Heisman Trophy 2011 — Robert Griffin III your winner

Re: Heisman Trophy finalists announced: Who ya got?

Luck reminds of Peyton Manning back in 1997. Manning went into the year as the heavy favorite, played very well but lost a big game, and voters went looking for another candidate. Charles Woodson had some big time games, just like the Honey Badger did this year, and won the Heisman. Maybe the Honey Badger does the same this year.

If I had a vote, I'd vote for Luck. If I were a betting man, I'd probably go with RGIII or the Honey Badger.

 

Re: Heisman Trophy finalists announced: Who ya got?

The difference between 1997 and 2011 is that back then there were two main candidates (Tim Dwight got the fifth-most first place votes.

I think the final five in 2011 can have a really, really good case for all to win. The dropoff in 97 was a lot more significant.

 

Re: Heisman Trophy finalists announced: Who ya got?

The Tyrann Mathieu love is just obnoxious, and I'm as big an SEC fanboi as there is on this board. He was suspended for a game. He almost blew the Alabama game. He's not the best cornerback on his own team.

I'm an Alabama fan and a vocal SEC-runs-this-city believer. I wouldn't pick Trent Richardson this year, though I think he has a strong case. He was the best offensive player in the biggest game of the regular season. This notion that he somehow didn't show up against LSU is baffling and suggests people may not have watched the game.

My pick is Robert Griffin III, followed by Richardson, Matt Barkley, Russell Wilson and Kellen Moore. Montee Ball's numbers were staggering until you consider that Wisconsin's rushing output this season was virtually identical to last season, when Ball was the third back for most of the year.

Griffin has blown Andrew Luck out of the water with teammates who are half as good. I have to think most of the people who are saying Luck should win it didn't watch a whole lot of college football this season and aren't seriously considering the numbers.

Every statistic you could look for in a quarterback, right here for your eyes:

Passer rating: Griffin 192.3, Luck 167.5
Passing yards: Griffin 3,998, Luck 3,170
Completion percentage: Griffin 72.4, Luck 70.0
Passing touchdowns: Griffin 36, Luck 35
Interceptions thrown: Griffin 6, Luck 9
Yards per attempt: Griffin 10.8, Luck 8.5
Times sacked: Luck 8, Griffin 23 (I'll come back to this)
Rushing attempts: Griffin 161, Luck 43
Rushing yards: Griffin 644, Luck 153
Rushing touchdowns: Griffin 9, Luck 2
Yards per carry: Griffin 4.0, Luck 3.6
Receptions: Griffin and Luck 1
Receiving yards: Griffin 15, Luck 13
2-point conversions: Griffin 1, Luck 0
Punts: Griffin 3, Luck 0

In addition, Luck plays with two sure-fire first-round picks on the offensive line (guard David DeCastro and tackle Jonathan Martin) and a potential first-rounder at tight end (Coby Fleener).

Griffin plays with one other player who will be taken in the first four rounds, wide receiver Kendall Wright. That explains the sacks pretty nicely, if you ask me.

Baylor also played a significantly tougher schedule (the Big 12 plus TCU), and its only losses came on the road to Oklahoma State, Kansas State and Texas A&M (before the wheels came off for the Aggies). How often is Baylor the best college football team in Texas?

Griffin's got to win with those numbers. And I tried to validate Richardson's candidacy. If Baylor had lost to Texas in the last week, I probably would have said Richardson deserves it. But Baylor won its last five games.

Edit: And I see no one has even bothered to make an actual case for Luck, including the people who said they think he should win it.

 

Re: Heisman Trophy finalists announced: Who ya got?

The invitation to New York that means something comes next April.

 

Re: Heisman Trophy finalists announced: Who ya got?

Richardson has been enormous for Alabama, as evidenced by the fact that this is the most successful rushing season for the Crimson Tide perhaps in program history. The numbers this year dwarf the past two seasons in terms of efficiency. (Keep in mind: 12 games in 2011, 13 games in 2010, 14 games in 2009.)

Alabama's rushing numbers from 2011: 473 carries, 2,638 yards, 5.6 yards a carry, 33 touchdowns
Alabama's rushing numbers from 2010: 467 carries, 2,378 yards, 5.1 yards a carry, 30 touchdowns
Alabama's rushing numbers from 2009: 601 carries, 3,011 yards, 5.0 yards a carry, 31 touchdowns

Richardson individually had 1,810 total yards from scrimmage, which equals 150.8 per game, and 23 touchdowns. He even returned three kickoffs for 66 yards.

I love Mark Ingram, but he didn't have this kind of season. He admittedly probably didn't deserve the Heisman Trophy in 2009. I would have given it to Ndamukong Suh, who had the best season I've ever seen by a defensive tackle.

Having said that, Richardson is more talented than Ingram, and he's having a better season than Ingram had in 2009. Yes, Eddie Lacy and Jalston Fowler have looked impressive, but Fowler only plays in mop-up duty and Lacy has struggled against the best defenses Alabama has faced and racked up most of his yards against North Texas, Mississippi State and Penn State while cleaning up for Richardson. (Against North Texas, for example, Richardson had 167 yards and three touchdowns on 11 carries while Lacy had 161 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries.)

Lacy and Fowler dominated only after Richardson had worn down opponents. In most of those cases, he could have stayed in to pile up bigger numbers, but Alabama had the games in hand and didn't need him to.

 

Re: Heisman Trophy finalists announced: Who ya got?

Just read in the Times-Picayune that Mathieu is LSU's first Heisman Trophy finalist since Charles Alexander in 1977. That's hard to imagine for a program that has turned out so many great players in the last 35 years.

 

Re: Heisman Trophy finalists announced: Who ya got?

Andrew Luck's probably got this thing pretty locked up, boys and girls.
It'll be hard for the committee or whoever to make a case not to give it to him.

 

Re: Heisman Trophy finalists announced: Who ya got?

Honey Badger is one of the most contrived and overhyped nicknames ever. I hate it.

 

Re: Heisman Trophy finalists announced: Who ya got?

Really? Have you read this thread? Versatile made a pretty convincing argument for RGIII. You should check it out.

 

Re: Heisman Trophy finalists announced: Who ya got?

I had to Google it to find out who the fuck Honey Badger is. I don't watch the SEC which explains why I didn't know.

Stupid nickname.

RG3 wins the Heisman.

 

Re: Heisman Trophy finalists announced: Who ya got?

He's the best (or at least the most celebrated) player on the best team in the country and you don't know who he is? No offense, but I'm not sure you're qualified to vote on this thread.

 

Re: Heisman Trophy finalists announced: Who ya got?

I know who Tyrann Mathieu is, we have a lot of LSU fans at work and I have seen some of their games. I didn't know about the stupid nickname.