Heisman Watch 2017: Latest Odds and Predictions in Race For Top Award
Igniting a debate over any topic in college football has been an easy thing to do, especially in the month.
However, the one matter that has experienced little controversy revolves around the Heisman Trophy winner.
Oklahoma's Baker Mayfield is set to become the sixth Oklahoma player to earn the award and the first since Sam Bradford took home the hardware in 2008.
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How many other players join Mayfield at the ceremony remains to be seen, but the trophy should be his come Saturday night.
Here's a further look at Mayfield's accomplishments this season and the deserving candidates that should earn a flight to New York.
1. Baker Mayfield (-2000)
Mayfield is expected to join Billy Vessels, Steve Owens, Billy Sims, Jason White and Bradford as Heisman winners from Oklahoma.
The at-times controversial quarterback cemented his status as Heisman favorite in the Big 12 Championship on Saturday against TCU.
Mayfield tossed four touchdowns and compiled 243 yards through the air in the 41-17 win over TCU to clinch Oklahoma's spot in the College Football Playoff. He also surprised us with 65 yards on the ground, a total that was four short of the season high he set against Kansas State.
The senior is second behind Oklahoma State's Mason Rudolph on the FBS passing chart with 4,340 yards.
After he accepts the Heisman on Saturday, everyone will wait until January 1 to see how Mayfield handles the pressure of the Georgia defense in the Rose Bowl.
If you're looking ahead at the quarterback's NFL prospects, how he deals with the onslaught from the Bulldogs would be a good starting point to see what he can do at the next level.
Despite being almost 1,000 passing yards behind Mayfield in the stat column, Louisville's Lamar Jackson has more total yards than the Oklahoma signal caller.
Jackson has combined for 4,932 yards through the air and ground, while Mayfield's pass and rush total sits 4,650 yards.
Inviting Jackson, who won the 2016 Heisman, back to New York is a no-brainer, but there's no chance he surpasses Mayfield in the voting given the stature of the Oklahoma quarterback's season.
Despite going through struggles, Jackson was able to rally his squad in November for wins over Virginia, Syracuse and Kentucky to earn a spot in the TaxSlayer Bowl on December 30.
Jackson's talents will also be on display against an SEC defense in the postseason, as he goes up against a Mississippi State team that almost knocked off Alabama on November 11.
3. Bryce Love (+1,000)
There will be at least one running back headed to the Heisman ceremony, and if only one is selected, it will be Stanford's Bryce Love.
The Pac-12 started the season littered with Heisman hopefuls led by USC's Sam Darnold and UCLA's Josh Rosen, and it gained a potential favorite for 2018 in Arizona's Khalil Tate, but Love stood out among the stars in 2017.
Love moved his season rushing total to 1,973 yards in Friday's Pac-12 Championship in which he hobbled off on multiple occasions due to a lingering high ankle sprain.
The only blips on Love's resume are the game he sat out against Oregon State and the 69-yard performance against Washington State on November 4. Outside of those two contests, Love worked his way into triple digits in rushing yards in every contest, and he recorded a run of 50 yards or more in all but one of his starts.
Love outshined the pair of Heisman hopefuls at running back from the Big Ten, Penn State's Saquon Barkley and Wisconsin's Jonathan Taylor, and he's been on a much larger stage than the only player in front of him on the FBS rushing list, San Diego State's Rashaad Penny.
If he plays against TCU in the Alamo Bowl, Love should eclipse the 2,000-yard mark, which would be an improvement of at least 1,300 yards from his 2016 total of 779.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
All statistics obtained from ESPN.com.
All odds obtained via Oddsshark.com.
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