Week 1 did not disappoint when it came to Heisman Trophy favorites, with big games across the board, leading to a lot of movement on PrizePicks' payout projection board.
Texas QB Arch Manning, who was the second favorite entering the season, Miami’s duo of QB Darian Mensah and WR Malachi Toney, Ohio State’s tag team of QB Julian Sayin and WR Jeremiah Smith, and QBs Gunner Stockton (Georgia), Trinidad Chambliss (Ole Miss), and Dante Moore (Oregon) all led their teams to victories while putting up lofty numbers in Week 1.
Week 2 has a special treat, as three of the top seven Heisman favorites on the board will be playing on the same field as #1 Ohio State travels to Austin to take on #4 Texas on Saturday.
Let's stack up the field in an updated Heisman watch and break down the payouts for Heisman Trophy winners on PrizePicks, where you can pick college football futures and earn money if you're right in 36 states.
Make your 2026 Heisman Trophy predictions on PrizePicks.
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Heisman Watch: 2026 Heisman Trophy Candidates, Winner Payouts, CFB Futures
Here are some top Heisman Trophy candidates to win the award, including their payouts via PrizePicks.
The payouts listed below indicate real-money earnings if a prediction is correct; for example, a 2x on a $100 entry pays out $200. The lower the payout multiplier, the higher the chance of the outcome occurring, according to user picks.
Who Will Win the 2026 Heisman Trophy? Top Favorites
Here are our top three Heisman Trophy contenders with the 2026 season underway.
#3: Sam Leavitt (QB, LSU)
Sam Leavitt Heisman Trophy Winner Payout: Yes 11.11x | No 1.03x
If there was a QB in Week 1 that didn’t necessarily put up huge numbers but impressed me the most, it was LSU’s Sam Leavitt.
The Arizona State transfer is the man running Lane Kiffin's offense in Baton Rouge, and he showed out in his Tigers’ debut, passing for 230 yards and a TD and running for 113 yards and 2 more TDs on the ground. This came after throwing an INT on the first play of the game. After that, he was lights out, completing 16 of the next 27 passes.
There were many questions surrounding LSU’s program heading into the showdown with Clemson, and many of them were answered in the 51-10 drubbing of the other Tigers.
After the first-play INT, Leavitt led the Tigers into scoring position on the next four drives, resulting in a 31-3 halftime lead. His 113 rushing yards were the third-most of any QB last week, part of a 309-yard rushing night for LSU.
Just last season at Ole Miss, Lane Kiffin took Division II QB Trinidad Chambliss and turned him into a Heisman contender as Chambliss threw for nearly 4,000 yards and added over 500 on the ground, while not even starting until Week 3.
Kiffin and the Tigers will likely get national attention every week, and this offense should keep scoring. Leavitt will be the beneficiary of that.
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#2: Arch Manning (QB, Texas)
Arch Manning Heisman Trophy Winner Payout: Yes 8.33x | No 1.05x
I reserved this spot in the Heisman favorites piece for the “winner of the Ohio State-Texas game." Whoever has the best game among Manning, Ohio State QB Julian Sayin, and Buckeyes WR Jeremiah Smith could leave Austin in the driver's seat for the Heisman Trophy.
Texas and Manning enter the #1 vs. #4 battle as the 1.5-point favorite at PrizePicks and for good reason.
Manning, who got off to a rough start last season, including the loss at Ohio State, played as one of the top QBs in the nation over his last six games, compiling an 87.9 QBR. He completed 62.3% of his passes, with 14 TDs, only 2 INTs, and averaging 285.7 pass yards per game. Further, he added 5 TDs on the ground.
The Longhorns spent well in the portal, getting Manning weapons with Auburn transfer WR Cam Coleman, who caught 2 of Manning’s TDs in the first game, and ASU transfer RB Raleek Brown, who also had 2 TDs in Week 1.
The one-game sample size backed up the 2026 hype as Manning passed for 305 yards and 4 TDs. Should he beat the top team in the country on Saturday, he could be the new Heisman favorite.
Pick Arch Manning to win the Heisman Trophy at PrizePicks!
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#1 Darian Mensah (QB, Miami)
Darian Mensah Heisman Trophy Winner Payout: Yes 5x | No 1.14x
The most significant change week over week is Miami QB Darian Mensah moving from the third favorite all the way to the favorite at PrizePicks.
In his first game with the Hurricanes following a transfer from Duke, Mensah tossed TDs on his first two drives and ended the night with 5 TD passes, leading the Canes to their most passing yards since 2024.
Per PFF, Mensah posted a 9.7% big-time throw rate without recording a turnover-worthy play vs. Stanford. His 257.3 passer rating was the seventh-highest of the week, his 5 passing TDs were the third-most, and the 401 passing yards landed him 12th.
Before coming to Miami, Mensah passed for 3,973 yards at Duke, which was the second-most in the country and most among Power Four conference QBs. He also finished second with 34 passing TDs, trailing only Heisman winner and No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza.
Mensah and Miami play FCS Florida A&M on Thursday night, where Mensah will be able to pad his stats even more against a Rattlers defense that allowed Miami’s Cam Ward to pass for 304 yards and 3 TDs two seasons ago.
Take Darian Mensah as the Heisman Trophy winner at PrizePicks!
Make 2026 Heisman Trophy Futures Picks on PrizePicks
The 2026 college football season is well underway, with Heisman contenders already lighting up the field. Can Darian Mensah match his Week 1 output and continue as the Heisman favorite? Or will the winner of Ohio State-Texas show us the eventual Heisman winner?
Make your Heisman Trophy pick with futures on PrizePicks Team Picks. Just go to the PrizePicks app, open Team Picks, pick the player you think will win the Heisman, and earn cash if you're right. You can also make predictions on CFB game winners, spreads, and over/unders — now available in 36 states.
Keep it here with the Playbook for continued CFB picks, predictions, futures, and more throughout the 2026 season.
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