How Mississippi State football's Will Rogers can defy his +15000 Heisman odds

STARKVILLE — For the optimistic Mississippi State football fans looking cash in on confidence, a scroll through DraftKings’ 2023 Heisman odds takes some time. Atop the list is reigning winner Caleb Williams (+550) of Southern Cal. Down the list is former Auburn quarterback Bo Nix (+1600) looking to end his career on a memorable note at Oregon. Ole Miss running back Quinshon Judkins (+5000) is a few scrolls below. Even D.J. Uiagelelei (+9000), now the QB at Oregon State after transferring from Clemson, is there after being taken in the 2023 MLB Draft. Then, after 23 names, comes Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers. With +15000 odds, a meager $5 bet would yield a $755 payout. He’s among 17 players with those same odds, including former Ole Miss quarterback John Rhys Plumlee (now at Central Florida) and former Jackson State quarterback Shedeur Sanders (now with his father Deion Sanders at Colorado). So what will it take for Rogers to defy the odds and give ambitious bettors a nice payday? Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers (2) passes down field against Texas A&M during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 2, … Show more It starts with winning. The last six Heisman winners have come from teams with at least 12 wins. You’d have to go back to Louisville’s Lamar Jackson in 2016 (9-4) to find a Heisman winner from a team with fewer than 10 wins. The last before him was Florida's Tim Tebow, who won as a sophomore in 2007 on a 9-4 team. Perhaps the reason DraftKings has longshot odds for Rogers stems from Mississippi State’s line of 6.5 wins. To overcome the tendency of Heisman winners coming from the best teams, Rogers would need eye-popping numbers – and even the impressive statistics he collected while in Mike Leach’s Air Raid offense didn’t push him into the conversation. HEADED TO NASHVILLE: 5 questions facing Mississippi State football, Zach Arnett at 2023 SEC Media Days Jackson finished 16th in the nation with 3,543 passing yards in 2016. That was complemented by 1,571 rushing yards – 10th in the nation. Combined, he accounted for 51 touchdowns and 5,114 yards between the air and ground games. Last season, Rogers threw for 3,974 yards and 35 touchdowns – a pair of numbers likely to dip in Kevin Barbay’s offense. If Rogers puts up the flashy numbers and leads Mississippi State to a memorable season, two items which likely go hand-in-hand, the final component to his campaign would be a Heisman moment. Everyone remembers Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel taking down Alabama and doing his money celebration. Can Rogers provide similar heroics? The schedule allows for it in the SEC West, with Alabama and LSU coming to Starkville.