Who is college football's next Lamar Jackson?

Lamar Jackson's path to the 2016 Heisman Trophy started with his with eight total touchdowns against Charlotte in Louisville's season-opening game, but he actually served notice to the world of his Heisman potential in the 2015 Music City Bowl. Jackson racked up a Music City-record 226 rushing yards while throwing for two touchdown passes and leading the Cardinals to a 27-21 win over Texas A&M.

Who might be able to replicate Jackson's path to the Heisman by using elite bowl game numbers as a springboard to a dominant 2017 campaign? Here are three of the leading candidates, starting with one of the most underrated players in the College Football Playoff.

Damien Harris, Alabama

Jalen Hurts had an Alabama quarterback season for the ages, in part by becoming the first Crimson Tide and Nick Saban-coached player to ever pass for 300 yards and rush for 100 yards in the same game. A repeat of this type of performance would make Hurts a leading Heisman candidate next year.

The fact that Hurts is Saban's first real running threat at quarterback may be a clue to Harris' Heisman impact, as it shows Saban historically has preferred to have his running backs be the focal point of his ground attack.

Saban could certainly move in that direction with Harris, as Harris' 5-foot-11, 214-pound frame indicates he is up to a bell cow workload. His elite production level also indicates he is capable of being a centerpiece ball carrier.

Harris ranked second in the SEC in yards per rush (7.5), fifth in percentage of rushes that gained 5 or more yards (48.1) (among backs with 100 or more carries), fifth in yards per rush before first defensive contact (4.9) and fourth in rush yards after first defensive contact (2.6). He was especially dangerous in the second half of games and in overtime, as his 8.7 yards per rush in those quarters ranks first in the SEC.

Washington may seem like a tough matchup to open the College Football Playoff, but the Huskies allowed 175 or more rushing yards in four games this season. The common denominator in most of those contests is the strength of the opponents' rushing attack, as three of those foes (Arizona, Oregon and Utah) rank in the top four of the Pac-12 in rush yards per game. Alabama's ground game certainly qualifies as an upper-tier attack, so Harris could lead the Crimson Tide to a lot more than 175 rushing yards.

As is usually the case, Alabama has its share of really difficult matchups in 2017, including LSU, Auburn and Florida State, but the Crimson Tide also have out-of-conference matchups against Fresno State, Colorado State and Mercer to go along with in-conference battles against Ole Miss, Tennessee and Arkansas, three clubs that allowed 200 or more rushing yards per game in the 2016 campaign. Harris should be able to stockpile elite numbers in those favorable matchups and put himself in position to have a shot at joining Mark Ingram and Derrick Henry as Alabama running backs to win the Heisman Trophy.

Nick Fitzgerald, Mississippi State

The Bulldogs 5-7 record in 2016 may have kept Fitzgerald off of the All-SEC radar, but there are plenty of reasons to believe he is an elite quarterback.

Fitzgerald ranked second in the SEC in Total QBR, (78.4) and fifth in touchdown passes (21). Like Jackson, Fitzgerald's biggest impact is on the ground. He second among Power 5 quarterbacks in a wide variety of categories, including Total QBR on rushing plays (97.6), rushing yards (1,243), rushing touchdowns (14), rushing plays that gained 10 or more yards (43), yards per rush (7.0) and games with 100 or more yards rushing (7). Fitzgerald would have been the best Power 5 rushing quarterback in 2016 had it not been for Jackson, as Jackson finished ahead of him in four of the five aforementioned categories.

That pace should continue when the Bulldogs face Miami (Ohio) in the St. Petersburg Bowl, as the RedHawks have allowed 434 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns in their past two games against Buffalo and Ball State.

The 2017 schedule also offers upside potential, as Mississippi State has thee favorable nonconference matchups (Charleston Southern, Louisiana Tech and Massachusetts) to go along with games against Arkansas, Kentucky and Ole Miss. That latter trio of foes accounts for three of the bottom five in the SEC in rush yards allowed this season and could allow Fitzgerald plenty of high-profile opportunities to rack up big numbers.

Bryce Love, Stanford

Love will be replacing Christian McCaffrey as the lead back in the Hyundai Sun Bowl vs. North Carolina, as McCaffrey has decided to skip the bowl game to begin his NFL draft preparation.

This matchup offers what might be the perfect springboard to bowl star status for Love, as no defense in the nation saw more rushing attempts this year than the Tar Heels on an overall basis (616) or a per-game basis (51.3). North Carolina also ranked 113th in rush yards allowed per game (235.5), tied for 97th in rushing touchdowns allowed (28) and tied for 84th in rush allowed per carry before first defensive contact (3.1).

Love's metrics indicate he could take full advantage of this highly favorable situation, as he ranks third in the Pac-12 in yards per carry (7.4), second in yards per carry after first defensive contact (3.0) and fourth in yards per carry after first defensive contact (4.4). David Shaw has called Love a dynamic player who could end up as a feature back in McCaffrey's absence.

Being a feature back against a 2017 schedule that includes matchups against Rice, San Diego State and four of the bottom five teams in the Pac-12 in rush yards allowed (California, Oregon, Oregon State and UCLA) could allow Love to mimic McCaffrey as a leading contender for the Pac-12 rushing title and put him into Heisman contention as well.