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A year ago on Saturday night, Mayfield was asked by Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson if he was nervous before the 2016 Heisman ceremony, to which he admitted he wasn’t — he didn’t even prepare a speech.

Jackson asked if he was serious.

“Yeah,” Mayfield replied before Jackson won in a landslide. “You’re going to win.”

On Saturday, the roles will be reversed. Mayfield, who dreamed of winning the award as a young Sooner fan growing up in Austin, Texas, will be the one who needs to have a speech prepared.

Mayfield will be joined by Jackson and Stanford’s Bryce Love as finalists.

Neither of the challengers sitting next to him at PlayStation Theatre, however, has a journey as movie script-esque as Mayfield, neither of them has elevated their team to a second College Football Playoff berth in three years and neither is as fueled by their doubters as he is.

“He’s been everything you wish for in a quarterback,” Stoops said. “He has energy, brings energy, makes everybody around him better. Keeps everybody interested and excited.

“All of it.”

But leaving New York with the Heisman Trophy in tow isn’t why he came back for his senior year. He’ll have the opportunity to do what Jason White and Sam Bradford couldn’t, with the Sooners two wins from college football’s ultimate prize.

Mayfield will go down as one of the best to ever play for Oklahoma, regardless, but after Oklahoma’s 41-17 win over TCU in the Big 12 Championship Game on Dec. 2, Mayfield was asked on stage during the trophy presentation if he thought he’d done enough to win a Heisman.

“I’m not worried about that,” he replied.

“I’m going for a national title.”