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The Heisman Trophy will be presented Saturday in New York City. Below is a list of the Heisman Trophy finalists and their predicted finish.

1. Trent Richardson, Alabama RB

Since the star back plays in the rugged SEC, he's played against more tough defenses than any other Heisman contender. The power back has averaged 130 yards per game and 5.4 yards per carries against the six defenses ranked among the top third in the country.

Richardson, ranks in the top 10 in rush yards (1,583), rush yards per game (131.9) and rushing touchdowns (20) - the only player in the SEC to reach that plateau. In addition, he's added 27 catches for 327 yards and three more scores.

The junior finished the season with a career-high 203 yards against Auburn and his rushing yards and 1,910 yards from scrimmage both rank second all-time at Alabama.

While Richardson was held to just 89 yards rushing in Alabama's lone loss to LSU, he added 80 yards receiving and accounted for over 57 percent of the Tide's total offense.

THE QUOTE: "To me Trent Richardson is the best football player in the country. You love saying that about someone who is such a good person, and someone who does so much to serve other people. He is a great teammate. He is a leader. He cares about everyone around him. His performance and production pretty much speak for itself." - Alabama coach Nick Saban

2. Andrew Luck, Stanford QB

Considered easily the top pick in the upcoming draft assuming he bypasses his senior season at Stanford, Luck had the Heisman in his grasp before the 9-0 Cardinal faltered against Oregon. He was picked off twice - one returned for a TD - in the 53-30 defeat, threw for just 259 yards and was sacked four times.

Luck averaged 244 yards with 13 TDs and five picks in his last five games after averaging 287 yards with 18 scores and three picks in his first six, mostly against sub-par opponents.

His 35 TDs this season and 80 career are school records.

"There's no player in America like Andrew Luck. There really isn't. Forget about the stats, forget about the comparisons of other guys or whatever, it doesn't matter. What he does at the line of scrimmage, what he does with the ball you know, and the kid is completely unselfish. " Stanford coach David Shaw

3. Robert Griffin III, Baylor QB

With an improved passing touch and world class sprinter speed, Griffin III burst onto the scene in Baylor's opener against TCU (359 yards and 5 TDs) and kept it up all season. He led FBS in passer rating (192.31), completing 72.4 percent of his 369 passes with 36 TDs and six interceptions and led the nation with 10.83 yards per attempt. The red-shirt junior also ran for 644 yards and nine TD.

Griffin threw for 18 TDs in his first four games, and he showed his poise against Oklahoma late in the season, throwing for 479 yards and four TDs and running for 72 yards in a 45-38 win. He threw for 320 yards and accounted for four scores while playing at less than 100 percent Saturday against a top-10 Texas defense.

THE QUOTE: "I think he's done enough this season to win a Heisman. I don't think it comes down to one day. I think it certainly helped him (against Texas) without a doubt, but when I think you judge somebody, you judge them over the long run, not the short run. His long run has been very impressive this year." - Baylor coach Art Briles

4. Montee Ball, Wisconsin RB

No player has made a bigger late-season push then Ball, but it will probably be a little too late. He finished the season with 137 yards rushing, four TDs including the game winner, and a 32-yard pass completion in Wisconsin's Rose Bowl-clinching 42-39 win over Michigan State Saturday in the Big Ten Championship game.

Ball ran for 906 yards, 6.8 yards per carry and scored 17 TDs in the Badgers' season-ending five-game winning streak. He scored at least two TDs in every game this season and needs just two TDs against Oregon to snap Barry Sanders' single-season FBS record of 39 TDs.

Even more impressive, in six games against top-tier FBS defenses, Ball averaged nearly 160 yards of offense and three TDs.

For the season, Ball finished with an FBS-best 1,759 yards and a 6.4 yards per carry average. His 135.3 yards per game ranked fourth.

THE QUOTE: "What Montee has done against good defenses is really incredible, especially with a lack of touches in the fourth quarter. … In three of those he's put the stats together without playing a complete game, and really just playing at a high level right now." - Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema

5. Tyrann Mathieu, LSU cornerback

"Honey Badger" is simply the best player and leading tackler (66) on the best team in the country.

One of the five finalists for the Walter Camp National Player of the Year Award, Mathieu ranks second in the nation in fumbles forced (6) and fumbles recovered (4). He has intercepted two passes, recorded seven pass breakups and 1.5 sacks for a defense that has allowed just 10 points and 248 yards per game.

The sophomore has also scored four touchdowns - two on returns and two from his cornerback spot. He sparked LSU Saturday in the SEC Championship Game when ran back a punt 62 yards for a touchdown, set up another score with a fumble recovery and ripped off another long punt return that led to the decisive TD in a 42-10 victory.

THE QUOTE: "As the conference champion in the SEC and being one of the key players on that team, I think he needs real consideration," "He's a special player. He has a special place." - LSU coach Les Miles

 

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