There are really only a handful of legitimate Heisman contenders at this point in the college football season. History has shown that the winner will most likely come from a highly ranked team — so sorry, Western Michigan halfback Jarvion Franklin. Though you’re only a freshman and have thus far rushed for 1,330 yards and 22 touchdowns, you’ll probably finish behind Jameis Winston. 

And Winston isn’t even my favorite to win the Heisman. It’s another quarterback, one who has been on the Heisman radar since his freshman year.

Marcus Mariota

That quarterback is Marcus Mariota, the stud in charge of the newly minted No. 2 Oregon Ducks. He has passed for 2,780 yards and 29 touchdowns, compared to just two interceptions. He’s also an exceptional runner, having compiled 524 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground. 

Mariota exorcized demons of seasons past by defeating Stanford. He now needs to lead the Ducks to a playoff spot to make the Heisman his. 

Melvin Gordon

Gordon and his legs are literally the entire Wisconsin Badgers offense. Currently at 1,512 rushing yards, he has good odds of become the second Badger in school history to break 2,000 yards in a season. He has three games where he rushed for more than 200 yards. How the Illinois defense managed to hold him under 200 will baffle me for years to come. Gordon is a flashback to the Big Ten teams of old, those who used the ground-and-pound approach to win games.

Amari Cooper 

Of course, an SEC West player makes this list, but with a catch. It’s an Alabama wide receiver. The Crimson Tide don’t exactly pump out play-making wide receivers, but here Cooper is, breaking tackles and breaking the school’s single-season receiving record, previously held by Julio Jones. Alabama doesn’t have a stud running back like years past, instead relying on a committee approach. But, when the team has needed a spark, Cooper has delivered. Look no further than his touchdown reception against LSU, which featured him evading tacklers using a nifty spin move.

Trevone Boykin

The TCU Horned Frogs had a few middling seasons after their 2011 Rose Bowl win, which can be attributed to them adjusting to life in the Big 12. But they’re back, and junior quarterback Trevone Boykin is a big reason why. Though his completion percentage may raise some eyebrows, Boykin has thrown for nearly 2,691 yards and added 546 rushing yards, good for 31 combined touchdowns. TCU is currently ranked fourth in the nation, and will go as far as Boykin can carry them. 

Dak Prescott

It was hard to decide between Prescott and Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston. I’m going with Prescott because Winston is not having the season he was expected to. Understand that although the Seminoles are ranked third in the country, they are not dominating like they did in 2013.

As for Prescott, he doesn’t have the eye-popping statistics of say Mariota, but Prescott is currently leading the No. 1 team in the nation. His stats are good, just not as good as someone like Mariota’s. But, Prescott’s hopes rest on this weekend’s tilt with Alabama. Should the Bulldogs win, Prescott stays in contention. 

Some might shrug at the Heisman race and the bias toward offensive players, and specifically towards quarterbacks. But football is a quarterback-driven sport now and will continue to be for the forseeable future. 

Erik is a senior in Media. He can be reached at [email protected] and on Twitter @e_prada.