Alabama running back Derrick Henry, Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey

Before the Heisman Trophy Trust announced the finalists for Saturday’s coronation of the nation’s best college football player for an 81st year, I was anticipating a half-dozen players earning an invitation to New York City.

His signature “Heisman moment” came in early November when he won the duel of SEC running backs against LSU’s Leonard Fournette in romping for 210 yards and three TD’s on 38 carries against the Tigers.

The junior broke Herschel Walker’s single-season SEC rushing record and sits at 1,986 yards and 23 touchdowns with potentially two games remaining in his season.

But much like the argument that McCaffrey didn’t actually break Sanders’ single-season all-purpose yards record, that knock doesn’t leave much of a mark.

Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey runs for a first down against Cal in the first quarter of the Big Game at Stanford Stadium in Stanford, Calif., on Saturday, Nov. 21, 2015. Watson completed 287 passes for 3,512 yards while adding 887 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. Yet his TD-to-interception is 30 to 11, the latter an extremely high number for a potential Heisman victor.

Case For: While a RB hasn’t won a Heisman since 2009, Derrick Henry has too solid a resumé to ignore.

Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey (5) heads for the end zone for a touchdown on a 28-yard pass during the second half of a Pac-12 Conference championship.

McCaffrey is also fifth in the nation in rushing (142.1 yards per game) and leads Stanford in receptions (41).

Even if the voting doesn’t fully reflect it when it’s revealed on Saturday night, all three of these players – McCaffrey, Watson, and Henry – have put together incredible seasons.

He set the FBS record for all-purpose yardage with 3,496 yards, surpassing the record of 3,250 set by Barry Sanders in 1988.

The finalists for the 2015 Heisman Trophy, college football’s most prestigious award, were announced on Monday night, and the list of names was surprisingly short. But Henry, McCaffrey and Watson don’t need to clutch a little bronze god for us to know they are all winners. Could be two more McCaffrey’s storming into college football soon enough.

Highlights: The triggerman for the only undefeated team in the country, Watson is 11th in the country in passing efficiency.

There are 929 Heisman voters, including 145 media representatives from each of six sections, plus 58 former winners and one vote that’s given to the public on an online ballot.

McCaffrey’s all-around excellence was so undeniable that Trojan players were even campaigning for him to win the Heisman after the game. His season took flight in rain-soaked Death Valley as he led the Tigers to a 24-22 win over Notre Dame that shot Clemson (13-0) into the playoff conversation. 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.