Derrick Henry named one of three Heisman finalists

Even if I put my local biased aside, McCaffrey seems to be everything a college football player should be – everything.

— WORST GAME: Henrys lowest outputs came against lesser teams in easy wins, but Arkansas fared the best among SEC defenses.

Henry is the nation’s leader in rushing yards with 1,986 and rushing touchdowns with 23. He also added three touchdowns. No one else has done what Deshaun Watson has done this season and he is a threat in the passing game and the running game. He gained 210 yards in the colossus against LSU, 189 in the SEC championship game against Florida. His 207 rushing yards marked his third 200-yard rushing game. Stanford all-purpose man Christian McCaffrey would be a very worthy victor.

He has 3,496 all-purpose yards for the season, passing the 3,250 Sanders earned at Oklahoma State in 1988.

In the second half, he started delivering more blows of his own and he started wearing Florida down.

STUDY SHOWS DISPARITY: A study of this year’s bowl-bound schools shows the overall academic success of players is the same as last year while the graduation disparity between white and African-American football players grew slightly. If we look at previous Heisman winners like Johnny Manziel, Marcus Mariota and Cam Newton, Watson fits the profile.

The puzzle between Henry and McCaffrey spews too many components to process, even before you mull possible outside factors.

Deshaun Watson #4 of the Clemson Tigers holds the ACC Championship trophy after defeating the North Carolina Tar Heels 45-37 at the Atlantic Coast Conference Football Championship at Bank of America Stadium on December 5, 2015 in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are leery when it comes to Heisman Trophy victory, and understandably so: From 2009-2011, Stanford became the first school ever to send three consecutive runners-up to NY.

The best part about this Heisman race is that, unlike years past, there’s no runaway favorite. He broke the brilliant Barry Sanders’ almost impossible record to beat. McCaffrey accounted for 42 percent of the Cardinal’s yards from scrimmage this season, but only 19 percent of Stanford’s touchdowns.

“What a fantastic game that was – just two teams really competing hard, good players coming up with big plays in critical moments, ” Ferentz said.

McCaffrey is a different type of running back, though, and is making a strong push down the stretch.

Mayfield has helped lead the Sooners to the College Football Playoff, where they will face Clemson in a semifinal at the Orange Bowl on December 31. Five of the last seven winners of the award have played for the national title.

Kirby Smart will continue in his current role as Alabama’s defensive coordinator through the College Football Playoff as he also begins work as Georgia’s coach. Yet his TD-to-interception is 30 to 11, the latter an extremely high number for a potential Heisman victor. With the winning, the position and the great, albeit not eye-popping, numbers on his side, Watson has a heck of a case to win the award.