There is little doubt in almost all college football circles about who the best player is this year. Ohio State star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith has had one whale of a first half of the year and has been the odds-on favorite to win the Heisman Trophy for a few weeks now.

Smith is first in receptions and second in yards and touchdowns, he's only second in the latter two, largely because the competition has heated up. Still, his blend of size, power, speed, and athleticism is one of the best the game has ever seen, and he is going to take home a lot of awards this year.

That all -- including the Heisman -- may have taken a hit, though, when starting quarterback and one of last year's Heisman finalists, Julian Sayin, went down with an injury against Indiana Saturday. After all, to catch passes, touchdowns, and leap tall buildings in a single bound, Smith has to have someone to throw him the ball.

And while freshman Luke Fahey and former five-star prospect Tavien St. Clair will be a part of a game plan going forward to give the Buckeyes the best chance to win, you have to believe Smith's production might go down just a wee bit. With that a real possibility, how has the situation impacted Smith's Heisman odds? We checked in with BetMGM to see, and the good news is that Smith is still the favorite ... for now. Here's a look at the top ten odds after Week 8, a week that saw a lot of upsets and the loss of Sayin for Ohio State.

2026 Heisman Odds after Week 8 and Ohio State QB Julian Sayin injury

As you can see, Smith is still the heavy favorite, but that could change based on what we see from what we get with the new signal caller wearing Scarlet and Gray going forward. Barring injury, though, Smith still has a stranglehold on this, and new quarterback or not, he's still the best player in college football.

Are you listening, Heisman voters? We'll keep an eye on these odds on a weekly basis and see how they might change.

Ohio State football upcoming schedule, results for 2026

All times Eastern.

  • Sept. 5: vs. Ball State Cardinals (W, 56-3)
  • Sept. 12: at Texas Longhorns (L, 24-23)
  • Sept. 19: vs. Kent State Golden Flashes (W, 59-3)
  • Sept. 26: vs. Illinois Fighting Illini (W, 42-19)
  • Oct. 3: at Iowa Hawkeyes (W, 31-14)
  • Oct. 10: vs. Maryland Terrapins (W, 45-16)
  • Oct. 17: at Indiana Hoosiers, (W, 19-15)
  • Oct. 24: Off
  • Oct. 31: at USC Trojans, 7:30 p.m., NBC
  • Nov. 7: at Oregon Ducks, TBA
  • Nov. 14: vs. Northwestern Wildcats, TBA
  • Nov. 21: at Nebraska Cornhuskers, TBA
  • Nov. 28: vs. Michigan Wolverines, Noon, Fox

Record: 5-1 overall, 3-0 Big Ten

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This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Jeremiah Smith Heisman odds after injury to quarterback Julian Sayin

Source: Yahoo Sports