On Monday, December 7^th, the Heisman race was narrowed down to three candidates, Christian McCaffrey, Derrick Henry, and Deshaun Watson. Although all three candidates have led their teams to magnificent seasons, only one can walk away with one of the most prestigious trophies in sports this weekend.

Christian McCaffrey’s advantage lies in his record-breaking season. Last week, McCaffrey set the NCAA all-time record for all-purpose yards with 3,496 total yards, a record that was previously owned by Heisman winner, Barry Sanders. Last week, the prolific sophomore running back threw, ran, and received a touchdown in addition to his 416-yard performance in the Pac-12 title game. McCaffrey led his team to an 11-2 record and a Rose Bowl.

However, McCaffrey is second in the nation in terms of rushing yards to fellow finalist, Derrick Henry, who has 1986 rushing yards. Henry has been outstanding as of late, rushing for more than 180 yards in 5 of his past 7 games. Henry has been the workhorse for Alabama this year. In the Iron Bowl and the SEC championship, Henry had more than 40 carries. With the help of a fantastic Alabama defense, Derrick Henry has placed the Crimson Tide in contention for another national championship.

Deshaun Watson is the only quarterback and the only player on an undefeated team that is on the Heisman ballot. Watson has led the Clemson Tigers to a 12-0 record with several notable wins including, Notre Dame, Florida State, and North Carolina. He also fits the recent Heisman trend of duel threat quarterbacks who are just as dangerous on the ground as they are through the air. Watson’s great season has been overshadowed his competition’s legendary seasons.

Prediction: Derrick Henry

Watson will enjoy a free meal this Saturday but that is about it, the real race is between Christian McCaffrey and Derrick Henry. Although he is the best football player in college football, McCaffrey will not walk home with the trophy this Saturday. Derrick Henry has separated himself from McCaffrey with the simple fact that he has a chance to win a national championship. Henry put his team on his back and brought them to the playoffs. The situation is reminiscent of 2009 when Alabama Mark Ingram beat Stanford running back Toby Gerhart by 1% of the vote. Gerhart brought his team to a Rose Bowl, but Ingram took his team to a National Championship. Look for Henry to win the trophy, closely followed by McCaffrey.