We have finally reached December, when the temperatures drop and college players trade their uniforms for tuxedos and motivational talks for acceptance speeches. Yes, it is awards season, that awkward gap in the college football slate where there is no football to be played, but plenty of awards — some relevant, some not — to be won.
Of course, none compare to the most important of them all — that stiff-arming, leather-helmet-wearing legend — the Heisman Trophy. And while the winner is often decided almost unanimously, this season there was spirited debate about the finalists. In the end, the selections mirrored the BCS bowls in many respects: the best of the best in the non-BCS conferences were left on the outside looking in.
Houston's Case Keenum may be the all-time Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) leader in passing yards and touchdowns and Boise State's Kellen Moore may be the most successful quarterback of all time, but both will be watching tomorrow night's show from home.
Instead, we are left with Stanford's Andrew Luck, Baylor's Robert Griffin III, Wisconsin's Montee Bell, Alabama's Trent Richardson and LSU's Tyrann Mathieu. They all have plenty going for them, and the job of the voters — and the media — will be to break-down which of their cases is strongest.
We'll start with Mathieu, the dark horse — or should we say "honey badger" — in this race. He may be the only defensive player in the group, but his speed, eye for the ball, and inherent ability to force it loose make him just as much of an offensive weapon as his competition. In total, he forced five fumbles, none more important than his midfield strip of Arkansas's Dennis Johnson late in the second quarter with the game tied at 14. He also took two punts all the way to the house in as many weeks, including one in the first half of the SEC Championship Game when the Tigers failed to earn a single first down. While Mathieu's stats may not be as gaudy as those of the other finalists, he does have the advantage of being on the nation's only undefeated team.
Next up are the running backs, which don't seem to have quite enough to compete with the signal-callers for this year's award. Trent Richardson likely made it to this point only by being the most recognizable name on a team that has backed its way into the BCS National Championship Game. He is outside the top four in the nation in rushing touchdowns, rushing yards, and yards per attempt, and has no truly memorable moments to define his season.
Ball does not lack for stats; he leads the nation in rushing yards by 64 and rushing touchdowns by six. Yet his bid will be negatively affected by a play completely out of his control: the Michigan State Hail Mary on Oct. 22 that ended Wisconsin's national title hopes with a 37-31 defeat. Though the Badgers will still play in the Rose Bowl, their failure to reach preseason expectations will likely cast a dark shadow over his campaign.
This leaves the two men who would arguably be the top two picks in next year's NFL draft if Griffin chooses to declare to battle it out for the trophy. While Luck may be the unanimous choice to be the No. 1 pick next year, Griffin may have had the more prolific season. Each took a team and helped it significantly overachieve its overall talent level. Baylor notched its first nine-win season since 1986 primarily on Griffin's right shoulder; he led the country in quarterback rating while creating 45 total touchdowns and throwing just six interceptions.
Luck, on the other hand, was lambasted for staying at Stanford when head coach John Harbaugh and many of his teammates left, but he led the Cardinals to an 11-1 record and a spot in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.
Yet, Luck's stats were not nearly as outstanding as Griffin's, in part because they didn't need to be. Luck played in just two games that were decided by less than two touchdowns thanks to the help of a top 25 defense, while Griffin was forced to pilot his team's victories week after week. The fact that, despite this, Griffin still threw three fewer picks than Luck says a lot about just how impressive his season was.
In the end, no one deserves the award this year more than Robert Griffin III. He has put together the perfect combination of team success, statistical extravagance and individual performance that should allow him to waltz on to the stage of Best Buy Theater and accept college football's top prize.
