Entering 2017, Jarrett Stidham was on the short list of Heisman Trophy candidates.

It didn’t matter that the Auburn quarterback had just three career starts, all of which were two years earlier at Baylor. The potential of the former blue chip recruit was expected to be maximized in Gus Malzahn’s offense. Given Stidham’s athleticism and big arm, the oddsmakers believed that inexperience wouldn’t hold him back from making a claim for college football’s most coveted award.

As is turned out, that didn’t happen. Stidham still had a stellar year, but it was Kerryon Johnson who emerged as the fringe Heisman candidate. He was the player the Tigers’ offense relied on more than anyone. That much was obvious as Johnson hobbled through the SEC Championship Game and the Tigers had no answers in a 28-7 loss to Georgia.

Now, though, the circumstances are a bit different. There’s a chance that Johnson won’t be 100 percent for the Peach Bowl on Monday. There’s perhaps an even greater chance that it ends up being his last game. But Auburn will have had a month to prepare for that realization. And with all due respect to unbeaten Central Florida, its defense isn’t anywhere near Georgia’s.

Thus, Stidham is in a great position to get rolling on his 2018 Heisman campaign.

Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Stidham’s 2017 Heisman buzz might’ve been a bit premature, but there are plenty of reasons analysts might start up the hype train again after the UCF game.

The obvious one is the experience factor. My gripe with Stidham’s preseason Heisman candidacy in 2017 was that he didn’t have enough snaps reading defenses, and that it would take a bit of time for him to develop an understanding of Malzahn’s offense, which is much different than the one Stidham ran at Baylor.

But if you look at Stidham’s numbers in the final five games of the season (including the SEC Championship), his totals were solid:

  • 9 TD passes, 1 INT
  • 1,099 passing yards
  • 103 rushing yards, 2 rushing TDs
  • 68 percent passing

Keep in mind that three of those five games were against Alabama and Georgia, both Playoff teams.

Hypothetically speaking, let’s say Stidham has a big day against UCF. That’s not crazy considering the Knights are 110th in the FBS against the pass. Stidham could easily throw for 325 yards and 3 touchdowns and rush for 50 yards and a score. That might be conservative considering Memphis quarterback Riley Ferguson threw for 471 yards and 4 TDs in a 62-55 shootout loss at UCF in the AAC Championship.

Here’s what Stidham’s numbers would look like over his final six games:

  • 12 TD passes, 1 INT
  • 1,424 passing yards
  • 153 rushing yards, 3 rushing TDs
  • 68 percent passing

For argument’s sake, let’s say Stidham simply kept that pace in 2018. That would result in a regular season with 24 TD passes, 2 interceptions, 2,848 passing yards, 306 rushing yards and 6 rushing TDs. Those numbers aren’t gaudy enough to be a Heisman candidate, but they wouldn’t need to be improved that much considering Stidham will be a household name and, with Auburn’s schedule, could easily be leading a top-10 team late in the season.

As long as the Tigers can establish some sort of running presence in the likely post-Johnson era — that’s not a given — Stidham should have every opportunity to build on his 2017 finish. The fact that Auburn’s top five receivers are expected to return should only add to that argument. Whatever happens with Johnson and his NFL decision, Stidham’s potential in this offense should be plenty of reason for optimism for Auburn fans.

I’d be stunned if we weren’t reminded of that throughout the UCF game. Stidham has the ability to do what USC’s Sam Darnold did to Penn State in the Rose Bowl last year. We saw how much that game launched his Heisman campaign.

It would certainly be a better closing note than the one Stidham had in the SEC Championship. Some, like myself, gave him a bit of a pass considering how limited Johnson was that day. Stidham won’t have any excuses if he fails to light up UCF. He knows that. Malzahn knows that. The college football world knows that, too.

Stidham’s presence gave Auburn’s offense a shot in the arm in 2017. On Monday afternoon, he can do that one more time.

All while he gives life to his 2018 Heisman campaign.