Louisville's Lamar Jackson should hold Heisman

The Heisman Trophy was Lamar Jackson's to lose.

Although the Louisville quarterback handled his grip on the stiff-armed trophy as loosely as the football in the red zone in the final couple of games of the season, Jackson didn't fumble away his big opportunity. The sophomore will win the Heisman because of his remarkable performance over 12 games.

Jackson might have been able to win by historic proportions, if not for the Cardinals' losses to Houston (he was sacked 11 times) and Kentucky (committed four turnovers) to end the regular season, but that will just be a footnote to the coronation.

He sat out last weekend while other prominent players held the stage in conference championship games, but just as Jackson showed on the field, nobody could catch him from behind.

For the record, Jackson finished the regular season with 1,538 yards and 21 touchdowns on the ground, and he completed 220 of 382 passes for 3,390 yards, with 30 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Can't beat that.

While he drained the drama out of the race for most of the season, candidates have rotated in the big pack behind him. Heisman voters get to vote for three players, in order. Who's next after Jackson?

The running backs -- Texas' D'Onta Foreman, Florida State's Dalvin Cook, San Diego State's Donnel Pumphrey and Christian McCaffrey -- will split votes. The receivers? Not this season.

Michigan Jabrill Peppers -- let's call him a linebacker to save space -- is the ultimate hybrid, but Alabama defensive lineman Jonathan Allen is the rock for the nation's best defense. Two good choices.

And, of course, let's not forget that this is usually an award for quarterbacks, and Deshaun Watson did steer Clemson back into the playoff with some spectacular moments. That he was still about 500 yards behind Jackson in total offense, despite one more game, emphasizes how great Jackson was in 2016.

So ...

1. Jackson

2. Peppers

3. Watson

See you next year, when USC quarterback Sam Darnold wins it.