ARLINGTON, TX - DECEMBER 2: Baker Mayfield #6 of the Oklahoma Sooners celebrates after defeating the TCU Horned Frogs 41-17 in the Big 12 Championship AT&T Stadium on December 2, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Baker Mayfield had an amazing 2017 college football season, and he is in line to take home a lot of hardware at season’s end as a result.
Case in point: Mayfield was named the 2017 AP College Football Player of the Year.
According to ESPN, “Mayfield received 51 first-place votes from the 56 AP college football poll voters who submitted player of the year ballots, and a total of 157 points. Love (83 points) and Jackson (39 points) each received two first-place votes. Penn State running Saquon Barkley received one first-place vote and came in fourth.”
On top of being named AP Player of the Year, Mayfield is also a Heisman finalist, and his Sooners earned a spot in the College Football Playoff.
Mayfield has managed to rack up 4,340 passing yards, which is the second-best mark in the country, and 41 touchdown passes, which is also good for second-best in college football. On top of that, he only had five interceptions on the season, and he also rushed for 310 yards and five more scores on the ground.
The Oklahoma quarterback managed to do this against some of the best teams in the country. After all, the Sooners took on the Ohio State Buckeyes (ranked No. 2 at the time), Oklahoma State Cowboys (ranked No. 11 at the time) and TCU Horned Frogs (twice), who were ranked No. 6 and No. 11 when the two teams met up.
Oklahoma will enter bowl season with a 12-1 record. The Sooners are coming off of a victory in the Big 12 title game against TCU. Their lone loss came against the Iowa State Cyclones on Oct. 7. Since then, they have won eight games in a row, which features three wins against teams ranked in the top 11.
More from the ESPN article mentioned above:
He joins Josh Heupel (2000), Jason White (2003) and Sam Bradford (2008) as previous winners from Oklahoma. No other school has had more than two players win AP Player of the Year.
“I’m on this awards trip right now with a lot of great players from OU and other schools, and every one of them deserves to be recognized,” Mayfield said. “To receive this award is an honor and it’s something just a few years ago I never thought would happen. Obviously I’m very happy and thankful that I’m being recognized with this.”
Mayfield is considered the favorite to take home the Heisman Trophy this weekend. Of course, the other finalists, Stanford Cardinal running back Bryce Love and Louisville Cardinals quarterback Lamar Jackson, are worthy of the award.
The Sooners will take on the Georgia Bulldogs in the College Football Playoff on Jan. 1. The winner will take on the winner of the playoff matchup between the Clemson Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide.
If things go according to plan — because so many people believe Mayfield is the favorite to win the Heisman — Mayfield should be crowned the Heisman winner this weekend.
Whether the case, Mayfield (and the Sooners) has had quite the season, and he is currently being awarded for his efforts.
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