2023 Heisman Trophy odds: Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy betting leader for first time; Wolverines supplant Georgia as title favorites

While the Associated Press Top 25 still has two-time defending national champion Georgia as the No. 1 team in the country, nearly every sportsbook now has the Bulldogs behind No. 2 Michigan as the national championship betting favorite, and Wolverines quarterback J.J. McCarthy is also the Heisman Trophy favorite for the first time in his career.

At BetMGM, Michigan had been a +300 second-favorite to win the College Football Playoff but is now the +225 favorite for the first in the CFP era. The Wolverines are taking the most tickets (13.8%) and second-most money (10.9%) to go all the way.

Despite some NCAA rules violation distractions, coach Jim Harbaugh's team has won every game by at least 25 points after spanking rival Michigan State 49-0 on Saturday in East Lansing. The 49-point victory was the largest in the series since 1947.

The game was over at the half with Michigan up 28-0. McCarthy accounted for three scores through the air and totaled 276 first-half passing yards. He finished the game 21 of 27 for 287 yards and added a career-high four touchdown passes. McCarthy had seven different passing plays of at least 20 yards and is now sixth all-time at Michigan with 45 career TD passes. He's also 10th in passing yards with 5,034.

McCarthy earned his second consecutive Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honor, this time sharing it with Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., and is +240 at DraftKings for the Heisman. No Michigan QB has won the award, and no Wolverine at any position has done so since Charles Woodson made defensive history in 1997.

Michigan has now won 20 straight Big Ten games, a school record, breaking a tie with the 1990-92 squads coached by Gary Moeller. The Wolverines have also won 23 consecutive regular-season games overall, the third-longest streak in Big Ten history.

It's possible that both McCarthy and Michigan lose their favored roles after this week. They're off until they host Purdue on Nov. 4. The Michigan schedule has been laughably easy so far, but still includes a trip to No. 10 Penn State and the home finale vs. No. 3 Ohio State.

"They're looking good," Adam Pullen, assistant director of trading for Caesars Sportsbook, said of the Wolverines' futures to ESPN. "But we're waiting a couple of weeks and they play Penn State and then Ohio State to see how really good."

Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. is now the +320 second favorite for the Heisman. LSU QB Jayden Daniels is next at +340. Penix had easily his worst game of the season Saturday with two picks in a close win over Arizona State, which dropped his odds. His Huskies are at Stanford on Saturday and Daniels' Tigers play Nov. 4 at No. 9 Alabama. There's no Heisman candidates for Georgia (+275 second favorite for national title), which faces Florida in Jacksonville on Saturday.

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