It has been a while since I posted my official thoughts on the Bloguin Heisman Poll, although I have been submitting my weekly top three to College Football Zealots. This week voters across the Bloguin network submit their final votes for the Bloguin Heisman, much like the voters for the real thing have been doing this week. Be sure to check for the updated Bloguin Heisman news on Crystal Ball Run later this week.
As the final votes are due I wanted to be sure to share my thoughts with you here as well. Feel free to agree or disagree in the comment section below.
1. QB Robert Griffin III, Baylor
(pictured, Getty Images)
I have been very high on Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III right from the start of the season. And I am not alone. One of the five Heisman finalists (all three of the players listed here are finalists for the real deal), RG3 got off to a hot start this season with a dominant performance against TCU and he just rolled for the entire season.
Griffin III, to me, was the most valuable player in college football because without him it is unlikely anybody would be talking much about Baylor. To me, the Heisman should be awarded to the player who is not only the best player in college football but also the the most valuable to his team. I cannot make an argument for any other player other than Griffin III. Throw in the fact that he has performed at a high level with an equally high level of class and character and it is almost too easy to call him the favorite in my mind.
What could hold Griffin III back in he voting may be the fact that Baylor lost some of their bigger games, against Oklahoma State, Texas A&M and Kansas State. But look closely at his number sin those games. Other than throwing two interceptions against Oklahoma State, RG3 put up some greta numbers while his defense totally collapsed on the other side of the ball.
2. RB Montee Ball, Wisconsin
We saw first-hand just what Wisconsin’s Montee Ball can do on the field. There is no denying the fantastic season he had, and it almost seems unfair to have to choose between him and any other player. It was something I thought over with some agony when deciding between Ball and RG3.
For me, the final decision was that Griffin III meant more to his team than Ball, but that is not intended to be a slight on Ball’s stellar season by any stretch of the imagination. It was a very tough decision to make after Ball rushed for 32 touchdowns (32!) and 1,759 yards.
3. DB Tyrann Mathieu, LSU
No player in college football had the kind of impact on the field that Tyrann Mathieu did for LSU. Multiple times this season the Honey Badger turned games around with his special teams or defensive skills. Just watch what he did in the SEC Championship Game (goal lines be damned) and you know just how much he has meant to the LSU Tigers this season.
I do not think Mathieu makes a strong run for the actual Heisman vote, as the SEC players (Alabama’s Trent Richardson) could split the hypothetical “SEC vote.”
Why I did not vote for Andrew Luck
There is no question that Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck is a greta player. He deserves his trip to New York City but just look at the numbers he had this season compared to the stats of other quarterbacks. Luck is fifth in passer rating (RG3 is first), fifth in touchdown passes, ninth in completion percentage, 24th in passing yards, and 12th in average yards per pass attempt. There is no denying that he has the best pro potential out of the quarterbacks in the mix right now, but was he truly the best college football player this season? Was he one of the top three? To me, no.
But he is pretty darn good.
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