It must have been something Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield said that kept him from earning enough votes to qualify as a Heisman Trophy finalist. It certainly wasn’t anything he didn’t do. He did plenty to merit strong consideration.

Mayfield threw 35 touchdown passes and just five interceptions. His 9.6 yards per pass attempt ranked second in the nation, behind only Oregon’s Vernon Adams Jr.

Sure, Mayfield had two terrific running backs in Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon standing behind him and superstar receiver Sterling Shepard getting open for him, but it’s not as if the three Heisman finalists huddle with a bunch of stiffs either. Two of them join Mayfield in the four-team college football playoff.

Heisman favorite Derrick Henry, a running back, plays for Alabama, and quarterback Deshaun Watson (threw for 30 touchdowns, rushed for 11) has led Clemson to an undefeated season and No. 1 ranking. They both make worthy finalists, but a strong case could be made that Mayfield was the nation’s most efficient quarterback, Florida State’s Dalvin Cook the nation’s top running back.

Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey will face Iowa in the Rose Bowl and is another worthy finalist. He broke Barry Sanders’ single-season all-purpose-yards record and in Stanford’s 41-22, Pac-12-clinching victory against USC rushed for 207 yards and had 105 yards receiving and 149 yards in returns.

Oh, well, at least Mayfield won an award Monday to soothe the disappointment of not having an expenses-paid trip to New York to take a suspense-filled seat with the world watching him sweat on television.

The Burlsworth Award — named after former Arkansas All-American offensive lineman Brandon Burlsworth — honors college football’s top walk-on. Mayfield started his college career as a walk-on at Texas Tech.

Mayfield, who can take another crack at the Heisman next season, isn’t the first under-recruited quarterback to come out of Lake Travis High, alma mater of former Kansas University great Todd Reesing. NFL quarterback Garrett Gilbert (Texas, SMU, now with Oakland Raiders) and Virginia Tech QB Michael Brewer (another Texas Tech transfer) also played at Lake Travis.