Travis Hunter is going to make sportsbooks pay up ahead of the Heisman Trophy ceremony later this month. As several sportsbook executives shared with ESPN's Doug Greenberg, there will likely be a high number of paid-out tickets for long odds Hunter had in the summer.
"It's going to be very good for our customers," said Caesars head of football Joey Feazel. " certainly some bets on Travis Hunter leading into the year and throughout the year, probably one of our most popular selections throughout the summer."
"We're not in good shape on Hunter and we're not in good shape on Jeanty. So just to sum it up, we're not in good shape," DraftKings sportsbooks director Johnny Avello told ESPN.
"As far as Hunter is concerned, he plays both ways and the team was winning. If Colorado wasn't a winning team this year, if they were a four- or five-win team, he probably wouldn't have won it. But I think the fact that they did win and he helped them in a lot of those wins... it played out well for him."
Hunter has become the overwhelming favorite to hoist the Heisman Trophy. While Ashton Jeanty gave him good competition, Hunter's two-way brilliance, coupled with Colorado's shockingly dominant season, sealed the deal. Of course, Jeanty got the last laugh getting Boise State to a No. 3 seed in the College Football Playoff, but that's neither here no there.
Hunter was so good that the people beat the books and got one over on Las Vegas. That's a rare feat most will never achieve.