A Heisman preseason favorite hasn't won the award in more than a decade as Week 1 kicks off

Cal quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele is a sleeper for Heisman watch.

A new college football season is upon us, and with Fernando Mendoza playing in the NFL, that means we will crown a new Heisman Trophy winner this year

Joel Klatt has made his Heisman Trophy pick before Week 1 of the 2026 college football season gets underway.

Mensah is the only player from the transfer portal toward the very top of the Heisman Trophy price list at Kalshi. Familiarity with the team's offense can aid other returners, such as Notre Dame's CJ Carr ($0.12), Texas' Arch Manning ($0.10), Ole Miss' Trinidad Chambliss ($0.07) and Ohio State's Julian Sayin ($0.07).

We're breaking down our weekly Heisman Trophy predictions and portfolio ahead of Week 1, with top candidates to buy, sell, hold, and watch following this week's action.

The Hurricanes went out and hit the portal hard at receiver and offensive line. At wide receiver, Miami recruited Cooper Barkate from Duke, Mensah’s top receiver, South Carolina’s No. 2 receiver, Vandrevivus Jacobs, and West Virginia’s leading wide out, Cam Vaughn.

With the college football season kicking off this week, Bucky Brooks identifies his top seven candidates to win the 2026 Heisman Trophy. Is Texas QB Arch Manning the favorite? Where do Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith and Notre Dame QB CJ Carr rank?

Personal glory typically takes a back seat to team success, but nobody has ever complained about winning a Heisman Trophy, either.

Check out who we like to win the Heisman Trophy this season, giving you the favorites, midrange guys and sleeper picks.

Notre Dame’s CJ Carr enters this season as the betting favorite with +700 odds on FanDuel and DraftKings. The Fighting Irish quarterback had an impressive season as a redshirt freshman with 24 touchdowns and six interceptions while completing roughly two-thirds of his passes.

If anyone remembers when the Coliseum’s announced attendance didn’t come with a social media debate it’s Matt Leinart. During Leinart’s reign as the USC Trojans’ quarterback, the old concrete bowl was the epicenter of football in Los Angeles.