Where Does Duke Star Nate Sheppard Land in Heisman Trophy Odds?

Star running back Nate Sheppard of the Duke Blue Devils has been one of the better players across the country this season.

Sheppard has helped the Blue Devils' offense take off, giving this team a boost all around the field. Because of Sheppard's performance this year, Duke has a chance to make some noise in the ACC.

Duke will be taking on the Miami Hurricanes this weekend on the road, giving the team a real challenge to deal with. But the Blue Devils will be entering the game with a record of 7-2 for the season, with the team going 4-2 in ACC play so far.

As for Miami, they will enter the contest with a record of 8-1 for the year, going 6-0 on conference play. Sheppard will be a major piece to the puzzle for Duke this week, and he has generated some Heisman Trophy buzz this season.

According to the odds from FanDuel heading into the current week, Sheppard has a +8000 chance to win the Heisman Trophy. While the Duke star remains on the outside looking in on the award, if he were to put together a few more outstanding performances, he could carve his way into the discussion.

Where things stand right now, the list of players ahead of Sheppard is long, but the star running back still has a chance. CJ Carr of Notre Dame, Darian Mensah of Miami, Jeremiah Smith of Ohio State, Devon Dampier of Utah, Drew Mestemaker of Oklahoma State, Keelon Russell of Alabama, Gunner Stockton of Georgia, and LaNorris Sellers of South Carolina were listed ahead of the Blue Devils star.

So far this season, Sheppard has rushed for 1,189 yards with 17 touchdowns on the ground, giving the offense a major boost. But the star has also helped through the air, catching 36 passes for 306 yards and four touchdowns for Duke.

As Sheppard and the Blue Devils prepare for the upcoming game with Miami, this will be an opportunity to show what he can do. If Sheppard can outperform Mensah, it could set the entire Heisman rankings on fire heading into next week.

Duke has three games left on the schedule, giving Sheppard a chance to put himself directly into the conversation over the final games. If Sheppard is able to put together some strong showings, not only would Duke likely win games, but he could potentially be sent to New York.