Debating Baker Mayfield For the Heisman
Through the first eight weeks of the 2017 college football season, Baker Mayfield has been the best quarterback in the nation. The Oklahoma Sooner has passed for 2,387 yards, 19 touchdowns, and only two inceptions while leading his team to a 6–1 record and top-ten ranking.
Mayfield stacks up third in terms of Heisman rankings due to the stellar play of Penn State’s Saquon Barkley and Stanford’s Bryce Love, but if he continues to perform at such a high level, he may displace the two front-running running backs in the voting.
Mayfield’s play may not be enough to unseat Barkley and Love alone however. For the redshirt senior to come out on top, it will take a few more big wins and a bit of stumbling from those in front of him. Good news for Sooners fans is that they have a favorable schedule moving forward, with their only real test coming against in-state rival Oklahoma State.
Barkley, on the other hand, will have to go up against the likes Ohio State and Michigan State. Love and his Stanford squad still await matchups with the University. of Washington, Washington State, and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Given the tough tests before them, it is not unfathomable for Barkley and/or Love to falter in the coming weeks. This also affords Mayfield the opportunity to fly under the radar and make a move to the top of the Heisman rankings if all goes well.
The only major knock on Mayfield’s Heisman case was the upset Oklahoma faced against Iowa State. Favored by 31 points, the Sooners dropped the contest to a Cyclones team that had no business beating them. Mayfield still performed at a high level, passing for 306 yards and two touchdowns, but this loss effectively cost Oklahoma the chance to control their own destiny in terms of reaching the College Football Playoff. At the time, Oklahoma had been ranked number four in the nation.
While the favorable schedule may allow Mayfield to avoid a surprise upset, it may also leave him without that signature “Heisman Moment” that seal the award for a player late in the season. Take Johnny Manziel’s touchdown on the road against Alabama. It was that kind of impact play on the National Stage that cemented Manziel’s Heisman candidacy and eventual victory. Unfortunately for Mayfield, both Barkley and Love have matchups ahead of them that could leave them with such a moment.
Mayfield has been remarkable in 2017 and has significantly outplayed his fellow quarterback prospects that are ranked above him in the upcoming NFL Draft. While Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen, Josh Allen, and Lamar Jackson are all seen to have a higher ceiling at the pro level, no one can take away from what Mayfield has done on the field this season.Whether he leads the Sooners to the promised land or not, Baker Mayfield definitely possesses the talent and has the resume that should make him a strong candidate to stand on that stage in New York and join the most coveted fraternity in college football come December.
