For the college football regular season, we got 13 weeks in the books, with just one to go. Over the course of the season the Heisman Trophy race has seen numerous candidacies ebb and flow, but now a final group of true contenders is rounding into shape.
Dak Prescott
The Mississippi State quarterback rebounded nicely from a disappointing performance in the Bulldogs' 25-20 loss to Alabama, completing 16 of 21 passes for 3 touchdowns in an easy 51-0 romp over Vanderbilt.
Mississippi State no longer has the no.1 ranking in the nation, but they're still one of the year's best feel good stories. Just earning a berth in the postseason final four would be a major accomplishment for the program, and that's in large part due to Prescott's season-long sterling play.
Marcus Mariota
Unfortunately for Prescott, however, the feel-good nature of the Bulldogs season probably isn't going to be enough to trump just how good Mariota has been. Mariota's 2014 season is that rare kind of performance, in that it's so consistently excellent that it almost becomes taken for granted.
Mariota is so poised and so electrifying on a weekly basis that his feats become almost the norm, and we begin to only notice the rare occasions when he isn't scintillating. Saturday was his usual brand of extraordinary: 323 yards in the air, another 73 on the ground, three touchdowns, zero picks. Mariota's now got 32 TDs on the season to go with just two interceptions.
Melvin Gordon
The odds don't seem to be in Gordon's favor. We haven't had a running back win the Heisman since 2009, and only three times since 1999. None of that matters. If the Heisman voters truly intend to recognize the player who's been the best thing about college football for the given year, they have to vote Gordon.
Gordon's eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark in every game but one this season. He's eclipsed 200 yards five times, including the last three games in a row. And, against Nebraska on November 15, he broke 400 yards -- in three quarters! As fantastic as players like Prescott and Mariota have been, this should ultimately be Gordon's trophy.
Watch Fox Sports 1's analysts break down the Heisman Trophy race below
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