Heisman Watch 2018: Predictions in Race for College Football's Prestigious Award

The Heisman Trophy race is as close as its been this season ahead of Saturday's ceremony in New York City. 

Alabama's Tua Tagovailoa was seen as the clear-cut favorite to take home the prestigious individual honor for most of the campaign, but Oklahoma's Kyler Murray closed the season with a few impressive performances. 

Ohio State's Dwayne Haskins used a strong finish of his own to claim the third finalist position, but he may have had too much ground to make up on Tagovailoa and Murray. 

After conference championship weekend, some Heisman voters were conflicted on their decision between Tagovailoa and Murray, which makes the buildup to Saturday's presentation more dramatic than we ever thought it would be. 

Heisman Predictions

1. Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Alabama

For most of the season, it was a foregone conclusion that Tagovailoa would head back to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, with the Heisman. 

The left-handed sophomore is the best player on the best team in the country, but he allowed some doubt to creep into the minds of voters when he threw two interceptions against Georgia in the SEC Championship.

The injury Tagovailoa suffered Saturday can't be held against him, as Jalen Hurts replaced him and helped Alabama win the conference title. 

Butch Dill/Associated Press

Tagovailoa's overall body of work features some of the most impressive numbers we saw this season, as he threw for 3,353 yards and 37 touchdowns while only being intercepted on four occasions. 

An argument can be made that Tagovailoa's resume isn't complete because he didn't play much in the fourth quarter, but his stats wouldn't have been that different, as the Crimson Tide most likely would have run the ball out to finish off blowout wins.

Tagovailoa's best statistical games came against Texas A&M and Auburn, with his five-touchdown performance against the Tigers coming on the same weekend as Murray's showcase outing against West Virginia.

The Hawaiian signal-caller has all the credentials worthy of a Heisman winner, but because of Murray's recent surge, his margin of victory could be one of the slimmest in history. 

2. Kyler Murray, QB, Oklahoma

Murray deserves credit for forcing voters to think hard about their first-place votes. 

The dual-threat quarterback starred in wins against West Virginia and Texas to put the Sooners into the College Football Playoff, where they'll play Tagovailoa and Alabama in the Orange Bowl. 

What makes Murray an impressive candidate is his ability to make plays through the air and on the ground, with his performance against West Virginia the perfect display of those skill sets. 

In the 59-56 shootout, Murray threw for 364 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 114 yards and a touchdown. 

Alonzo Adams/Associated Press

Murray ended up throwing for 4,053 passing yards, which is 700 more than Tagovailoa totaled, and he produced 892 rushing yards. 

If he plays well against Alabama, Murray could be one of the rare quarterbacks to throw for 4,000 yards and run for 1,000 yards in a single season. 

Given the way he closed out the regular season, Murray is more than deserving of earning first-place votes, but the Heisman is going to come down to how much voters value his final few games compared a dominant overall body of work. 

3. Dwayne Haskins, QB, Ohio State

The majority of voters will have Tagovailoa and Murray first on their ballots, but it wouldn't come as a surprise if Haskins receives one or two first-place votes. 

Just like Murray, Haskins forced the Heisman voters to have a conversation about the top candidates for the award with two outstanding performances at the end of the regular season. 

Haskins torched the Michigan defense for 396 yards and six passing touchdowns, and he followed that up by throwing for 499 yards and five scores in the Big Ten Championship win over Northwestern. 

Nick Wass/Associated Press

The pair of dominant performances earned Haskins the title of top passer and touchdown thrower in the FBS, as he totaled 4,580 yards and 47 touchdowns. 

There's no doubt Haskins has the attention of voters, but his candidacy is hampered by everyone gushing with praise for Murray.

Unfortunately for Haskins, his late surge garners a third-place finish, but it will be interesting to see how many votes for first and second he received when ballots are released Saturday night. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90

Where to Watch: The Heisman Award ceremony and all college football broadcasts are available through fuboTV.