Tomorrow is the Heisman trophy presentation and I have never been as excited. I actually do not know who will win, unlike previous years where the winner has been as obvious as the fact that the sky is blue. The award is totally up for grabs, with Robert Griffin III, QB of the Baylor Bears, and Stanford's Andrew Luck, the two favorites. However, to me at least, it is clear who the award should go to tomorrow.
As much as I want Andrew Luck to come away with the trophy, the award should undisputed belong to Robert Griffin III. The award is to be awarded to "the outstanding college football player whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity," as defined by the Heisman Trust. Not necessarily the best player. Not necessarily the one with the gaudiest stats. Not the one with the big plays on his resume. Not the one who plays on the best team or in the strongest conference. The award goes to the most outstanding player. And to be outstanding, the player must stand out and mean something to his team.
Montee Ball, though a scoring machine, plays on a team that has great blockers and a run-oriented offense. It's awesome that he has come so close to Barry Sanders' record but in Wisconsin, where they value a huge offensive line, it is not nearly as impressive. Put in another back in that system, and I say they would be able to produce about as much as Ball, minus the touchdowns of course. He is an impressive talent, but unfortunately, to me at least, he doesn't stand out more than the other finalists.
Trent Richardson, the other running back finalist, actually underwhelmed this season in my eyes. He was supposed to have a monster season in the SEC, but he underperformed. His body of work and his staistics are inferior to Ball's, and I've already made the case for Ball not to win the Heisman. Richardson had a great season, but Heisman-worthy? I'm not so sure he's the most outstanding player in football this year.
Tyrann Mathieu, a fan favorite, is a worthy candidate, but unfortunately, he plays a position that does not get as much attention in college football. he certainly "stood out" this season, with his big plays against Oregon and Alabama. He excelled as a punt returner as well. I have no problem with the Honey Badger winning the Heisman (it'd be nice to see defense recognized in the form of an award), but I don't think he will get it.
Now we get to Andrew Luck. He was the preseason favorite for the award and he did have a great season. However, I have watched Stanford more than any other team this season, and there were games where I thought that Luck was out of it. Against Oregon, he had a disastrous game which ended Stanford's chances of making the title game. Alright, maybe I'm exaggerating, but there were such high expectations of Luck coming into the season. I don't think he exceeded them like a Heisman winner should. He played like a great quarterback, not an outstanding quarterback. I have no problem with him as the winner - in fact, I'd be so excited - but I think RG3 deserves it more.
And here we'll talk about RG3. Without him, the Baylor Bears might not have even made a bowl game. He orchestrated their team perfectly. He never had a bad game. I was able to catch him against TCU and Texas, and he was absolutely marvelous. Statistically, he had a great season, but just as a player, he was outstanding. I really hope he wins the Heisman. It would show everyone that the award is about value to the team, not necessarily the best player on the best team or the most polarizing player or anything like that.
RG3 for Heisman!!!
I would love it if Luck won, though.
I can't make up my mind.
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