Heisman Predictions: Predicting the Order in Which the Finalists Will Finish

This year's Heisman race has been one of the most crowded and unpredictable in recent memory, and if you go back throughout all 15 weeks of the season, you could probably count about 30 players who were considered legitimate contenders at some point.

Now we're down to just five names—Andrew Luck, Montee Ball, Robert Griffin III, Trent Richardson and Tyrann Mathieu, and we'll find out on Saturday night who will get to stand on stage in New York City and bask in the glory of being the 2011 Heisman winner.

After such a crazy race, nothing would really shock me at this point (OK, if Tyrann Mathieu wins, it would definitely shock me a little bit), but here's a look at how I think the five finalists will ultimately finish.

1. QB Robert Griffin III, Baylor

When I said that Robert Griffin III was an All-American caliber player back in the spring, I meant it. The reason I put him on my preseason All-American team was because as I said, if he continued to progress at the rate he was going, his national notoriety would skyrocket, and that's exactly what happened this year.

Not only has Griffin shown that he's one of the best players in college football this season, he has shown that he is the best player in college football. 

If the Heisman truly goes to the top performer in a given season, then there's no doubt that Griffin should be the one standing up on that stage on Saturday night.

The star signal-caller has been the savior that the Baylor football program was in desperate need of, and he had the type of campaign that would make any quarterback green with envy.

Griffin accounted for 4,657 yards of total offense, scored 45 touchdowns and put together a 192 passer rating, which was the best in all of college football.

If Robert Griffin's name isn't called on Saturday night, it will be an injustice.

2. QB Andrew Luck, Stanford

If I had a Heisman vote, I'd put Alabama RB Trent Richardson at No. 2 and Stanford QB Andrew Luck at No. 3, however, I still have a feeling that Luck will get a lot of love from the voters and finish at No. 2.

Stanford's star slinger entered the year as the overwhelming Heisman favorite after finishing as last year's runner-up, and while there were times when he definitely lived up to his enormous hype, the bottom line is, he got outplayed by the two best players he faced this season—USC QB Matt Barkley and RB LaMichael James. 

Plus, if you look at the type of weak schedule he faced, it's hard to really get excited about a lot of the big wins he had this year.

If Luck had beaten Oregon, the trophy would have undoubtedly been his, but since he didn't get the job done in the most crucial game of the season, I just can't see how you can justify voting him over Robert Griffin III.

3. RB Trent Richardson, Alabama

Like I said, if it were up to me, Trent Richardson would be my Heisman runner-up this year, but I think his campaign has lost a little steam over the past few weeks, especially since he didn't play on the final weekend of the season.

I also wouldn't be surprised if he faces a little backlash from a few voters who are upset about Alabama making it into the title game.

Richardson had a sensational season this year, rushing for 1,583 yards and scoring 23 touchdowns, and he was definitely the catalyst for Alabama's offensive success.

The powerful junior back has certainly done enough to finish in the Top 3 of the Heisman voting, but the question is, has he impressed the voters enough to actually win the award?

4. RB Montee Ball, Wisconsin

QB Russell Wilson was Wisconsin's Heisman poster boy at the beginning of the season, but it was his teammate, RB Montee Ball, who made the late push and ultimately ended up in the final five. 

Ball had a field day, running behind one of the best offensive lines in college football, as he rushed for 1,759 yards and scored 38 total touchdowns.

The 5'11'', 210-pound junior may be a long shot to overtake one of the three big names, but he's still had the type of season that deserves a ton of recognition.

5. CB Tyrann Mathieu, LSU

I’ve already said that LSU CB Tyrann Mathieu doesn’t even belong in New York, so it should come as no surprise that I think he’ll finish a distant fifth in the voting.

Mathieu has made some truly remarkable plays this season, and the punt returns for touchdowns against Arkansas and Georgia were definitely exciting, but like I said before, if you take Mathieu off the LSU defense, the Tigers are probably still sitting in the No. 1 spot right now with their reservations to New Orleans still intact.

He had some great moments, but overall, Mathieu wasn’t the type of difference-maker this season that the other four finalists were.