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I hope they were paying attention to what Boise State鈥檚 remarkable running back accomplished Friday.

Facing Mizzou old friend Barry Odom and his stout UNLV defense, which entered the game ranked among the nation鈥檚 top-20 teams at stopping the run, Jeanty ascended. Again.

He slashed the Rebels for 209 rushing yards in a 21-7 Boise win in the Mountain West Conference championship game. And how鈥檚 this for his moment? He housed a 75-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter to make a UNLV comeback feel impossible. It was, if you can believe this, Jeanty鈥檚 fifth touchdown run of 70-plus yards this season. That鈥檚 the most since LaDainian Tomlinson had as many for TCU in 1999. No one in FBS history has produced more in one season. That鈥檚 the thing about Jeanty. When you dig into his numbers, your eyes bulge.

Jeanty didn鈥檛 just help the Broncos clinch an appearance in the College Football Playoff; he boldened and underlined the case for Boise to receive a first-round playoff bye. He might have secured the Heisman Trophy, too. If enough voters dig into his numbers.

鈥淭he Heisman should be not only the best player, but one of the best teammates in my opinion,鈥� Boise State coach Spencer Danielson told members of the media after the Broncos鈥� conference championship clincher. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 Ashton Jeanty. He works hard. He treats people right in everything he does. God has such an amazing plan for his life, more than just football. But right now, he showcases week in and week out that he鈥檚 the best football player in the country.鈥�

The odds still seem to favor Colorado two-way sensation Travis Hunter. I鈥檒l be sending my vote in today and won鈥檛 give it away until the winner is known, but I encourage my fellow voters to do some deep research before pressing send before Monday鈥檚 deadline.

In 13 games, Jeanty has led the nation鈥檚 running backs in rushing attempts per game (26.5), rushing yards per game (192) and rushing touchdowns (29). No one else averaged even 140 rushing yards per game. At the kickoff of Saturday鈥檚 games across the country, Jeanty owned a more than 800-yard lead on the runner-up in total rushing yards (2,497).

Jeanty is closer 鈥� he needs only 132 yards in a playoff game 鈥� to catching Barry Sanders鈥� NCAA single-season rushing record, from 1988, than anyone else is to catching Jeanty. Sanders himself has made it known he鈥檚 rooting for Jeanty to take down his record. Says a lot about Jeanty, doesn鈥檛 it? (And Sanders.)

And those staggering numbers of Jeanty鈥檚 could be even more absurd if Boise State鈥檚 coaching staff had not smartly cooled his jets in games Boise was winning in lopsided fashion. Four times this season, Jeanty received 20 or fewer carries. In those games he averaged, at worst, nine yards per carry. In three of them, he averaged 10-plus yards per carry. In one of them 鈥� Boise State鈥檚 62-30 romp over Utah State 鈥� he averaged 14.3 yards per carry, but got the ball only 13 times.

He had three touchdowns in that game before sitting out the entire second half. He wasn鈥檛 hurt. He was shelved. Imagine what his numbers could look like if he finished just that game, let alone some others. In nearly half of his games, Jeanty posted 200-plus rushing yards. Boise could have stuffed his stats. It didn鈥檛.

Boise State belongs. Jeanty鈥檚 team, unlike Hunter鈥檚 Colorado, is headed to the CFP, largely thanks to the running back鈥檚 contributions. Boise has just one loss this season, and it came in game No. 2 by three points on the road against Oregon, which entered the Big Ten championship game undefeated and holding the nation鈥檚 top ranking. Jeanty put 192 rushing yards on the Ducks, averaging 7.7 yards per carry. He ripped off a 70-yarder against them. Want to know how many rushing yards per game Oregon surrendered to their opponents all season? Fewer than 113.

This isn鈥檛 a case for a star running back from some cute program. Boise is playoff bound, and no one should be surprised if the Broncos do some damage in the bracket. If Jeanty played for Texas or Notre Dame, there would be no need to discuss his Heisman candidacy. He would be this season鈥檚 favorite by a country mile. Playing for a Mountain West program can鈥檛 be a negative when that program more than earns its spot in the bracket.

There鈥檚 no quarterback even worthy of comparison this season. This has been a down year for the Heisman鈥檚 darling position. Some of the biggest names, such as Ole Miss鈥� Jaxon Dart, had the opposite of Heisman moments down the stretch. It鈥檚 just Hunter and Jeanty, really. Hunter鈥檚 season also has been remarkable. There鈥檚 no debating that. But Jeanty鈥檚 is on the cusp of becoming historic and his team is playoff-bound because of it.

What could hurt Jeanty is the lack of hype. That field has been dominated by Hunter, who stars for Deion Sanders鈥� Prime Time Buffaloes. Hunter was one of the nation鈥檚 top-five receivers this season and he is even better at defensive back. His talent is truly remarkable and the number of snaps he鈥檚 logged while playing both ways is staggering. Making a case for Jeanty doesn鈥檛 require diminishing what Hunter accomplished. But Jeanty has powered his team to accomplishing more. There can be no debate there.

They said Jeanty needed his Heisman moment. Well, on Friday he got one and secured his conference championship鈥檚 MVP award because of it. The question is, were enough Heisman voters watching?