Preseason Heisman Power Rankings

The 2016 Heisman Trophy race should be one of the more compelling in recent memory.

This year's chase figures to feature five players that were in the mix for the award a season ago, before Derrick Henry ultimately took home college football's ultimate individual prize. That means those that were passed over by Heisman voters should have a chip on their shoulder in 2016.

Here are the five players that top our preseason rankings:

5. Baker Mayfield, QB - Oklahoma

Mayfield's tremendous 2015 was somewhat overshadowed by the accomplishments of the other four members on this list.

The Oklahoma quarterback's 36 touchdowns and 3,700 yards passing weren't even enough to get him invited to New York for the Heisman ceremony. Those type of numbers, though, may be challenging to duplicate this year. Mayfield won't have top receiver Sterling Shepard back, as the speedy wideout left for the NFL.

Shepard hauled in 86 receptions for 1,288 yards and 11 touchdowns last year, so that loss of production will be hard to overcome for Mayfield and the Sooners.

4. Dalvin Cook, RB - Florida State

If not for injuries costing Cook nearly two full games last season, the Florida State running back could have seen his name on the Heisman.

Cook's 1,691 yards with 19 scores were impressive, but perhaps even more eye-popping was his 7.4 yards per carry average. The junior figures to be the focal point of the Seminoles' attack again, so there's a good chance Cook can improve on last year's totals if he stays healthy.

That could be a big if. Cook is coming back from offseason shoulder surgery and with how heavy the Seminoles will be leaning on him offensively, it's going to be a challenge to avoid taking constant hits.

3. Leonard Fournette, RB - LSU

People were handing Fournette the Heisman after the first half of the season last year, but a couple of shaky games in November dropped him out of the race.

The LSU running back will be looking to close the deal this fall before his likely departure to the NFL. Fournette carried the ball a whopping 300 times a year ago and expect more of the same in the Tigers' offense this time around. Brandon Harris' slow development meant Fournette received a heavy workload and even if the junior pivot improves, expect the ground game to take up the majority of LSU's offense.

Even with the expected plethora of carries, Fournette will be in tough to avoid a mediocre game or two with Alabama, Ole Miss, Florida, among others on a tough SEC schedule.

2. Christian McCaffrey, RB - Stanford

McCaffrey does a little of everything for the Cardinal and after just missing out on the Heisman in 2015, he'll have an excellent chance to claim it this season.

The elusive back is a threat in the running, passing, and return game, as evident by his numbers from his sophomore campaign. McCaffrey posted more than 2,000 rushing yards, 45 receptions, and two return touchdowns. The Stanford running back also carried the ball 37 times more than Fournette, proving he can withstand a heavy workload as well.

McCaffrey will be one of the favorites to win the award simply by his sheer volume of touches.

1. Deshaun Watson, QB - Clemson

The Heisman should be Watson's to lose.

Watson slowly improved last season and by the time the Tigers met Alabama in the national title game, the Clemson pivot was one of the most feared passers in the nation.

The junior finished 2015 with more than 4,000 yards passing and starred in the aforementioned game against the Crimson Tide. Watson threw for 405 yards and four scores, as the Tigers came up just short of a national championship.

As dangerous as Watson was through the air, he was just as productive on the ground. All the signal-caller did as a sophomore was rush for 1,105 yards and 12 touchdowns.

The only knock on Watson was turnovers, as his 13 interceptions are perhaps what kept him from winning the Heisman. If he can get that number down, though, expect Watson to be leaving New York next December with some major hardware.