Here are my thoughts on the Heisman trophy, and how I think the voting should go on Saturday:
Winner - Robert Griffin, III, Baylor - I know the Heisman usually goes to "the best player on the best team" but that thinking is out this year. Not that Tyrann Mathieu and Trent Richardson didn't have phenomenal years; it's just that the level of play logged all year by RG3 was astronomical, and for some reason, not talked about. I'm not sure how many people actually watched Baylor games this year. To be fair, I didn't watch that many. But I'm sure a lot of people saw the barn-burner against TCU to open up the college football season. I came away from that game thinking two things: 1) TCU's defense is NOT what it was last year and 2) That Baylor QB can flat-out play--great arm, great legs, smart player. Sure, maybe Andrew Luck has the skill set most translatable to the next level, but that is not what the Heisman rewards (just ask Gino Torretta and Danny Wuerffel). It's about the best player in college football this year. RG3 has Jean Greyed the Baylor Bears, bringing them out of the ashes to a 9-3 record, with huge wins over OU and Texas this year (that's like Vanderbilt beating Alabama and LSU in the same season--it is, quite simply, not supposed to happen). Without RG3, I think Baylor doesn't win those games and a large handful of others. He has brought relevance to the Baylor name in NCAA football. Now, Luck did the same thing with Stanford, albeit a year ago, and simply continued his brilliance this year. So at this point, I am fine to leave it up to the stats. RG3 has a higher completion percentage, more yards, more TDs, and fewer INTs than Luck. That all means a passer rating 25 points higher than Luck. He has 700 more rushing yards, 7 more rushing TDs, and I would venture to say, more game-changing plays than Andrew Luck had this year. And they both played in strong BCS conferences (ie, NOT the Big East). My vote, if anyone cares, is for this guy. I mean, let's be honest, he put up stats that would be pretty strong if shared across TWO guys. Of course, if my soapbox isn't enough for you, maybe this is.
1st Runner-Up - Trent Richardson, Alabama - The best player on arguably the best team in the country this year (yeah, I said it!). In a game where inches were hard to come by, Richardson lit up the LSU defense for 169 total yards on offense--something many teams couldn't accomplish this year. I can't count how many "Wow" runs Richardson had this year--the guy simply does not go down. Without Richardson, Alabama is clearly not the team it is today. Let's face it--everyone saw the LSU-Alabama game and saw how anemic the Alabama aerial attack was. Richardson brings balance, credibility, and intimidation to an Alabama rushing game that allow the Tide to open up downfield and make some big plays. A player who makes everyone else around him better? Trent Richardson's your guy. His numbers don't leap out as much as RG3's, but then again, he's playing in the SEC and let's also remember, Alabama played all of one close game this year. I'm sure Richardson saw a lot of fourth-quarter pine that sapped his numbers. Not the greatest speed I've ever seen, but he makes up for it with his violent style of running.
2nd Runner Up - Andrew Luck, Stanford - Not that the guy had a bad year, but nothing was record-breaking about it. I think we all expected him to be great, and he was. I think, unfortunately, Luck was the victim of the Tom Brady curse--everyone knows he's excellent, so we'll only notice when he is not excellent. This year, he was pretty consistently excellent. I just think that, when stacked up against RG3, Luck's season comes up just a hair short. Maybe the balanced offense Stanford offers has something to do with it--Stanford is running more of a west-coast style offense, so 373 attempts go for 3,170 yards; versus Baylor, who is not shy to stretch the field, and has 369 attempts go for nearly 4,000 yards. I don't think there is any question who would win if the two teams played--Stanford is more consistent, more balanced, and overall, just a better team. But I think RG3 is the better player. This year, at least.
3rd Runner-Up - Montee Ball, Wisconsin - Montee Ball has quietly put together a season for the books. And like RG3, no one seems to be talking about it. The guy is about to break a 20-year old record held by Barry Sanders (he just needs two TDs in the Rose Bowl to eclipse Sanders' record of 39 TDs in a year), who won the Heisman that year. I think, in general, the Big Ten gets a bit marginalized in the football lexicon. As a SEC homer, I won't shy away from the fact that I downright hate watching Big Ten football and don't find that many dynamic personalities, players, or teams there. This year, Madison has provided a nice respite from the usual rumbling pile of dust that generally defines Big Ten games. Russell Wilson and Montee Ball have added sex to the Big Ten, and Wisconsin is undoubtedly one of the most fun teams to watch in the nation. Ball also looks like he has the build and the quickness to be on many fantasy rosters in the near future--something of a Ray Rice/Frank Gore hybrid.
4th Runner-Up - Tyrann Mathieu, LSU - While LSU fans (this one at least) are happy to have a candidate at the presentation, I think everyone knows that this is where Mathieu will end up. Great season, and far more than you can ever expect from a 5'7" cornerback who wasn't even highly recruited out of high school. But, the problem is, great seasons are measured by stats and the Heisman is an individual award. Individual stats just don't really come easy on the defensive end, which is why we will always see QBs and RBs win the Heisman, and not DBs and DTs. It is clear that Mathieu raises the level of play of the LSU defense when he is on the field. And it is clear that Mathieu can change the entire feel of a game in 10 seconds--like he did against Arkansas and Georgia the last two weeks. But let's be realistic--he's a defensive player, and defensive players don't win Heismans any more. And there's also that whole synthetic marijuana issue...
Winner - Robert Griffin, III, Baylor - I know the Heisman usually goes to "the best player on the best team" but that thinking is out this year. Not that Tyrann Mathieu and Trent Richardson didn't have phenomenal years; it's just that the level of play logged all year by RG3 was astronomical, and for some reason, not talked about. I'm not sure how many people actually watched Baylor games this year. To be fair, I didn't watch that many. But I'm sure a lot of people saw the barn-burner against TCU to open up the college football season. I came away from that game thinking two things: 1) TCU's defense is NOT what it was last year and 2) That Baylor QB can flat-out play--great arm, great legs, smart player. Sure, maybe Andrew Luck has the skill set most translatable to the next level, but that is not what the Heisman rewards (just ask Gino Torretta and Danny Wuerffel). It's about the best player in college football this year. RG3 has Jean Greyed the Baylor Bears, bringing them out of the ashes to a 9-3 record, with huge wins over OU and Texas this year (that's like Vanderbilt beating Alabama and LSU in the same season--it is, quite simply, not supposed to happen). Without RG3, I think Baylor doesn't win those games and a large handful of others. He has brought relevance to the Baylor name in NCAA football. Now, Luck did the same thing with Stanford, albeit a year ago, and simply continued his brilliance this year. So at this point, I am fine to leave it up to the stats. RG3 has a higher completion percentage, more yards, more TDs, and fewer INTs than Luck. That all means a passer rating 25 points higher than Luck. He has 700 more rushing yards, 7 more rushing TDs, and I would venture to say, more game-changing plays than Andrew Luck had this year. And they both played in strong BCS conferences (ie, NOT the Big East). My vote, if anyone cares, is for this guy. I mean, let's be honest, he put up stats that would be pretty strong if shared across TWO guys. Of course, if my soapbox isn't enough for you, maybe this is.
1st Runner-Up - Trent Richardson, Alabama - The best player on arguably the best team in the country this year (yeah, I said it!). In a game where inches were hard to come by, Richardson lit up the LSU defense for 169 total yards on offense--something many teams couldn't accomplish this year. I can't count how many "Wow" runs Richardson had this year--the guy simply does not go down. Without Richardson, Alabama is clearly not the team it is today. Let's face it--everyone saw the LSU-Alabama game and saw how anemic the Alabama aerial attack was. Richardson brings balance, credibility, and intimidation to an Alabama rushing game that allow the Tide to open up downfield and make some big plays. A player who makes everyone else around him better? Trent Richardson's your guy. His numbers don't leap out as much as RG3's, but then again, he's playing in the SEC and let's also remember, Alabama played all of one close game this year. I'm sure Richardson saw a lot of fourth-quarter pine that sapped his numbers. Not the greatest speed I've ever seen, but he makes up for it with his violent style of running.
2nd Runner Up - Andrew Luck, Stanford - Not that the guy had a bad year, but nothing was record-breaking about it. I think we all expected him to be great, and he was. I think, unfortunately, Luck was the victim of the Tom Brady curse--everyone knows he's excellent, so we'll only notice when he is not excellent. This year, he was pretty consistently excellent. I just think that, when stacked up against RG3, Luck's season comes up just a hair short. Maybe the balanced offense Stanford offers has something to do with it--Stanford is running more of a west-coast style offense, so 373 attempts go for 3,170 yards; versus Baylor, who is not shy to stretch the field, and has 369 attempts go for nearly 4,000 yards. I don't think there is any question who would win if the two teams played--Stanford is more consistent, more balanced, and overall, just a better team. But I think RG3 is the better player. This year, at least.
3rd Runner-Up - Montee Ball, Wisconsin - Montee Ball has quietly put together a season for the books. And like RG3, no one seems to be talking about it. The guy is about to break a 20-year old record held by Barry Sanders (he just needs two TDs in the Rose Bowl to eclipse Sanders' record of 39 TDs in a year), who won the Heisman that year. I think, in general, the Big Ten gets a bit marginalized in the football lexicon. As a SEC homer, I won't shy away from the fact that I downright hate watching Big Ten football and don't find that many dynamic personalities, players, or teams there. This year, Madison has provided a nice respite from the usual rumbling pile of dust that generally defines Big Ten games. Russell Wilson and Montee Ball have added sex to the Big Ten, and Wisconsin is undoubtedly one of the most fun teams to watch in the nation. Ball also looks like he has the build and the quickness to be on many fantasy rosters in the near future--something of a Ray Rice/Frank Gore hybrid.
4th Runner-Up - Tyrann Mathieu, LSU - While LSU fans (this one at least) are happy to have a candidate at the presentation, I think everyone knows that this is where Mathieu will end up. Great season, and far more than you can ever expect from a 5'7" cornerback who wasn't even highly recruited out of high school. But, the problem is, great seasons are measured by stats and the Heisman is an individual award. Individual stats just don't really come easy on the defensive end, which is why we will always see QBs and RBs win the Heisman, and not DBs and DTs. It is clear that Mathieu raises the level of play of the LSU defense when he is on the field. And it is clear that Mathieu can change the entire feel of a game in 10 seconds--like he did against Arkansas and Georgia the last two weeks. But let's be realistic--he's a defensive player, and defensive players don't win Heismans any more. And there's also that whole synthetic marijuana issue...
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