Sports Illustrated Writer Predicts Mason Rudolph Will Win Heisman in 2017

Sports Illustrated is heaping the praise on Oklahoma State in the preseason—first with a prediction that the Cowboys will make the College Football Playoff, and now with one national writer predicting Mason Rudolph as the man who will take home the most prestigious individual award in the sport in 2017.

On Wednesday, the entire SI team published its predictions for the upcoming season, and while not every writer predicted Rudolph as the Heisman winner, long-time writer Andy Staples went there. Here’s what he had to say about his pick.

No quarterback in the country has more weapons at his disposal. Rudolph is going to put up video game numbers for a team that should be in contention for a playoff berth, and that should keep him at the top of the Heisman conversation all year. [SI]

Staples must have been drinking some sugared up orange kool-aid, because he didn’t stop there. He also pegged the Cowboys as a College Football Playoff participant and winner (against Clemson) of the Rose Bowl before eventually falling to Alabama in the CFP title game.

That doesn’t sound too bad, huh?

So let’s recap: Sports Illustrated cover? Check. Preseason Heisman contender status? Check. Preseason College Football Playoff hype? Check, check and check.

2017 could be a big year for the Cowboys, and the love from the national media in the preseason could be just a taste of the attention it gets as the team gears up for a run at the Big 12 title and beyond.