Andre Williams, running back, Boston College
Odds of winning: 90-1
The six foot senior back out of Schnecksville, Pennsylvania definitely put up the counting stats galore this season leading the nation with 2112 rushing yards (he was the only person to rush for 2000 or more yards this year) and finishing tied for 7th with 17 scores on the year. While those numbers certainly are impressive in it of themselves, there's a lot of negatives that Heisman voters would have to overlook to give Williams the Heisman. The Eagles finished an uninspiring 7-5 (including a 34-10 demolishing at the hands of unranked North Carolina in October) whilst playing in the not all that tough ACC. Additionally, that 2112 yards rushing loses a bit of its luster when you see that he led the league in rushing attempts as well with 329. Toss in the fact that only two running backs have won the award in this millennium (USC's Reggie Bush in 2004 and Alabama's Mark Ingram in 2009), it's hard to envision a situation where Andre Williams walks away with the trophy.
Jordan Lynch, quarterback, Northern Illinois University
Odds of winning: 50-1
Lynch is by far my favorite player amongst all the Heisman finalists. I have a soft spot for dual threats quarterbacks putting up popcorn numbers for small schools. However, I don't have much of a say in the Heisman voting and Lynch, despite being the most impressive player in the nation statistically speaking, is probably not going to end up etching his name in history tonight. But wow. The man threw for 23 touchdowns this year, rushed for 22 more, and even recording a receiving TD for good measure. His robust 6.9 yards per carry on the year is the stuff of legend and he was only picked off 7 times on the year while recording a 63 percent completion percentage. However, the Huskies play in the Mid-American Conference which "boasts" an almost Eastern Conference level of stink and a trouncing by Bowling Green in the MAC championship game effectively ruined any of Lynch's Heisman hopes. So even if Jordan Lynch could very well be the best player in college football, per Heisman lingo, he wasn't the most outstanding so he's a longshot to win tonight.
Johnny Manziel, quarterback, Texas A&M
Odds of winning: 50-1
Ahh Johnny Football. Last year's Heisman Trophy winner is once again a finalist this year but the sophomore will have a hard time duplicating his success this time around. A&M's 11-2 record last year while playing in the terrifying blitzkrieg known as the SEC (including a huge upset over Alabama), combined with Manziel's overall brilliance were enough to propel him to the 2012 award. But these year, the Aggies regressed a bit going 8-4, trampling all the unranked teams but falling to all of the legitimate opponents. Manziel himself regressed a tad compared to last year as even though his passing numbers improved (sans the 13 interceptions), he was a shell of himself on the ground rushing for less than half as many yards and 13 fewer TDs as he did last year. And if those Heisman voters find themselves affected by voter fatigue, that all but ensures that Manziel does not repeat.
Tre Mason, running back, Auburn
Odds of winning: 25-2
Tre Mason is a big time performer. After not even being in the discussion for the Heisman for a good three quarters of the year, Mason put himself squarely in the picture with huge performances in the last two weeks of the season. His 164 yards and a TD in Auburn's beyond breathtaking win against Alabama in the Iron Bowl and his ridiculous 304 yards and 4 touchdowns against Mizzou in the SEC championship game helped poiwer the Tigers to a showdown in the National Championship with Florida State. Though he didn't have the year round dominance that Andre Williams had, he propelled his team to new heights and certainly fits the "most outstanding player" criteria. Still, with 11 of the last 13 Heisman winners being quarterbacks and seeing how stacked the competition is against him (one player in particular who we'll get to later), I can't imagine Mason winning the award tonight.
AJ McCarron, quarterback, Alabama
Odds of winning: 12-1
Yep, this guy's still around. He's been the model of consistency throughout his 4 years at Bama and with 26 TDs compared to only 5 interceptions, there's a lot to like about his game. He's not a dual threat QB but he exhibits the pocket poise, the instincts, the arm strength, and the good decision making abilities that you'd want from a quarterback. He even had his Heisman moment with his 99 yard strike in the Iron Bowl against Auburn and already walked away with another top honor, the Maxwell Award. But the one fly in the ointment for McCarron (and this one is so huge it could very well be a Jeff Goldblum movie), was the loss in that game to Auburn. What the Bowling Green game was for Jordan Lynch, the Iron Bowl was for AJ McCarron. And that loss was more detrimental to McCarron seeing how Alabama was the unquestioned #1 in the nation to that point and a victory against Auburn, then a victory in the SEC championship game could have been the icing on AJ McCarron's Heisman cake. But it was not meant to be.
Jameis Winston, quarterback, Florida State
Odds of winning: 5-4
If this one seems like it's already wrapped up with a bow, it's because it is. Famous Jameis Winston will walk away with the Heisman Trophy tonight and if he doesn't, it will be an absolute shocker. The freshman has had an even more impressive season than Johnny Manziel's freshman Heisman season last year and he has led the Seminoles to an undefeated record, the #1 ranking in the nation, and a situation where only one victory separates them from a national championship. Winston really has been the most outstanding player in the nation this year with a nearly 70% completion percentage, a cool 38-10 TD/INT split, and an immaculate QB rating of over 190. He has led that team to big win after big win (the shellacking of the Clemson Tigers who were ranked #3 in the nation at the time is probably the most impressive victory in college football this year in any game not named the Iron Bowl) and now that his sexual assault case appears to be firmly in the rearview window, there's nothing that can stop Jameis Winston from winning the Heisman trophy tonight. Unless somebody hires Duane Ford and CJ Ross to be a couple of the voters.
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