The Heisman Trophy ceremony is heading back to network television.
ESPN announced Thursday that the ceremony would be broadcast on ABC instead of ESPN. The cable network has broadcast the Heisman ceremony since 1994 after taking over the rights from NBC.
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The Dec. 13 ceremony will also take place an hour earlier than usual. The Heisman has long been at 8 p.m. ET as a lead-in for a marquee non-live event on ESPN. Now, the ceremony will take place at 7 p.m. ET between an FCS playoff game and the LA Bowl on ABC.
Bowl season starts on the second weekend of December this year because of the way the calendar falls. Teams get two bye weeks in 2025 and the playoff field will be finalized on Dec. 7. The LA Bowl is the first FBS bowl game of the season before there are five more bowl games ahead of the first College Football Playoff game of the season on Dec. 19.
It’s hard to guess who will be at the Heisman ceremony this year with over half the season to go. The preseason Heisman odds have been upended with the struggles of teams like Texas and Clemson. Oregon QB Dante Moore is currently the Heisman favorite at +500 at BetMGM, while Miami QB Carson Beck’s odds are +600. Both Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith and Alabama QB Ty Simpson are at +800.
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Oklahoma QB John Mateer’s odds are back down to 10-1 as there’s a chance he plays in Saturday’s Red River Rivalry against Texas. Mateer had hand surgery two weeks ago. Before the surgery, Mateer had become the Heisman favorite.
With the Heisman broadcast on ABC, ESPN will televise college basketball on Dec. 13. The network said it would televise Indiana at Kentucky and Arizona vs. Alabama that evening.
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