Over the last few seasons, the Heisman Trophy has already been decided before the presentation. But not this year.
It is a race to the finish line with preseason favorite Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck not a clear-cut winner anymore. Many players around the NCAA have stepped up and are currently giving Luck a run for his money.
The Heisman Trophy, perhaps the most prestigious award in sports, is looking like a few players could win it and the games featuring these players will definitely factor in who will win it next month. The only question remains, however, is who will be that lucky player that has dominated college football throughout the entire season?
Here is a list of the players that have shown that they are worthy to take home the trophy:
QB Case Keenum, Houston: Keenum has been awesome this season, breaking numerous records around college football, including the all-time passing yards record. He has shown that he is perhaps better than Hawaii's Colt Brennan and Timmy Chang, Texas Tech's Graham Harrell, Brigham Young's Ty Detmer, and many more.
Keenum has led the Cougars to a 12-0 mark and a trip to a BCS game if they can win the C-USA Championship game against No. 24 Southern Mississippi. If they end the regular season with a perfect record, they will become the first C-USA team to participate in a BCS game.
However, it hurts Keenum's chances that he plays in the C-USA and not the SEC, Pac-12, Big Ten, Big 12 and so on. He has beaten teams that are considered mediocre at best and he has not had the opportunity to beat a school that is thought to be a great team that plays in a much bigger conference.
But, given the opponents he's faced, Keenum's been outrageously spectacular. He has surpassed the 300-yard mark in every single game this season and has thrown 43 touchdowns compared to just three interceptions. Clearly, the Cougars are one of the best offensive teams in the nation after decimating the C-USA's best defense, Tulsa, 48-16.
The senior quarterback is no doubt one of the best in all of college football and has had one of the best statistical seasons for a quarterback in history.
QB Matt Barkley, USC: Like Keenum, Barkley has been stupendous this season for the Trojans, leading them to a 9-2 record with losses against Arizona State and Stanford. They will play a mediocre UCLA squad in their season finale, while trying to end the season on a high note.
However, due to NCAA penalties, the Trojans will not play in the postseason, which could hurt Barkley's chances to win the Heisman Trophy.
Teaming up with receiver Robert Woods, the combo has become one of the best in the country. That combo has helped the Trojans to a surprising 9-2 record with wins over Arizona, Notre Dame and Oregon.
Entering the Trojans' finale against UCLA, Barkley had tossed 33 touchdowns this season, including an amazing six-touchdown outing against Colorado. He had also thrown just seven interceptions while accumulating 3,105 yards before the regular season ended.
On Saturday, Barkley led the Trojans to a 50-0 defeat of the Bruins, while Barkley had one of the best games we have seen all season. He completed 35-of-42 passes (83.3%) for 423 yards and six touchdowns, with no interceptions. That type of game will definitely open some voters' eyes, as Barkley could and should become a Heisman finalist.
Clearly, the future first-round NFL pick has been stupendous this season and there is always the possibility of the junior quarterback returning for his senior season next year. If he is not elected as a Heisman finalist, I would not doubt seeing him return next season in hopes of winning the aforementioned trophy.
QB Robert Griffin III, Baylor: Perhaps one of my favorite players in the NCAA this season, Griffin has been one of the biggest surprises in this infamous season. Griffin has been playing lights out, possibly playing better than other quarterbacks such as Keenum, Barkley, Kellen Moore and Andrew Luck.
Griffin is fortunate enough to have a great pair of legs, in which he can hurt teams with his arm or legs. Former Auburn head coach and current Texas Tech leading man Tommy Tuberville said of Griffin, "He's got the height of Tim Tebow and he's got the athletic ability of Michael Vick." Those are high praises as Tebow and Vick are two of the most decorated players in NCAA history.
The quarterback has been roughly the best quarterback in the country, while leading the Bears to wins over No. 14 Texas Christian (50-48, Week 1) and No. 2 Oklahoma (45-38, last week). Yes, the Bears have three losses this season, but you can't help but love how Griffin has made each and every player around him better. He has carried the Bears on his shoulders throughout the entire season and has had them in the top 25 for most of the year.
If the Heisman Trophy was solely based on being the most valuable player, there is no doubt that it would go to Griffin, who has been one of the best players during the 2011 season.
Griffin's stats are also comparably better to USC's Barkley, Oklahoma State's Brandon Weeden and Stanford's Andrew Luck, all of whom are Heisman candidates. The quarterback has completed 72.9% of his passes for 3,678 yards, along with 34 touchdowns and five interceptions. He has also rushed for a Vick-like 612 yards and seven touchdowns.
Griffin will lead the Bears two more times this season, as they will face off against Texas Tech and Texas to end the year. If he can lead them to wins in both games, his stock could rise and catapult him to a finalist in the race.
WR Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State: Blackmon has shown this season that he is the best wide receiver in the country and not many players can reach the echelon that he is currently in. With Oklahoma State's offense thriving, Blackmon has been the main go-to guy.
With teammate and possible Heisman finalist quarterback Brandon Weeden throwing to him, Blackmon has caught 103 passes for 1,241 yards and 15 touchdowns. He, along with Weeden, have helped the Cowboys to a 10-1 record and were once the No. 2 ranked team in the nation before losing to a mediocre Iowa State team last week.
A future first-round pick, the wide receiver has been downright stupendous during the season and could find his way into Heisman Trophy talks.
Blackmon has gone over the 100-yard six times this season, including a 13-catch, 205-yard game in the Cowboys' 52-45 win over the Kansas State Wildcats. He also caught two touchdowns in the contest, marking one of five times he has done that this season. The bulky receiver has also caught a touchdown in ten straight games with his only non-touchdown game coming in their first contest of the season against Louisiana-Lafayette.
Oklahoma State will end the season against Oklahoma and if Blackmon has a great game against the Sooners, it could definitely help his case in the race.
CB/S Tyrann Mathieu, LSU: The lone defensive player on this list, Mathieu has helped lead the Tigers to a No. 1 ranking throughout most of the entire season. He has also perhaps been the most consistent and polarizing player on the entire squad, while helping lead them defensively in games against Alabama, Arkansas and the rest of the toughest conference in all of college football.
The "Honey Badger" was suspended for one game during the season, which could hurt his case, but no one can say that Mathieu has been bad in any of their games.
Mathieu has totaled 67 tackles, 1.5 sacks, seven passes defensed and two interceptions to help lead LSU to a 12-0 record before they face off against Georgia in the SEC Championship Game. He also returned a punt 92 yards for a touchdown in the Tigers' 41-17 romping of No. 3 Arkansas on Saturday.
Mathieu has been acclaimed by many writers and announcers as the best player in the country and he has shown that he deserves that praise throughout the season.
There is no doubt that he has been exceptional this season and a big game against Georgia in one of the biggest spotlights in college football could help his cause.
RB Trent Richardson, Alabama: The Crimson Tide running back has been the best back in the country with few players in the nation even questioning him for that honor.
Richardson has carried the rest of the team for the majority of the year, while going over the century mark nine times during the regular season, including a career-best 203 yards in the season finale against Auburn. He has also set the single-season record for touchdowns in a single season for the Tide with 23 total touchdowns (20 rushing, 3 receiving).
Not to mention, Richardson has particularly had a better season that Mark Ingram's 2009 campaign in which he became the first Alabama player to win the Heisman Trophy.
A quick comparison:
'09 Mark Ingram - 221 carries, 1,429 yards, 12 touchdowns
'11 Trent Richardson - 263 carries, 1,583 yards, 20 touchdowns
As you can tell by the comparison, there is no doubt that Richardson had a better regular season than Ingram in 2009. Richardson also scored at least one touchdown in every single game except for one and it was a game in which neither team reached the end zone (9-6 loss against LSU, their lone loss of the regular season).
Clearly, Richardson has been the best running back in the country and has lived up to the hype as being a preseason Heisman candidate.
The junior running back had to have a spectacular game in their annual edition of the Iron Bowl in hopes of turning voters' heads. And Richardson undoubtedly did that. The Heisman hopeful set a career-high in a single game for rushing yards (203), including an awesome 57-yard scamper in the fourth quarter that made many peoples' jaws drop. He needed to have a big game and he did; now, it's up to the voters and there may be a second Alabama Heisman winner in three years.
QB Russell Wilson, Wisconsin: Like Robert Griffin III, Wilson has been one of the biggest surprises in college football. A transfer from North Carolina State, Wilson was thought to be a good quarterback, but no one thought that he would play that well during the regular season.
Wilson had helped lead the Badgers to a 6-0 start before losing back-to-back games against Michigan State (37-31) and Ohio State (33-29), thus ending their BCS Championship hopes. Wilson has played exceptional this season and it is very conceivable that the Badgers could be undefeated at this point if it weren't for a Hail Mary as time expired against Michigan State and giving up a 40-yard touchdown with 20 seconds left against Ohio State.
Wilson, also like Griffin, has a great pair of legs so he's able to beat teams in two different areas. Wilson has thrown for 2,692 yards while compiling 28 touchdowns and three interceptions. He also has 325 yards rushing with five touchdowns.
His best game of the season perhaps came in the Badgers' 42-13 blowout of Minnesota while Wilson completed 16-of-17 passes (94.1%) for 178 yards and four touchdowns. The quarterback has also been insanely accurate this season, completing over 70% of his passes in all but two games (losses against Michigan State and Ohio State).
The Badgers successfully ended the season with a 45-7 romping of the controversy-ridden Penn State Nittany Lions, while Wilson completed 19 of 29 passes for 186 yards and two touchdowns.
Wilson could become one of the biggest surprises in NCAA history if he could somehow steal the Heisman from the likes of players such as Trent Richardson, Andrew Luck and Case Keenum.
QB Andrew Luck, Stanford: Did you expect to see him on this list? Of course, you did.
Luck had the opportunity to walk away from college football last season to likely become the NFL's first overall selection while making millions of dollars, but he decided to return for his senior season and hopefully win the Heisman Trophy.
Luck has possibly played a little worse than he did last year, but he is still great nonetheless and is currently helping the Cardinal leap into BCS contention.
The quarterback helped lead the Cardinal to a 9-0 record before falling victim to a great offensive Oregon Ducks team, 53-30. Luck has been considered to be one of the best college football players in history, as he is one of the most accurate passers of the era. He also has great poise in the pocket and rarely makes bad decisions.
A prototypical quarterback like Luck is what every team wants, but rarely get. Stanford was lucky enough to recruit him and he has almost single-handedly turned the Cardinal from a bottom-feeder to a BCS-contending team.
Luck has perhaps been better than he was last season when he was also a Heisman finalist. The future NFL star has passed for 3,170 yards (3,338 in 2010), 35 touchdowns (32 last season) and nine interceptions (one more than last year).
During his collegiate career, Luck bested other quarterbacks such as Jim Plunkett and John Elway, while securing the most wins as a starting quarterback (31), best career-winning percentage (.833), and the highest completion percentage (.664). He also became the school's all-time leader in total offense with 10,218 yards.
Entering Stanford's season finale against Brian Kelly's Notre Dame squad, Luck needed just two touchdowns to surpass legendary quarterback John Elway for most career touchdowns (77) in Stanford history. Luck sure did that, as he completed 20 of 30 passes for 266 yards with four touchdowns, while passing Elway in the record books.
Only time will tell now if Luck will become just the second Stanford player to win the Heisman Trophy (Jim Plunkett, 1970). He definitely will need some help from the voters.
RB Montee Ball, Wisconsin: Perhaps the only competition to Trent Richardson as the best running back in the country, Ball has literally been lights-out this season. Ball has looked spectacular in every single game he's played this season for the Badgers, including eight 100+ yard rushing efforts and scoring at least two touchdowns in each contest.
To end the regular season, Ball scored a total of 34 touchdowns (29 rushing, 5 receiving), which ranks second all-time in NCAA history only to Oklahoma State's Barry Sanders (39). So to say the least, Ball has been on his game throughout the entire season.
The Badgers ended the season on a high note with a 45-7 demolition of the Penn State Nittany Lions, in which Ball carried the ball 25 times for 156 yards and four touchdowns. It was the running back's third game of the season in which he has reached the end zone four times in a contest.
As you can see, Ball has been a touchdown machine this season and it is not entirely sure that the junior will leave the Badgers at the end of the season to take his talents to the NFL.
But nonetheless, Ball has been one of the best running backs in the nation and has thus far deserved Heisman consideration.
QB Kellen Moore, Boise State: I'll be the first to tell you that I am very critical of Boise State. I do not like the way that they complain when they go undefeated in a season and don't make the BCS Championship Game. If they played in a tougher conference like the SEC, Pac-12, Big 12 or Big Ten and go undefeated, then they deserve to have their name called. But while playing in such a weak conference, they don't deserve it at all. However, that is neither here or there and I digress.
Like Houston's Case Keenum, Moore has been spectacular while leading one of the nation's top aerial attacks.
Unfortunately, for Moore, the Broncos have lost a game (36-35 against TCU) which hurts his case as Boise State was slated to go undefeated once again. The senior has passed for 3,194 yards for 38 touchdowns and only seven interceptions, while helping the Broncos to an 11-1 record and a possible BCS berth.
During Moore's amazing career at Boise State, he was fortunate enough to break one of the most prestigious records in all of college football. In the Broncos' 48-21 demolition of UNLV on Nov. 5, Moore won his 46th game as a starter, the most all-time, successfully beating out former Texas Longhorns star and current Browns quarterback Colt McCoy. Moore has won two more games since then and his wins mark now stands at an astounding 48.
Moore will go down as one of the most decorated quarterbacks in NCAA history, but he'll need a lot to add a Heisman Trophy to his resume.
Other Players under Heisman Consideration: QB Landry Jones, Oklahoma; QB Brandon Weeden, Oklahoma State; RB LaMichael James, Oregon; RB David Wilson, Virginia Tech; QB Collin Klein, Kansas State; CB Morris Claiborne, LSU; LB Luke Kuechly, Boston College; DT Devon Still, Penn State
Who will be the finalists for the Heisman Trophy?
- RB Montee Ball, Wisconsin
- RB Trent Richardson, Alabama
- QB Andrew Luck, Stanford
- QB Robert Griffin III, Baylor
- QB Matt Barkley, USC
Of those five, I believe it will come down Luck, Griffin and Richardson. I believe those are the only players with a legitimate shot at taking home the big prize.
And of those three, I believe that the player that will be declared the winner will be...
Running Back Trent Richardson, Alabama
Richardson will become the second Alabama player to win the Heisman in three years with former teammate Mark Ingram winning it in 2009. Statistically, Richardson has had a better season than Ingram did in 2009 and that is worthy to win the Heisman. He has single-handedly carried the Tide offense throughout the season, as they are currently 11-1 and are almost a lock to be in the BCS National Championship Game against LSU. Richardson has been the best running back in the NCAA this season, along with the best player. He will be taking home the trophy next month.
