Heisman Trophy Watch: Robert Griffin and Players Most Deserving of Honor

Now that we know where teams are headed to play their bowl games, we can focus on a Heisman trophy race that will turn out to be far more interesting and, ultimately, satisfying than the BCS trifecta. 

This year's Heisman race is as wide open as we have seen in recent memory. There are legitimate cases to be made for at least six players, and if you get over the dumb hangup about "best player on the best team," you can add even more to the mix. 

But since most voters tend to look at late-season performances and when a team lost, some players are out of luck. The door is wide open for a number of players that were contenders earlier in the season but dropped later for one reason or another. 

Here are three players whose stock is soaring following their final week performances

Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor Bears

We all took notice of Griffin in the season-opener against TCU when he completed 21-of-27 passes for 359 yards and five touchdowns, and he has yet to let up in the 10 weeks since that day in September. 

If you are looking for that "Heisman" moment, his game-winning touchdown pass to Terrance Williams with eight seconds left against Oklahoma is as good as you will find. 

Griffin has been the best and most valuable player in America this season, and after his heroics on Saturday, the voters may not have a choice but to give him the award for all that he has done. 

He is completing over 72 percent of his passes with 36 touchdowns to just six interceptions. He single-handedly led this team to nine wins because the defense gave him virtually no help at all. 

There was a time when Baylor was the game that everyone in the Big 12 looked forward to. This year, there was talk about them playing in a BCS game, which is all due to the performance of RG3.

Tyrann Mathieu, CB, LSU Tigers

It is very rare that the Heisman committee recognizes defensive players. In fact, more often than not, they only look at defensive players that also specialize in something else—returning punts, kick-offs, contributing on offense, etc. 

But Honey Badger deserves a lot more credit than he is being given. There is no one player in the country who changes a game as much as he does. He is the best defensive back in the country, and it's not particularly close. He is one of the best punt returners in the country. 

Mathieu has had a lot of Heisman moments this season, but his best came on the biggest stage that LSU had so far: against Georgia in the SEC title game. He had a punt return touchdown, recovered a fumble and had another spectacular return that did not result in a score, but he did shake off five tacklers.

Matt Barkley, QB, USC Trojans

There is going to be a voting bias against Barkley because USC is on probation, but there is no definitive proof that he is not the best quarterback in the Pac-12. 

Barkley finished the season on a roll. He had 17 touchdowns and two interceptions in the final four games, had a signature win over Oregon and led his team to 10 victories.

If that's not good enough for you, bear in mind that he had 39 touchdowns to just seven interceptions, 3,528 yards and a completion percentage of 69.1.

Of all the players on this list, Barkley has the lowest chance of winning. It's a shame, but it would be a bigger travesty if he wasn't even invited to New York for the ceremony. He has earned it with his performance on the field, school sanctions be damned.