Heisman Trophy Watch 2017: Reevaluating the contenders after Week 12

The frontrunner put in another solid performance on the field. He trolled even harder on the sidelines. Where does character fit into the Heisman equation?

The Heisman Trophy mission statement asserts that the award “annually recognizes the outstanding college football player whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity.” We have seen plenty of outstanding players this season, with the contenders naturally ebbing and flowing over the course of the season.

But that integrity part is where things get a little trickier. How one chooses to define “the pursuit of excellence with integrity” helps to determine where one stands on the candidacy of certain players. Is integrity a matter of moral uprightness, or rather a question of completeness? And if the former, who gets to define morality as it pertains to the gridiron?

These questions arose this weekend thanks to the longtime frontrunner in the Heisman race. Baker Mayfield was goaded into making some questionable gestures toward both Kansas fans and the opposite sideline when Oklahoma went to Lawrence on Saturday.

His performance on the field was certainly whole and complete, as he carved up the Jayhawks in a 41-3 rout. But did his antics on the sideline hurt his Heisman case more than his performance on the field of play helped that case?

Bravado and emotion will always be part of college football. And Mayfield is hardly the first college kid to troll opposing fans and players. He remains atop the list of contenders in the race for the most coveted individual trophy in college football. Where does everyone else stack up behind him, though, and could they make a case to overtake Mayfield over the final few weeks of the season? Keep reading to see where everyone falls in the Heisman Trophy Watch after Week 12 play went into the books.