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Big 12 Heisman Hopefuls

August 21, 2017 by Ryan Decker

By Ryan Decker

Earlier this month I took a look at the Heisman Award candidates from around the country and made projections.

Today, focus shifts slightly more narrow to just the Big 12 Conference.

The Big 12 begins the year with half of its teams ranked in the Coaches Poll, meaning that the spotlight will be on the conference a lot this season, which is what players need to take home the most sought-after individual award the sport has to offer.

Rivalry games, notable out of conference games, numerous ranked vs. ranked contests in hostile environments all are ingredients to help bolster a Heisman candidate’s résumé.

The players below have the best chances within the Big 12 to take home the trophy.

big-12-heisman-hopefuls
Senior quarterbacks Baker Mayfield and Mason Rudolph are the preseason favorites to take home the Heisman trophy. But dark horses in Austin and Morgantown are looking to upend the Sooner State’s bid for the biggest award in College Football. Graphic created by Ryan Decker

 

  1. Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma QB

Sooners quarterback Baker Mayfield was a Heisman finalist last year, meaning the voters are very familiar with his work. The senior is just twenty passing yards and two touchdowns short of 10,000 and 90, respectively, for his career.

He threw for over 300 yards in six games last year and tallied at least 200 passing yards in all but one contest.

Mayfield and the Sooners have five games scheduled against ranked teams, three of which are on the road (Ohio State, Kansas State, Oklahoma State).

Oklahoma’s receiving corps appears to be thin to start the year, meaning Mayfield may need to be more creative with his feet, both extending plays behind and running for yards past the line of scrimmage.

 

  1. Mason Rudolph, Oklahoma State QB

Not only do preseason polls indicate the Big 12’s candidate for a spot in the College Football Playoff runs through Bedlam, but likely so does the conference’s chance at sending one of its premier players to New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony.

Mason Rudolph has been nearly as impressive as his Oklahoma counterpart in his career, and is a big part of the reason Mike Gundy’s squad could be primed for a trip to the Playoff.

Rudolph finished in the top 10 in the nation in passing yards (4,091) and passer efficiency (158.9) last year, and only two QBs in the Big 12 had a better completion percentage than he did.

The second half will make or break his Heisman candidacy, with a slate of games that pits Rudolph against Texas and West Virginia on the road, Oklahoma in Bedlam, Iowa State in Ames, and Kansas State in Stillwater.

 

  1. Will Grier, West Virginia QB

The former Gator dazzled in his six games at Florida. Starting as a freshman in Gainesville, Grier threw for 1,204 yards and 10 touchdowns while completing nearly 66 percent of his passes.

He’s now the starting quarterback for the Mountaineers.

Will Grier has his work cut out for him, with a thin wide receiving group that just got thinner, and a tough schedule on the backend.

Morgantown is buzzing with hopes of Grier keeping the Mountaineers as one of the top teams in the conference, and even more on an individual approach, with the fan page @GrierforHeisman already dedicated to the cause.

 

  1. Shane Buechele, Texas QB

A pro-style quarterback with a big arm, Shane Buechele was made for the Big 12.

Slow starts inhibited Texas last year, forcing Buechele to work from behind in a number of games, but that doesn’t mean he shied away from the spotlight, as he was part of a Week 1 victory against Notre Dame and a shootout win over Texas Tech.

This year, Buechele has the opportunity to shine on the road Week 3 against USC in LA before getting to conference competition.

Only a sophomore, he has time to improve before heading to the next level, but if Buechele can lead the Longhorns to their first 10-plus win season since 2009, he could be the Heisman dark horse that voters go for.

 

  1. James Washington, OK-State WR

The last two Heisman hopefuls from the conference are a pair of position players.

James Washington is the premier wide receiver in the Big 12.

The senior wide out hauled in 71 passes last season for 1,380 yards, the tenth-highest total in the country, last year. His 19.4 yards per catch was good enough for third-best amongst receivers with at least fifty catches.

No wide receiver has won the Heisman award since Desmond Howard in 1991, but if you’re looking at pass catchers from each conference to break the 25-year drought, look no further in this conference than Washington.

 

  1. Justin Crawford, West Virginia RB

West Virginia’s Justin Crawford is the top returning runner in the Big 12, with only two players in the conference rushing for more yards than he did last year in his first season at the D-1 level. Both of those players are now in the NFL.

The former Junior College Offensive Player of the Year is surely one of the focal points in the Mountaineer offense.

Even with traditionally pass-happy minds in head coach Dana Holgorsen and new offensive coordinator Jake Spavital, don’t expect Crawford to go hungry in the backfield. WVU ran the ball nearly 60 percent of the time last year, and as a team has rushed for 200-plus yards in a game 27 over the last six years.

 

Latest Heisman Trophy Odds (via Brovada, Odds Shark)

Player Team Position Odds
Baker Mayfield Oklahoma QB +800
Mason Rudolph Oklahoma State QB +2500
Will Grier West Virginia QB N/A
Shane Buechele Texas QB +5000
James Washington Oklahoma State WR N/A
Justin Crawford West Virginia RB N/A