Dark-Horse Candidates for 2016 Heisman Trophy

Bowl season is in its early stages, and we still have some time to go before crowning a national champion for the 2015 season. But that's not stopping anyone from already talking about the next season in college football—one that is going to be filled with so many star players.

Two of the three Heisman finalists from this season, Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey and Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson, will be back next year. (Award winner Derrick Henry could come back, but that's highly unlikely.)

Therefore, the front-runners for the 2016 Heisman Trophy race are obvious: McCaffrey, Watson, Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield, Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett, LSU running back Leonard Fournette, Florida State running back Dalvin Cook and Georgia running back Nick Chubb, to name just a few. 

But what about the players who could make a Heisman push next season who aren't among those clear-cut front-runners?

Here are 10 dark-horse candidates for the 2016 Heisman Trophy, based on their performances this season and their supporting casts returning for next season. Shout out your under-the-radar contenders in the comments below.

Alabama WR Calvin Ridley

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An Alabama selection the year after the Tide produced a Heisman winner will probably be met with plenty of groans from rival fans, but face it—if Alabama continues to compete for championships, its top offensive player will get the spotlight as a top award contender.

Next year, that player looks like Calvin Ridley, who led the team in receiving as a true freshman this season. The South Florida product has already drawn a lot of comparisons to 2014 Heisman finalist Amari Cooper. Ridley already has more receptions than Cooper had in his true freshman campaign back in 2012.

"He came in making big plays, and all season he's made big plays," Alabama wide receiver ArDarius Stewart told Alex Scarborough of ESPN.com. "Any game, when you look at the highlight, he's on it." 

Alabama will have a new quarterback and most likely a new running back next season, but that backfield will be able to rely on the electric talents of Ridley out wide. If the Tide's next quarterback can feed him the ball like Blake Sims fed Cooper in 2014, his numbers could go through the roof.

Houston QB Greg Ward Jr.

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Greg Ward Jr. looked like the Group of Five's version of peak Braxton Miller this season for the Houston Cougars, and head coach Tom Herman—the former offensive coordinator for the Ohio State great—will get another season from his star quarterback in 2016.

Ward averaged more than 7.5 yards per play this season with 35 all-purpose touchdowns and just five interceptions. He put up those numbers despite missing an entire game because of injury and most of another for a Houston team that went 12-1 and took home the American conference title.

With another offseason of preparation in Herman's system alongside his top five receiving targets from 2015, Ward has the potential to put together a ridiculous season of statistics. He's as dangerous a runner as any quarterback in college football and completed 68 percent of his passes in the regular season.

Of course, the only realistic way Ward can seriously compete for the Heisman in 2016 is if Houston flirted with a perfect record. That'll be tough, considering the Cougars' season opener will be against defending Big 12 champion Oklahoma. But if Ward can put up enough yards on the Sooners in Week 1, he'll be one to watch all season long in the Heisman race.

Michigan ATH Jabrill Peppers

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Jabrill Peppers lived up to his tremendous hype in his first full season at Michigan, starring as an elite safety and special teams weapon for the Wolverines. Toward the end of the season, Peppers got more work as an offensive playmaker—which makes him a sneaky-good candidate for next year's Heisman.

Peppers' overall offensive numbers won't blow anyone away right now, but the ways Michigan was able to use him as a rusher, receiver and even a quarterback should catch voters' eyes. With more practice in those areas, he could use his amazing athletic gifts to create game-changing moments for Jim Harbaugh's offense.

Christian McCaffrey brought all-purpose yardage back to the forefront of the Heisman race this season, and Peppers could ride that wave alongside his excellent defensive play. After all, Michigan was home to the most recent defensive player to win the Heisman—legendary cornerback Charles Woodson.

"Look at all those slashes," Andy Staples of Sports Illustrated wrote, referring to Peppers' position as a safety/tailback/kick returner. "It would be appropriate if another multitalented Wolverines star broke the quarterback/tailback stranglehold on the award."

North Carolina RB Elijah Hood

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Mitch Trubisky is set to take over Marquise Williams' spot as quarterback of North Carolina's scary-good offense in 2016, and the Ohio native might even get some preseason spotlight for the Heisman. But what about returning running back Elijah Hood, one of the nation's most underrated rushers?

In 2015, Hood ran for 1,305 yards on a little more than 200 carries, averaging out to 6.53 yards per touch. That mark was the third-best for any Power Five running back with more than 200 carries, and one of those was Florida State star Dalvin Cook. (The second one is also on this list.)

Derrick Henry's incredible touchdown mark helped him take home the Heisman this season, and Hood had quite a bit of those, too. He was in the top 10 nationally during the regular season with 17 scores on the ground—he was only held out of the end zone in three of UNC's 13 games.

North Carolina will return most of its offensive line for next season, and Hood should see even more touches after his breakout 2015 campaign. If the Tar Heels continue to have one of the nation's best all-around offenses and contend for the ACC title again, Hood would have a great chance to break into the Heisman race.

Notre Dame WR Will Fuller

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This selection comes with an asterisk, as Notre Dame star wide receiver Will Fuller told reporters in November he would return for his senior season in South Bend. However, earlier this month, he said he was "keeping his avenues open" in regard to the NFL draft.

If Fuller sticks with his decision to play for Notre Dame next fall, though, watch out for him as a potential Heisman candidate.

As Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports put it quite often this season, all Fuller does is catch touchdown passes. The big-play machine was sixth nationally in touchdown catches, 15th in yards per game and second in yards per catch among receivers with more than 50 receptions in the regular season. All this came after a 2014 campaign in which he had 1,094 yards and 15 touchdowns.

It's rare for receivers to have great Heisman campaigns—Baylor's Corey Coleman looked close to pulling it off most of this season—but a constant touchdown threat such as Fuller playing for a household name such as Notre Dame shouldn't be too much of a reach.

Oklahoma State QB Mason Rudolph

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Fellow Bleacher Report writer Brian Leigh put Oklahoma State quarterback Mason Rudolph on last year's edition of this list. While Rudolph's season didn't quite materialize in a Heisman campaign, his numbers were great signs for the Cowboys' 2016 campaign.

Rudolph ranked fifth nationally in yards per completion, 15th in yards per game and 20th in passer rating for an Oklahoma State team that started the season 10-0 and landed a bid to the Sugar Bowl. He did that while splitting snaps with senior J.W. Walsh, who was an effective playmaker on package plays.

Oklahoma State doesn't have as easy a schedule next year as it had in 2015, but a more experienced Rudolph should still shine brightly for the Cowboys offense. Most of his supporting cast should be back, including electric vertical threat James Washington.

If the Cowboys have similar success in 2016 as they did in 2015, Rudolph should get more attention as a Heisman contender. He's the top gunslinger of a fast-paced offense that found its rhythm again this fall.

Oregon RB Royce Freeman

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In researching under-the-radar candidates for the 2016 Heisman Trophy, I was somewhat stunned to find that hardly any of the "way too early" lists featured Oregon running back Royce Freeman. Well, that changes here.

Freeman will be behind the likes of Fournette, Cook, Chubb and McCaffrey in terms of hype at the start of next year's race, but he has the game and the numbers to make a serious run at the trophy. This season, he was fourth nationally in rushing yards per game with 142.17 and ranked third in yards per carry among rushers with at least 200 touches.

His numbers should rise in 2016 as he takes a bigger role in the offense. Oregon will break in another new starting quarterback, so expect to see No. 21 touch the ball more often. (Freeman is also a solid threat as a receiver out of the backfield, too, averaging 13.54 yards per reception in 2015.)

If Oregon avoids the early-season slide like it had in 2015, Freeman will have an opportunity to grab the voters' attention. His overall numbers in an offense that likes to spread the ball around among several playmakers are quite impressive.

Tennessee QB Joshua Dobbs

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Tennessee's big breakthrough year didn't come in 2015, but the Volunteers have yet another opportunity to make a splash in 2016 thanks to the amount of talent returning to Knoxville.

Quarterback Joshua Dobbs highlights that group. He's an experienced dual-threat signal-caller who should continue to rise next season. This season, Dobbs averaged 6.07 yards per play and had 24 touchdowns to just five interceptions.

"Dobbs will undoubtedly return as one of the SEC's top quarterbacks," Bleacher Report's Ben Kercheval wrote. "If the Vols do finally take that next step, Dobbs' Heisman odds may go up as well." 

Dobbs was a popular dark-horse Heisman pick heading into the 2015 season, and there's no reason why he shouldn't stay in the discussion for 2016 if the Volunteers play to their potential. With more consistency in his throws and some more production in the rushing department, he could rack up numbers similar to those of Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson.

USC ATH Adoree' Jackson

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Adoree' Jackson has his sights set on qualifying for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio as a track and field star. When he completes that chapter in his already stunning athletic career, the USC football star could go after the Heisman Trophy.

"I've always believed that if you're going to be a master of something, you've got to work at it," USC head coach Clay Helton said, per ESPN.com. "Don't be a jack-of-all-trades, be a master of something. He's been a master at football this season."

That "jack-of-all-trades" tag could be applied to Jackson's game on the football field, too. Like the aforementioned Peppers, Jackson is a star defensive back who also makes big plays on special teams and offense. Jackson, however, is more seasoned as a wide receiver, and he was second on USC in receiving yards this year.

His ability to pile up yards, touchdowns and impact plays all over the field should make him a contender for the game's top trophy in 2016—if USC can avoid a slow start in Helton's first full season as the head coach. With even more experience and attention as a three-way star, Jackson could create a strong Heisman campaign in the bright lights of Los Angeles.

Washington State QB Luke Falk

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Many people will write off Luke Falk as a Heisman Trophy contender because of the offense he plays in at Washington State. And while he attempted more passes than anyone else in the country as the leader of Mike Leach's Air Raid attack, the rest of his numbers deserve a ton of respect.

Falk had 36 passing touchdowns in the regular season—good enough for fourth in the country—and only threw eight interceptions. He completed more than 70 percent of his passes, which ranked second behind outgoing Western Kentucky quarterback Brandon Doughty. Oh, and he was just a sophomore in his first full year as a starter.

What separates Falk from other Air Raid quarterbacks such as Texas Tech's Patrick Mahomes in a potential Heisman campaign is the overall team strength around him. Washington State should return most of Falk's top targets from this season, and its defense showed signs of improvement despite its low overall ranking. 

If the Cougars can keep up their forward momentum and pull off a few upsets in 2016 behind Falk's efficient passing attack, then he should get some Heisman love. After all, as Leach said earlier this year, it's hard to find a more valuable player to an individual team than Falk.

Unless otherwise noted, statistics courtesy of CFBstats.com.

Justin Ferguson is a college football writer at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JFergusonBR.