Top five Heisman Trophy candidates in 2016

With the 2016 NCAA season having officially kicked off on Friday night, the Heisman Trophy watch has officially commenced.

Although roughly a dozen players will begin the year within striking distance of the illustrious prize, only a fraction of them should be considered favorites. And while some surprises may float to the top throughout the season, the early favorites are the very names you might expect to see.

Here’s a look at the Top 5 Heisman hopefuls of 2016.

5. J.T. Barrett (Quarterback, Ohio State)

If you’re a starting quarterback at Ohio State, being a Heisman Trophy candidate is job requirement. And head coach Urban Meyer made that abundantly clear to J.T. Barrett from the onset.

“The message was very clear to our team, and if you’re going to play quarterback at Ohio State, you need to be a Heisman candidate,” Meyer told the Cleveand Plain Dealer in April. “If you play quarterback at Ohio State in this offense, you have to be a Heisman candidate, or we’re going to suffer.”

Despite the bar being set so high internally, seeing Barrett’s name crack this list may still come as a bit of a surprise to many. But with the team’s expectations equally as high, the potential for a “0” in the loss column means Barrett will be propelled into the discussion whether people outside of Columbus like it or not.

During his historic redshirt freshman season, Barrett broke the Big Ten record for total touchdowns in a season (44), was named First Team All-Big Ten and ultimately finished fifth in Heisman voting.

Unfortunately for Barrett, a fractured ankle against Michigan paved the way for Cardale Jones in 2015. But with Jones now a member of the Buffalo Bills, the Buckeyes are Barrett’s team to lead, and he’s ready to prove to the world that 2014 was no fluke.

If the dual-threat quarterback can once again post a TD:INT ratio exceeding 3:1, while completing nearly 65% of his passes and controlling the game with his legs, there’s no reason to believe he won’t be among the Heisman finalists.

Of course, if Ohio State falters at all, the numbers Barrett puts up won’t matter. It will have to be a perfect storm of success for both him and the team in order for Barrett to walk away with such an illustrious honor.

4. Dalvin Cook (Running back, Florida State)

Dalvin Cook burst onto the scene a season ago for Florida State by breaking Warrick Dunn’s long-standing single-season record for rushing yards. In fact, Cook’s 1,691 yards on the ground not only broke Dunn’s record, but propelled him into fifth place on FSU’s all-time rushing list with 2,699 career yards.

Needless to say, Cook will not fly under the radar in 2016 and is already considered a potential Heisman finalist despite stiff competition from other running backs.

But the high praise and astronomical expectations are warranted for the junior. Cook provided consistent quality for Florida State a season ago, putting up eight 100-yard games in the face of lingering injuries, a revolving door at quarterback and uncertainty across the offensive line.

Still, the potential for life-long fame and recognition aren’t exactly registering on Cook’s radar. While aware of the Heisman talk, Cook insists he’s focused on one thing and one thing alone: winning.

“You put all that talk in the back of your head,” Cook told the Albany Herald earlier this week. “I just go out there and push my teammates. I feel like if we do what we’ve got to do as a whole and a group, I think all of the individual awards will take care of itself for everybody on this team.”

Winning the Heisman may be a bit of an uphill battle for Cook, but if he can remain healthy, he’s got as much of a chance as anyone else.

3. Christian McCaffrey (Running back, Stanford)

Christian McCaffrey did almost everything for Stanford in 2015, rushing for 2,016 yards, hauling in 45 receptions for 645 yards, returning 37 kickoffs for 1,070 yards and 15 punts for 130 yards. He even completed two passes for 39 yards. In total, he also scored 15 touchdowns.

McCaffrey’s 3,864 all purpose yards set an all-time FBS record, with the next closest player checking in 1,227 net yards behind him.

In the end however, it wasn’t enough to win the Heisman, as McCaffrey finished as the runner-up to former Alabama running back Derrick Henry.

That result stirred a lot of debate around the college football world, with many experts questioning when Heisman voting should actually take place. Ultimately, with the vote occurring in December, McCaffrey’s 368-yard, two-touchdown performance against Iowa in the Rose Bowl wasn’t factored in.

While the voting schedule is not going to change in 2016, McCaffrey will still open the season as a Heisman favorite. But he won’t be the Heisman favorite, and that rubs Stanford head coach David Shaw the wrong way.

“He’s one of the best players that ever played college football,” Shaw told USA Today in early August. “I mean, the numbers say that, and when you watch the film it’s saying it. Did he really do that? Did he really break the rushing record in three quarters for the school? Did he really break Barry Sanders’ record with a game to go in the season? Those are astronomical things.”

Entering the 2016 season, expectations remain sky high for McCaffrey. But similarly to Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett, it’s all going to boil down to wins and losses. And while that burden may be unfair for McCaffrey to bear, it’s a product of the growing legend that surround the top two Heisman candidates, whom we’re about to check in on, and their overwhelming Vegas odds.

2. Leonard Fournette (Running back, LSU)

LSU’s Leonard Fournette, perhaps the most violent running back in college football, was long considered a Heisman favorite a year ago. He finished the season with 1,953 rushing yards, which was the second-highest single-season total in SEC history and an all-time LSU record.

But when push came to shove, Fournette was left off the Heisman finalist list much to the dismay of his coaches and teammates.

Feeling is mutual Leonard . Still extremely proud to be your coach. LM

— Les Miles (@LSUCoachMiles) December 7, 2015

SNUBBED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

— Reid Ferguson (@SnapFlow50) December 7, 2015

Didn’t even send Leonard? Wow #HE7SMAN2016

— JUSTIN MCMILLAN (@HONEYSLOTH_13) December 7, 2015

Perhaps somewhat ironically, the award ultimately went to Alabama’s Derrick Henry, who was the only player to stand in Fournette’s path to history in 2015, with Henry finishing with 2,219 rushing yards, which was the highest single-season total in SEC history.

In order for Fournette to scale the Heisman mountain in 2016, he’ll have to avoid the single-game letdowns that plagued him in 2015.

While Fournette averaged an incredible 191.4 rushing yards (7.3 ypc) per game in LSU’s nine wins last season, he averaged only 76.7 rushing yards yards (3.7 ypc) per game in their three loses. And perhaps even more significant and damning than those numbers was his performance against Alabama, in which he was held to a season-low 31 yards.

Consistent quality performances, specifically against Alabama, will make or break Fournette in 2016.

1. Deshaun Watson (Quarterback, Clemson)

The Clemson Tigers are going to win a lot of football games in 2016, and it will be thanks to the arm (and legs) of quarterback Deshaun Watson.

A year removed from leading his team to a National Championship Game, Watson will be back under center for Clemson and the expectations will be understandably high — not just for the team as a whole, but also for Watson individually.

After finishing the 2015 season with 4,104 yards through the air, 1,105 yards on the ground and a combined 47 touchdowns, Watson has firmly cemented himself as the best quarterback in the country. But despite that and his desire to hoist the Heisman Trophy in New York, Watson realizes the voting is ultimately out of his control.

“The Heisman, I mean of course everyone wants to be the Heisman winner and go up there to New York, but it’s going to come if it comes,” Watson told the Washington Post in July. “It’s something that’s kind of out of my control. I can perform at a high level each and every week, but I can’t go up there and say I’m the winner. That’s people’s opinions and what the voters have to say.”

Control what you can control is the mindset, so it’s all about winning for Watson & Co. If Clemson can do that, Watson may be able to take home the high honor.

Of course, with Watson likely entering the 2017 NFL Draft, he might just prefer a national championship over the Heisman Trophy. But hey, why not try to tackle both at the same time?