Oklahoma QB John Mateer's Heisman odds plummet immediately after injury news

Within minutes, Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer went from the betting co-favorite to win the Heisman Trophy in 2025 to a long shot.

OU announced on Tuesday that Mateer injured his throwing hand in the first quarter against Auburn on Saturday and will undergo surgery on Wednesday. According to multiple reports, Mateer will miss at least a few weeks, with ESPN's Pete Thamel reporting as long as "about a month."

The news immediately dropped Mateer's Heisman odds dramatically.

Mateer no longer Heisman Trophy favorite thanks to hand injury

The Sooners are in the midst of their bye week before hosting Kent State on Oct. 4. The major concern, though, is the Red River Rivalry against Texas on Oct. 11. Not only is that a massive game for the Sooners, but it could be a Heisman moment for Mateer on a big-time stage going head-to-head against preseason Heisman favorite Arch Manning.

Mateer possibly missing multiple games, including the Red River Rivalry, took a toll on his Heisman chances. According to BetMGM, Mateer was a co-favorite with Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza at +700 as of Tuesday afternoon.

After the news of Mateer's injury, those odds fell to +2200, almost matching his opening odds of +2500. Mendoza then became the sole favorite at +650.

After being a preseason dark house, Mateer emerged as a Heisman favorite almost immediately after throwing for an OU debut record 392 passing yards Week 1 against Illinois State. Through four games, Mateer leads the SEC with 1,215 passing yards and is second in FBS with 351.2 total yards a game.

On3's Pete Nakos reported that "there's some hope" Mateer could still play against Texas, which means he would miss just one game against Kent State next week. If that's the case, then Mateer's Heisman campaign really wouldn't take a hit at all. The injury might even boost his Heisman chances considering he was hurt in the first quarter and still led the Sooners on a game-winning drive in the fourth quarter that was capped by his nine-yard TD run.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

Read more about OU football