CJ Carr Moves Up in Heisman Race After Big Performance Against Rice

CJ Carr opened the season as the Heisman betting favorite, but after a couple of guys -- Darian Mensah, Jeremiah Smith, Malchi Toney, etc. -- had big games to start the season, Carr's odds dropped.

By no means did Carr play poorly in Notre Dame's Week 1 win over Wisconsin -- 19 of 29 for 239 yards -- but those aren't exactly Heisman-esque stats. But Carr made a strong push in the Heisman race on Saturday after throwing for 253 yards and four touchdowns in ND's 52-0 win over Rice.

Notre Dame QB CJ Carr | Week 2 vs Rice:

☘️ 16/20
☘️ 253 YDS
☘️ 4 TDS
☘️ 0 INTS@NDFootball pic.twitter.com/4NklFcp3mA
— PFF College (@PFF_College) September 12, 2026

Where does Carr sit in the Heisman Race?

As of Saturday night, Carr has the fourth-best odds (+1000) to win the Heisman via FanDuel.

Miami quarterback Darian Mensah (+550) is still the Heisman favorite, followed by Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (+700) and Texas quarterback Arch Manning (+850).

Carr's numbers through two games

Carr doesn't have the flashiest numbers in the nation, but they're still darn good. Through two games, Carr is 35-for-49 (71%) for 492 yards and six touchdowns while throwing just one interception.

The Irish don't need Carr to be great and go win a game for them week in and week out, but with two more Big Ten teams -- Michigan State and Purdue --and three ranked teams -- BYU, Miami (FL) and SMU -- on ND's schedule, Carr's moment will eventually come.

And if he delivers, there's no reason why he can't regain his spot as the Heisman betting favorite.

What to expect from Carr moving forward?

Notre Dame never been a pass-heavy team, so Carr will never likely throw for 400+ yards or five touchdowns in a game. But he doesn't have to do that to win the Heisman.

As long as he continues to protect the ball, throw a couple of touchdown passes and 175+ yards a game, there's no reason why he can't continue to move up in Heisman race.

But Carr's best chance to stand out to the sportsbooks and the Heisman voters is against those three ranked teams I mentioned, especially Miami. If Carr balls out and ND wins those games and remains undefeated, it'll be hard to deny Carr the Heisman.

Wins and losses aren't the end-all, be-all when it comes to the Heisman, but playing at an elite level for an undefeated team will be hard for the sportbooks and Heisman voters to look past.

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