Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott came into 2015 on virtually every Heisman Trophy watch list out there. However, eight weeks into the season, Prescott’s name has fallen from most of those lists.

But would things be different if the Bulldogs had won their biggest game of the year so far on Sept. 12 against LSU?

Mississippi State lost the game 21-19 in Starkville after Bulldogs kicker Devon Bell missed a 52-yard attempt that would have won the game. If Mississippi State had won that game, it could have sparked a run that might have resulted in an SEC title or College Football Playoff berth.

Although the Bulldogs are still enjoying a nice season, sitting at 6-2 heading into their bye week, the fact that they have realistically fallen out of contention to win the SEC West has cast a shadow over another excellent season for Prescott that is statistically right up there with some of the current Heisman frontrunners at his position.

While the last five Heisman winners, and 13 of the last 15, have been quarterbacks, there appears to be a good chance that a running back will take home the trophy this year, most likely LSU’s Leonard Fournette. But TCU’s Trevone Boykin and Memphis’ Paxton Lynch are the two quarterbacks that you’ll find on most Heisman watch lists at the moment, and Prescott’s numbers are comparable.

Boykin scores a lot of touchdowns and, like Prescott, can use his legs as well as his arm to make plays. Boykin has earned his spot as a Heisman contender by leading the nation with a total QBR of 87.9 this season and has a total of 2,979 yards and 30 total touchdowns.

But Prescott’s numbers aren’t too far off with 2,419 total yards and 21 total touchdowns. Meanwhile, Prescott has done a better job of protecting the football than Boykin has. Prescott’s touchdown-to-interception ratio is 14-1 compared to 28-5 for Boykin.

Lynch has been impressive with his arm and holds the best touchdown-to-interception ratio of all three quarterbacks at 17-to-1, and his QBR of 85.7 is slightly ahead of Prescott (83.6). And the fact that Memphis is having one of the most surprising seasons in college football and is at 7-0 so far this year definitely doesn’t hurt Lynch’s case for the Heisman. But Prescott puts up similar numbers against stiffer competition week in and week out and should at least be in the conversation if Lynch is going to be.

If Mississippi State had beaten LSU in Week 2 and was on its way to another 10-win season, Prescott might have never fallen out of the Heisman conversation because his numbers are Heisman worthy. But that poses the question of whether or not voting for the award should be based more on individual or team success.

Either way, Prescott is having another special season with the Bulldogs and could just be one marquee performance away from being back in the Heisman race.