Stanford's loss to Oregon hurt Christian McCaffrey's Heisman chances

By foxsports
Published

Despite gaining 244 more all-purpose yards against Oregon last Saturday, Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey's Heisman hopes were all but dashed along with Stanford's College Football Playoff dreams. 

Stanford's 38-36 loss put the Cardinal out of the Playoff picture, meaning that McCaffrey is likely not a Heisman frontrunner any longer. 

Still, McCaffrey has been the Pac-12's most potent offensive weapon and showed as much against Oregon in the loss. The sophomore sensation gained 147 rushing yards--his eighth consecutive 100-yard rushing performance--and caught five passes for 42 yards. 

On the season, McCaffrey ranks seventh in the FBS in rushing yards (1,354) and has 2,418 all-purpose yards, which is best in the FBS by over 300 yards. McCaffrey is still on pace to break Barry Sanders' single-season record for all-purpose yards gained (3,250). 

While McCaffrey may not be a Heisman frontrunner any longer, he is still a good bet to win the Pac-12's offensive player of the year award. If he and the Cardinal close the season with wins against California, Notre Dame and win the Pac-12 title, McCaffrey may still find himself with a ticket to New York for the Heisman ceremony.