Steady, calm Watson leads No. 1 Clemson

Christian McCaffrey celebrated with his teammates when he heard the news he was one three finalists for the Heisman Trophy, and quickly deflected the credit to his offensive line, other teammates and coaches.

Alabama running back Derrick Henry, Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson, and Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey were invited to the NY as the nominees. but there were several players left out that had comparable stats and clutch moments that should’ve earned them a trip to the Big Apple.

The more deserving African-American RB Jim Brown of Syracuse was passed over by Heisman voters in 1956 in favor of white RB Paul “Golden Boy” Hornung of Notre Dame, noted Wilbon.

I remember before the season that everyone speculated if a running back could win the Heisman anymore. Before Saturday night hits, Brady Farkas and I were joined by ESPN’s Chris Low to discuss this year’s race and what what candidates he is leaning towards.

He’s the definition of a power running back.

When voting was still open, though, the best players in the country did plenty of politicking in the best way they know how: with Heisman-worthy performances.

The Doak Walker and Heisman Trophy have no correlation, but a look at how the history of these two coveted awards are intertwined may have foreshadowed Cook’s chances at winning the Heisman. Last year, Oregon’s Marcus Mariota earned 88.4 percent of the first-place votes. Watson fits the mold of recent Heisman winners Cam Newton, RGIII, Manziel and Mariota as a dual-threat quarterback, capable of dominating as a runner or passer.

PRO POSPECTS: McCaffrey isn’t eligible for the draft until 2017 at the earliest.

“I never really tried to focus on (the Heisman)”, he said.

Although there are teams playing at a higher level than the Stanford Cardinals, there aren’t many players in any sport playing at a higher level of productivity than McCaffrey.

It’s easy to see why Henry is the favorite as he leads the nation with 1,986 yards, which is the SEC single-season record – breaking a mark held by former Heisman victor Herschel Walker of Georgia.

“Now that I live in the southeast, ” said Gerhart, a running back for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, “I understand the whole east coast bias thing…”

Unlike Henry, McCaffrey had to share the TV audience: The Pac-12 championship was one of three night games, and the least important. He is one of the biggest reasons why the Tide are in the CFB Playoff.

In his last six games, Watson averaged 16.5 carries and 92.5 yards rushing per game.

“I think it says more about the team in general of how thankful these guys are for one another, for every unit”, Kelly said.

Stanford needs a different result.