and other sportsbooks, with -250 odds, Nix at +200 and Penix at +750.

The Ducks charged out of halftime, and took a 24-20 lead late in the fourth quarter, which prompted Nix to again be a slight favorite (-125) over Daniels (-105) at DraftKings.

Even when Washington was ahead 27-24 in the fourth quarter with 10 minutes left, Nix was a -135 favorite over Daniels (+100).

But Washington pulled away in the fourth quarter, flipping Daniels to the favorite at sportsbooks again, and the Huskies held on for a 34-31 victory.

After the game, Daniels was a prohibitive favorite at sportsbooks to win his first Heisman trophy, despite doing nothing other watching the Pac-12 championship from the sidelines like the rest of us. At DraftKings Sportsbook, Daniels was up to a -1400 favorite (implied probability of 93.3 percent) to win the Heisman, while Penix Jr. (+900) had overtaken Nix as the QB with the second-best odds.

Nix, who started the night with -190 odds (65.5 percent implied probability) to win the Heisman, fell to 10-1 (9.1 percent).

As the purple confetti rained down on the field over the final Pac-12 game, it was a reminder of the excitement of one of college football’s great conferences. A conference that, in all likelihood, will go without a Heisman trophy winner tonight — even though two of the top three candidates played in this game.