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Notre Dame hasn’t had a Heisman Trophy winner since wide receiver Tim Brown won it back in 1987, but the main sportsbooks have Irish quarterback CJ Carr as the one to end the program’s streak.
Regardless of the sportsbook — DraftKings (+700), FanDuel (+700), and Caesars (+650) — Carr is the consensus betting favorite.
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Heisman Trophy winner or not, CJ Carr is legit and a future star
After a strong showing in his first season, and with the hype around Notre Dame coming into this year, Carr is becoming the new face of the program. The running backs were the main men last year, and Marcus Freeman will always be the team’s biggest star, but it’s Carr who has to run the attack.
Carr immediately established himself as a top-tier quarterback. Now he’s one of the hottest players in the NFL Draft circles, and when it comes to the Heisman, he fits the profile.
Carr completed 66.6% of his passes, threw for 2,741 yards and 24 touchdowns, rushed for three scores, and only threw six interceptions.
This year, he knows what he’s doing, will throw it around more, and as long as he’s decent in the opener against Wisconsin and doesn’t have any problems over the first half of the season, everything is there for the taking if he goes off against BYU and Miami when the whole world is watching.
CJ Carr Cut Ups https://t.co/Xen58dqzgWpic.twitter.com/rjXMLlZQyA
– jeremiah (@NewEraMiah) July 21, 2026
But will he put up the numbers? The defense is great, the running game will still be terrific, and he likely won’t have to throw the ball enough to match the massive numbers sure to come from the rest of the top quarterbacks.
But what sets Carr apart is his ability to extend plays with his legs and connect on the deep ball. He might not be the clear-cut best at both in college football, but there aren’t more than two guys who are better than him at either one.
But is he really the right player to be the betting favorite? If he’s not outstanding against both BYU and Miami, and if Notre Dame isn’t front and center for a top spot in the College Football Playoff, that’s it.
As long as the Irish play as expected, and Carr is as good as the hype, he’ll have every shot to end the Irish’s drought.
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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
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- Notre Dame’s Top Breakout Threats by Position for 2026 – Defense
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/notredame as CJ Carr is the Preseason Heisman Trophy Favorite. Should He Be?.
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This story was originally published August 17, 2026 at 8:00 PM.