NEW YORK — Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson is a Heisman Trophy finalist for the second consecutive season, joining Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson, Michigan linebacker Jabrill Peppers, and Oklahoma teammates Baker Mayfield and Dede Westbrook.

The finalists were announced Monday on ESPN and the award will be presented Saturday in New York.

Oklahoma has two Heisman contenders this year in quarterback Baker Mayfield, right, and receiver Dede Westbrook. Associated Press/LM Otero

Watson finished third in last year’s voting, won by Alabama running back Derrick Henry. Just like last year, he heads to New York not as the favorite but as the contender coming on strong at the end.

Peppers is the first defensive player to be a Heisman finalist since Notre Dame linebacker Manti Teo was a distant runner-up to Johnny Manziel in 2012.

Westbrook and Mayfield are the first teammates to be finalists since Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart from Southern California finished first and third, respectively in 2005.

OKLAHOMA: On top of being a Heisman finalist, quarterback Baker Mayfield won the Burlsworth Award for a second straight year, becoming the first two-time winner of the award given to the top college football player who began his career as a walk-on.

Mayfield leads the country in passing efficiency this season, having thrown 38 touchdowns and only eight interceptions while leading the Sooners to the Big 12 championship and a Sugar Bowl berth.

Mayfield began his career as a walk-on at Texas Tech.

ALABAMA: Senior defensive lineman Jonathan Allen won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy given annually to the nation’s best college defensive player.

Allen was selected over four other finalists, including Crimson Tide teammate Reuben Foster.

Florida State cornerback Tarvarus McFadden, Michigan linebacker Jabrill Peppers and Clemson defensive end Christian Wilkins were also among the Nagurski finalists.

A STUDY OF this season’s bowl-bound teams shows while there continues to be high academic success for the student-athletes overall, the disparity in graduation rates between black and white students remains a problem at the highest level of college football.

The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport found in its latest study that black students graduated from the 80 bowl-bound programs had a 68 percent graduation success rate compared to 87 percent for their white counterparts.

Those numbers represent a 2 percent increase for both groups a year ago.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

(25) IOWAS STATE 91, NEBRASKA-OMAHA 47: Deonte Burton scored 20 points in a win at Ames, Iowa, snapping a two-game losing streak.

Donovan Jackson had 15 for the Cyclones (6-2), who hit 15 of 29 3-pointers and rolled to their third win of 40 or more points this season.

POLL: Reigning national champion Villanova is No. 1 in the AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll for the second time in school history.

The Wildcats (8-0), who were No. 1 for three weeks in February last season, moved up one spot from last week.

UCLA (9-0), which beat No. 1 Kentucky 97-92 on Saturday, jumped from 11th to second with two first-place votes.

Kentucky, which dropped to sixth, had been No. 1 for the past two weeks.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

(16) DEPAUL 94, PRAIRIE VIEW A&M 62: Ashton Millender and Jacqui Grant scored 15 points each in a win at Chicago.

(25) VIRGINIA TECH 76, GARDNER-WEBB 42: Sidney Cook scored 17 points while Regan Magarity had 10 points and 13 rebounds in a win at Blacksburg, Virginia.

POLL: UConn is the new No. 1 in The Associated Press women’s basketball poll, moving ahead of Notre Dame on Monday.

The Huskies (7-0) had been second in the poll behind the Irish (8-0), but climbed into first by two points after beating Top 25 teams DePaul and Texas this week.

The rivals will face each other Wednesday night in South Bend, Indiana.

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