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Conference championship games are upon us and, with that, a few Heisman Trophy contenders have one final opportunity to impress voters before the Dec. 13 ceremony. The battle for college football's top honor often comes down to championship week, and that was the case just a year ago, when Boise State's Ashton Jeanty made a last-minute push and nearly jumped ahead of eventual winner Travis Hunter. This season, all eyes are on Ohio State's Julian Sayin and Indiana's Fernando Mendoza.

The Big Ten Championship Game could decide the Heisman winner. Things have been trending in this direction for weeks, and with both Ohio State and Indiana completing perfect regular seasons, they set up a war between two longtime award frontrunners. Sayin and Mendoza have been neck and neck at the front of the Heisman race for much of the season and this weekend will have an opportunity to notch a critical head-to-head win.

That data point, which directly compares Sayin to Mendoza, may be the deciding factor for voters split between the two. The wild card is whether Vanderbilt's Diego Pavia has done enough to win the award regardless of what happens in the Big Ten title bout.

Here is the full Heisman Trophy outlook for conference championship week.

Heisman Trophy odds entering championship week

Odds via FanDuel

Stock up: Diego Pavia vaults into frontrunner conversation

Since Vanderbilt will be watching the SEC Championship Game from home, all Pavia can do is hope that his 12-game body of work is enough to justify the required number of first-place Heisman votes for a victory. There is a decent chance he will command strong support from regional voters in the south regardless of what happens in the Big Ten Championship Game, and if neither Sayin nor Mendoza has a particularly strong outing, that should help him gain more traction nationwide.

Even with his two interceptions last week against Tennessee, Pavia's season-long numbers are phenomenal. The sixth-year star finished the regular season as the SEC leader in completion rate (71.2%), passing touchdowns (27) and efficiency with excellent per-attempt numbers and a stellar passer rating. He is also among the premier running threats at the quarterback position nationally and put that on display with a 165-yard outburst in the rivalry win over the Volunteers.

All of those statistics pair beautifully with the fact that Pavia spearheaded the greatest regular season in Vanderbilt history with 10 wins and its highest AP Top 25 ranking (No. 9) in the modern era. His publicity does not hurt either. Arguably no candidate has campaigned harder nor boasts the same kind of social media support that Pavia possesses. That goes a long way.

Stock down: Jeremiyah Love likely a finalist at best

An ill-timed injury might have dashed Jeremiyah Love's hopes of hoisting the trophy. The dominant Notre Dame running back missed part of last week's rout of Stanford after taking a hit to his midsection, and while he did return to the contest, the time off the field prevented him from posting one of his typical outrageous stat lines.

It would have taken another monster effort from Love to assert himself as the Heisman frontrunner to begin with. Considering the Fighting Irish do not have a conference championship game, Love needed to close the regular season with a bang. Instead, the momentum is simply not in his favor.

That is not to say that Love will not receive Heisman votes. In fact, he may well earn enough to claim a seat at the ceremony. He is the most prolific running back in college football and perhaps the most likely non-quarterback to be a finalist. But it takes a lot for a running back to win this award nowadays, and even with 1,652 scrimmage yards and 21 total touchdowns, he may not have done enough.

Longshot of the week: LB Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech (+25000)

Texas Tech is working hard to prove otherwise, but a defensive player simply is not going to win the Heisman this year. It will take a special set of circumstances for a strictly-defensive player to win in any year. But Jacob Rodriguez sure could be a finalist. He would be far from the first linebacker or edge rusher to clinch a spot at the ceremony, and voters have a tendency to go outside the box with their second- and third-place votes.

Those who look beyond the quarterback position may be inclined to toss a vote Rodriguez's way after his dominant final campaign with the Red Raiders. The fifth-year senior leads the country with seven forced fumbles, and he racked up four interceptions, too. One of those takeaways came last week, when he also ran for his second touchdown in as many games. Coach Joey McGuire has been using Rodriguez as a goal-line rusher of late in a not-so-veiled attempt to pad his stats, and it just might work.

Championship week performances to watch

Whether it be for determining the Heisman winner or for rounding out the field of finalists, conference championship week presents an opportunity for a handful of hopefuls to make a last-minute push. Watch closely in the Big Ten, SEC and Big 12 for indications as to how the votes will be distributed.

Julian Sayin vs. Fernando Mendoza

This one is for all the marbles in multiple capacities. The Big Ten title is on the line. So, too, is the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff. The Heisman Trophy may be at stake in this head-to-head fight between Sayin and Mendoza. The winner of the Ohio State-Indiana battle will almost certainly be the betting favorite for the award, so long as he does not play poorly. That victor will also have a perfect record as the leader of the nation's best team, not to mention a spectacular statistical profile, as well.

Gunner Stockton vs. Ty Simpson

Under the assumption that Pavia is a finalist, there may be room for one other SEC quarterback at the Heisman ceremony, but anything beyond that is a stretch. The winning quarterback at the conference title game will have a strong case to pick up voting consideration, perhaps even as the No. 1 choice on a couple of outlier ballots. One of Stockton or Simpson could earn a ticket to New York this weekend, but not both.

Jacob Rodriguez vs. BYU

If Rodriguez is to stand favorably enough among the other contending non-quarterbacks to clinch finalist status, he cannot be silent in the Big 12 Championship Game. He was far from quiet in his first meeting with BYU, when he tied his season-best mark with 14 tackles and added a tackle for loss, interception and fumble recovery. A repeat performance, maybe with a rushing touchdown for show, could get Rodriguez on enough ballots to matter.