In ESPN’s Heisman Trophy Experts’ Poll this week, Alabama’s Derrick Henry received nine of 10 first-place votes and 49 of 50 possible total points. In ESPN’s Heismanology last week, he received 65 percent of the first-place votes and appeared on 95 percent of the ballots. In the words of Joe Tessitore, “This is a big lead.”

He ran for 271 yards Saturday (the most by a Crimson Tide player in a game against Auburn). It was his fourth 200-yard rushing game of the season (tied for the most in a season in SEC history). Henry appears to have solidified his place as the Heisman front-runner.

But should he be the top candidate for the award?

The Heisman Trophy is designed to recognize the most outstanding player in college football, and the case can be made that there have been more (or equally) outstanding players around the country. This is taking nothing away from Henry – he deserves to be in the conversation – but should we be talking more about the players listed below?

Dalvin Cook, Florida State

Dalvin Cook is not on a playoff-contending team and will enter bowls having played two fewer games than Henry, but through this point, Cook has contributed as much to his team’s success as any other running back in the country.

Despite averaging five rushes per game fewer than Henry, Cook is averaging more yards per game and has gained a Power 5-high 76 percent of his team’s rushing yards. Cook and Henry have faced comparable defenses -– as measured by average efficiency rank –- but Cook is averaging nearly two more yards per rush and has seven more 20-yard rushes than Henry.

Top rusher? Dalvin

Cook Derrick

Henry Rush YPG 150.7 149.8 Yds per rush 7.9 6.1 TD 18 22 Rush EPA PG* +5.77 +5.45 * Contribution to PPG margin on his rushes

Digging deeper into some analytics, Cook’s rushes have contributed more to his team’s scoring margin (measured by expected points added) and the outcome of his team’s games (win probability added) on a per-play and per-game basis than Henry’s have. It’s important to note that Cook is not solely responsible for the EPA or WPA on those plays (the offensive line deserves credit), but those measures account for game situations not directly measured by yards. Overall, Cook ranks second in the FBS in rush EPA per game behind Ohio State’s Ezekiel Elliott.

Christian McCaffrey, Stanford

Christian McCaffrey’s rushing numbers do not stack up to Henry’s, but his contributions in all facets of the game (rushing, receiving, returning) put him in the conversation.

Top overall player? Christian

McCaffrey Derrick

Henry Rush EPA +37 +65 Receiving EPA +28 +4 Return EPA +13 0 Total EPA +78 +69 * EPA: Contribution to team's scoring margin

McCaffrey has amassed 3,035 all-purpose yards this season, the third player in FBS history to top the 3,000-yard mark. To put that in perspective, he is averaging nearly 253 all-purpose yards per game, 95 more than Henry this season.

Accounting for all passing, rushing and return plays, McCaffrey’s plays have contributed 78 points to Stanford’s net scoring margin this season, third among FBS running backs (behind Cook and Oregon’s Royce Freeman) and nearly nine more points than Henry’s plays over the course of the season.

Deshaun Watson, Clemson

It’s no coincidence that 13 of the last 14 Heisman trophies have been awarded to quarterbacks (excludes Reggie Bush’s vacated 2005 trophy); that position is more valuable and contributes more to a team’s success than any other.

The case can be made that Deshaun Watson has been the best player at the most important position. He ranks third in Total QBR and is the only player in the country with at least 3,000 pass yards and 750 rush yards this season.

Road to the Heisman? Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks since 2007 with their QB points above average and rank before the Heisman ceremony QB PAA FBS Rank 2014 Marcus Mariota +130.0 1st 2013 Jameis Winston +108.4 1st 2012 Johnny Manziel +134.6 1st 2011 Robert Griffin III +93.6 2nd 2010 Cam Newton +120.3 1st 2008 Sam Bradford +132.4 1st 2007 Tim Tebow +109.4 1st * Watson: 99.2 in 2015 (2nd in FBS)

Accounting for Watson’s efficiency and usage, he ranks second behind Ole Miss’ Chad Kelly in a total value stat called QB PAA (points above average). QB PAA measures the total production of a quarterback compared with what an average quarterback (average meaning one with a Total QBR of 50) would be expected to have, taking into account efficiency, usage and level of competition.

With an above-average game in the ACC Championship, Watson will surpass Kelly in QB PAA, which is a stat that highly correlates to Heisman trophy winners.

A case can also be made for Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield (responsible for Power 5-high 42 touchdowns) and LSU’s Leonard Fournette (leads the country in rushing yards per game), but the point is that the Heisman race should be far from over heading into conference championship weekend.