Alabama’s Derrick Henry listed as enormous favorite for Heisman Trophy

College football’s single-season leader in all-purpose yardage was invited to Saturday’s Heisman ceremony in New York City, along with Alabama tailback Derrick Henry and Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson.

There’s no question how dominating Deshaun Watson has been this season and he deserves the honor of being called the best player in the nation and receiving the Heisman Trophy.

And if it’s any consolation, Georgia’s Herschel Walker, the best running back and probably greatest player in SEC history, didn’t win the Heisman until his junior season in 1982.

Some notable Heisman snubs for this season include Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield, a Davey O’Brien finalist, and Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds, who set the career NCAA rushing record this year. He has led to the Tigers to an undefeated season that included wins over Notre Dame, Florida State, South Carolina, and a win over top-10 ranked North Carolina for the ACC Championship Game.

Clemson’s quarterback was named a finalist for the Heisman Trophy on Monday. He also caught 41 passes for an additional 540 yards and four touchdowns. Showing his versatility, he also amasses 1,109 yards on kick and punt returns.

If two tracking polls are any indication, the Heisman Trophy race is extremely close. That number fluctuates as low as three (last year) and as high as six (2013). Against Florida, which has the No. 12 rushing defense in college football in yards per carry allowed (3.39), Henry rushed for 189 yards and a score.

McCaffrey has flown under the radar while leading the Cardinal to an 11-2 record and the Pac-12 conference title.

Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey is one of the three finalists for the Heisman trophy.

Watson was second on the team in rushing with 887 yards.

At the very least, McCaffrey is college football’s most versatile player.

McCaffrey is attempting to do what runners-up John Elway (1982), Toby Gerhart (2009) and Andrew Luck (2010-11) could not: Become Stanford’s first Heisman victor since Jim Plunkett in 1970. The stretch of 200-yard games – four since mid-October – ultimately sent him to the top spot.

Henry scored a touchdown in every game this season and had seven games in which he recorded multiple touchdowns. Watson would be the first Clemson player to win the award. He’s the catalyst quarterback of the nation’s only unbeaten (13-0) team, which will earn the No. 1 seed for the upcoming playoffs. I’ve always looked at the Heisman victor as a borderline renaissance athlete, and that guy in 2015 has been Stanford’s do-everything sophomore playmaker.