The race for the Heisman Trophy is one of college football’s most engaging contests. Take a large pool of contestants, throw them into the rollicking up-and-down of the three-month regular season and then hang the finalists out to dry, sitting uncomfortably in suits in an oak-panel room in New York, until one of them lifts the hefty bronze statue.
It is football’s answer to the Oscars, but with only one category.
This year, the finalists are Alabama running back Derrick Henry, Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey and Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson. And for the first time, some fans may have more than bragging rights or school pride riding on the outcome.