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The 2026 college football season will kick off next month, and there is plenty of intrigue about which team will win it all.
Another major storyline is who will win the Heisman Trophy. Fernando Mendoza won the award last year, which led to him being selected first overall. In the last 10 years, eight have been quarterbacks, so usually a quarterback wins the award.
Ahead of the 2026 college football season, here are three Heisman contenders to believe in and two not to.
Heisman Contenders to Believe In
#1, CJ Carr Has Notre Dame Backing
CJ Carr is returning as the Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback, and he's a legit Heisman contender to believe in.
Notre Dame is one of the biggest name brands in the sport, so if the Fighting Irish go undefeated and Carr leads the way, he'll get plenty of hype to win the award.
Notre Dame has a rather easy schedule; however, Carr will need to play at an elite level. But the easy opponents should allow him to put up jaw-dropping numbers.
Carr is the Heisman favorite at +700.
#2, Arch Manning Brings Name Value
Arch Manning had mixed results in his first year as a starting quarterback in college football.
Manning is arguably the biggest name in college football, as his uncles are Peyton and Eli, and he comes from the legendary Manning family. So, if Manning does play well, his name value alone will likely sway voters to vote for him, as his winning the Heisman would be good for the sport.
Manning enters the season with the second-best odds at +800.
#3, Dante Moore Spurns NFL For Championship Aspirations
Dante Moore was projected to be the second overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, but he opted to return to Oregon.
Moore will be the Ducks' starting quarterback, and he gives Oregon plenty of hype entering the year. Oregon is a legit national title contender, and if Moore can lead the Ducks to notable wins over USC, Ohio State, and Michigan, the Heisman Trophy could very well be his to lose.
Moore has the third-best odds at +1200.
More College Football:
- Major CFB Storylines That Will Define the 2026 Season
- College Football Analyst Calls Historic Program No Longer ‘Relevant’
- Transfer Portal Winners and Losers: Which Programs Actually Won the Offseason
Heisman Candidates to Not Believe In
#1, Trinidad Chambliss Has Plenty of Questions
Trinidad Chambliss won in court to get a sixth year of eligibility, and he will be one of the best quarterbacks in college football.
However, although Chambliss had plenty of success last season and led Ole Miss to the semifinals of the playoffs, he was relatively unknown. Now, there is more tape on him, and I'm not sure the Rebels have the team to be as good as last year.
If Ole Miss loses 2-3 games, which seems likely, Chambliss will be out of the running to win the Heisman, which is why I don't believe in him.
Chambliss has the sixth-best odds at +1300.
#2, Josh Hoover is a Good Get for Indiana, but not a Heisman
The Indiana Hoosiers landed Josh Hoover in the transfer portal to replace Fernando Mendoza as the starting quarterback.
Although Hoover is a good system fit for the Hoosiers, he likely won't be a Heisman contender. I expect Indiana to take a step back and for the Hoosiers to be more of a run offense in 2026. Although Hoover could lead the Hoosiers to the playoffs, there are many better players and bigger names to win the Heisman.
Hoover is tied for the sixth-best odds to win the Heisman at +1300.
Related: Texas Tech QB Brendan Sorsby Taking Indefinite Leave of Absence Due to Gambling
