Heisman Watch 2017: Top Contenders in Race for College Football's Biggest Honor
After a few weeks of questioning who would even be invited to the Heisman Trophy presentation, there seems to be a clear favorite for the coveted award.
Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield has stood out while former top candidates have struggled to find consistency in big games.
Although the Heisman appears to be Mayfield's to lose at the moment, there are a few candidates out there who could steal the trophy away from the Oklahoma gunslinger if the right factors fall into place.
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Baker Mayfield
Let's start with the favorite to join the illustrious group of Heisman winners.
Mayfield has not only been consistent, he's also shown up in big games throughout Oklahoma's treacherous Big 12 schedule.
The Oklahoma senior eclipsed 3,500 passing yards in the Sooners' win over Oklahoma State in Week 10. He's reached the milestone in each of the last three seasons. Those numbers have some people thinking about Mayfield in a higher regard than just the Heisman, like SiriusXM's Danny Kanell:
In his last four games, Mayfield has tossed 14 touchdowns while torching Oklahoma State for 598 passing yards and Kansas State for 410 yards through the air. He's also had a completion of more than 50 yards in four of his last five contests.
It looks like there's no slowing down Mayfield, and even if he puts in a bad performance before the Heisman winner is announced on December 9, you could argue he would still have the most complete resume of any of the contenders.
Bryce Love
With Saquon Barkley failing to match his production from the first half of the season, Stanford's Bryce Love has established himself as the top running back in the nation, although some have given him that title from Week 1.
Love ran for 166 yards on 30 carries in Stanford's Week 11 win over Washington. The rushing scores the junior had matched the number of touchdowns Washington's defense gave up on the ground for the entire season, per ESPN's Kyle Bonagura:
In the nine games he's played this season, Love has eclipsed the 100-yard barrier on eight occasions, with his 301-yard performance against Arizona State being his best output.
However, the knock on Love would be his team is 7-3 and won't be in contention for the College Football Playoff, or even the Pac-12 Championship.
With that being said, Love still has one major stage left to perform on next weekend when Notre Dame visits Palo Alto, California. If the star running back shines against the Fighting Irish, he should lock up a spot as a Heisman finalist.
The defending Heisman winner has drifted out of our sights for most of the season due to Louisville's poor play and the highlights delivered by other candidates across the country.
No matter how bad Louisville is, you can't deny the fact that Lamar Jackson is one of the best athletes in the college game.
In Louisville's win over Virginia in Week 11, Jackson became the first player in college football history to record 3,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in consecutive seasons, per Bleacher Report College Football on Twitter:
The junior quarterback has made a late push to be invited to the Heisman ceremony with four straight incredible performances. Against Boston College, Florida State, Wake Forest and Virginia, Jackson threw and ran for over 100 yards. In the losses to Boston College and Wake Forest, he recorded over 300 passing yards.
With players such as Barkley and J.T. Barrett falling out of favor in the Heisman race, it only makes sense to invite Jackson back as a finalist with the stats he's putting up.
Khalil Tate
In reality, there should only be three Heisman finalists this year, but if a fourth player were to make it, it would be Arizona phenom Khalil Tate.
The sophomore will be a front-runner for the 2018 Heisman based on the incredible ability he's displayed under center for the Wildcats in 2017.
Before Week 11's win over Oregon State, Tate hit triple digits in passing and rushing yards in five straight games. Although he only had 68 passing yards on seven attempts in Week 11, he totaled 206 rushing yards in the 49-28 victory over the Beavers.
The issue with Tate this year is he'll probably split some of the West Coast vote with Love, and he won't get a ton of recognition from voters in the East who have seen more of Mayfield and Jackson.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
All statistics obtained from ESPN.com.
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