Michigan 2023 Heisman Odds: Blake Corum & J.J. McCarthy

Few fan bases take their college football – and football betting odds – more seriously than Michigan.

For the third season in a row, Michigan has been one of the steadiest, strongest teams in college football. Jim Harbaugh has the Wolverines at the top of the college football national championship odds table.

The Wolverines are led by their unrelenting defense, which ranks second in EPA allowed. 

However, no team could be successful in modern college football without effective offensive playmakers. To that end, Michigan has two excellent playmakers on the offensive side of the ball, with both quarterback J.J. McCarthy and running back Blake Corum featured prominently in the Heisman odds table throughout the season. 

J.J. McCarthy Heisman Odds

J.J. McCarthy, the Michigan quarterback, is +25000 to win the 2023 Heisman Trophy. 

McCarthy flirted with top-end Heisman relevance for a few weeks last season before falling back into the middle of the table. That cycle has repeated itself this year, as Michigan’s offense hit a meat-grinder of a defense at Penn State in Week 11.

McCarthy’s 90.8 QBR is the third-best mark in FBS college football, and he remains a well-practiced master in effective command of the Michigan offense. 

That said, the college football world got a whiff of what Michigan’s pro-style offense looks like against a top team at Penn State. Heisman voters are going to have a hard time voting for a guy who threw for 60 yards on eight pass attempts in his first top-25 game of the season. 

Blake Corum Heisman Odds

Blake Corum, the Michigan running back, is +25000 to win the 2023 Heisman Trophy.

Corum finished seventh in last year’s Heisman voting after nearly rushing for 1,500 yards. He probably won’t finish with that kind of rushing total this year, as he currently has just 976 rushing yards heading into the Big Ten Championship Game. 

However, Corum remains a critical piece of Michigan’s power offense, and his touchdown totals represent that. Corum finished with 19 total touchdowns last season. He’s already got 22 scores this year, and his much-needed offense paced the Wolverines in that crucial Week 11 win at Penn State.

Michigan Heisman Winners

Three Michigan players have won the Heisman Trophy throughout the history of college football: Tom Harmon, Desmond Howard, and Charles Woodson.

Howard and Woodson, the most famous of the two, both won the award during Michigan’s excellent 1990s. 

Howard won the award in 1991, famously imitating the Heisman Trophy pose after scoring a punt return touchdown against Ohio State.

Woodson became the only defensive player to ever win the Heisman.

Tom Harmon, who won the award in 1940, was a running back. The same year he won the Heisman, he also won the Maxwell Award, AP Athlete of the Year, and Big Ten MVP. He was a consensus All-American in both 1939 and 1940. Michigan also retired his No. 98 jersey.