LSU running back Leonard Fournette seemed like an absolute lock to win the Heisman trophy throughout the first half of last season but he struggled down the stretch and was eventually surpassed by Alabama’s Derrick Henry as the eventual Heisman winner. Fournette will enter the 2016 season looking for redemption and it should be no surprise that he is among the favorites to win the Heisman by conference looking ahead to next season. Here is a look at the top Heisman trophy contender from each of the power conferences.
Big 12: Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma
Oklahoma emerged out of nowhere as Big 12 champions and the conference’s first representative in the College Football Playoff thanks in big part to the play of their star quarterback Baker Mayfield. He threw for 3,700 yards and 36 touchdowns compared to just seven interceptions with an additional 405 rushing yards and seven scores. Mayfield’s ability to make plays with both his arm and legs makes him a unique dual-threat quarterback and he will have the opportunity to put up some impressive stats on a loaded Sooners’ offense in the Big 12 next season. Mayfield has all of the factors that you would seek from a legitimate Heisman candidate and we like him as the best bet out of the Big 12 right now.
Pac-12: Christian McCaffrey, Stanford
This column breaks down the best Heisman trophy contender from each of the five power conferences but the reality is that McCaffrey might be the best candidate not just in his own conference but in the entire nation as well. The star tailback absolutely dominated last season with 2,019 rushing yards and eight touchdowns along with 45 catches for 64 yards and five more scores. The fact that he led the nation in all-purpose yards is testament to his ability and the reality is the Cardinal could lean on him even more this season with a new quarterback under center. McCaffrey finished second to Henry in Heisman voting a year ago and he certainly deserves to be among the favorites to win the award next season.
Big Ten: J.T. Barrett, Ohio State
Barrett will enter the 2016 season as Ohio State’s undisputed starting quarterback and the fact that he won’t have to look over his shoulder at Cardale Jones should help his confidence immensely. Barrett was one of the most important players in the Buckeyes’ national title run back in 2014 and he has the potential to be the centerpiece of a talented offensive core again this season. Barrett’s dual-threat ability makes him one of the most dangerous offensive players in the country heading in to 2016 and it won’t be a surprise when he emerges as a Heisman candidate for a true national title contender at Ohio State.
ACC: Deshaun Watson, Clemson
Clemson’s run to the national championship game took the college football world by storm and while they couldn’t finish versus Alabama in the title game there is still plenty of reason to think they can still win a national championship. The Tigers are absolutely loaded once again heading in to the 2016 season with star quarterback Deshaun Watson leading the way. Watson became the first player in FBS history to pass for 4,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in the same season last year and some felt he should have won the Heisman last year over Henry. Watson returns with the potential to deliver a strong encore performance and lead Clemson back to the national championship game and it’s impossible to sleep on him as a legitimate Heisman trophy candidate once again in 2016.
SEC: Leonard Fournette, LSU
Fournette rushed for at least 150 yards in each of LSU’s first seven games including three performances in which he topped the 200-yard mark. However, he struggled versus Alabama and Arkansas with just 122 rushing yards combined in a pair of losses and wound up finishing sixth in Heisman voting. A big part of the problem is that the Tigers’ offense was so one-dimensional which meant that Fournette was consistently facing stacked boxes with opposing defenders cheating to contain him. Fournette still finished with 1,953 yards and 22 touchdowns and if he can somehow top that production with a better cast around him in 2016 he will definitely be the best bet for the Heisman trophy out of the SEC next season.
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