I’ve never been a fan of Heisman Trophy voting. In the end, it’s a popularity contest and I can’t stand it. Instead of “Best Collegiate Football Player,” it should just be changed to “Best Player on Best Team.” That’s what it often boils down to. It’s also too reliant on preseason rankings. Just like team rankings, the Heisman Trophy watch list is generally narrowed down to five players before the season even starts, which makes it tough for lesser known players to make a statement.

2000 winner Chris Weinke probably shouldn’t have won the Heisman Trophy; LaDainian Tomlinson was the best player that season. Weinke just played on the best team and threw for an ungodly amount of yards. 2003 winner Jason White was an even bigger disgrace. Oklahoma was hands down the best team in the country and White’s regular season numbers gave him the Heisman Trophy. He then made a mockery of the award by playing awful in the Big 12 Championship and the Sugar Bowl. The more deserving winner that year was Larry Fitzgerald. But he played for Pittsburgh, a team that didn’t sniff the BCS. Fitzgerald was more dominant, actually got drafted (3rd overall no less), and played for a team that wasn’t full of All Americans. Not to mention his knees actually worked.

This year will be a similar story. Unless Ohio St. manages to lose a game (which is possible, Michigan looms on the schedule), Troy Smith is all but assured of the trophy. And with respects to him, he’s played great. But he’s not at the top of any stats among Division 1A quarterbacks, which is usually the main indicator of a Heisman Trophy winner. Who do I think is the most deserving winner of the Heisman Trophy so far this season? Garrett Wolfe, running back for Northern Illinois. Read the rest of this entry »