(Update: Alabama's Derrick Henry won)
Heisman Trophy 2015 live stream: How to watch the announcement ceremony online
Will Derrick Henry leave New York with the Heisman Trophy under his arm?
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
After nearly four months and thirteen games of college football action, we finally have a Heisman Trophy field. And while we can debate whether or not Florida State’s Dalvin Cook should be on that stage (he should), there’s no denying that three of the nation’s most valuable offensive players will be at the Downtown Athletic Club on December 12th.
Your finalists are Alabama's bruising tailback Derrick Henry, Stanford's do-everything running back Christian McCaffrey, and Clemson's dual-threat scoring machine Deshaun Watson. Henry is a big favorite after putting the Crimson Tide offense on his back and rumbling for an NCAA-high 1,986 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns. McCaffrey was right behind him with 1,847 yards on the ground, but he blew everyone else out of the water when he came to all-purpose yards. When you factor in his receiving and kick return contributions, he wound up giving the Cardinal 3,496 yards of hard-earned field position in 2015 - more than 1,000 yards more than the next closest competitor.
Meanwhile, Deshaun Watson led Clemson to the FBS's only 13-0 finish and an ACC title behind 41 touchdowns and 3,512 passing yards. Watson completed nearly 70 percent of his passes to turn the Tigers into an offensive powerhouse that put up 37 points or more in eight games this fall. Can he shock the world and earn enough votes to bring the Heisman Trophy back to South Carolina?
How to watch, stream and listen
TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN
Radio: ESPN Radio
Online streaming: WatchESPN
Favorite: Derrick Henry is the clubhouse leader as a -1200 pick, according to Oddsshark. Christian McCaffrey is a +600 underdog and Deshaun Watson is giving +2200 odds to win the award.
Make friends: Get to SB Nation’s team blog chats for the ceremony at Roll ‘Bama Roll (for Alabama fans), Rule of Tree (for Stanford fans) and Shakin’ the Southland (for Clemson fans).
Three big things to know
1. Derrick Henry is the odds-on favorite because he contributed nearly 38 percent of Alabama’s total offense this season, but is he really worthy of the award? Bill Connelly says no.
2. Christian McCaffrey can't be counted out -- not after breaking one of Barry Sanders's records. The Stanford sophomore broke Sanders's single-season all-purpose yardage mark when he sprung for 461 yards in the Pac-12 Championship Game against USC. Sanders set the original record in only 11 games, but chasing down the GOAT in a single season is impressive no matter how you slice it.
3. Deshaun Watson scored 41 touchdowns for the nation’s last remaining undefeated team, and he’s still a +2200 underdog? That undervalues the skill he brought to Dabo Swinney’s team -- and the role he’s played in making “Clemsoning” a thing of the past.
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