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Heisman Trophy? This year, it's the Heis-men Trophy
Published: 12/5/2011 4:11 PM
Last Modified: 12/5/2011 4:11 PM

Heisman Trophy ballots were due today and I waited until crunch time to make a choice.

Here’s what I discovered as I researched which three players to list on my ballot: There’s really not a best player in college football this season. There are seven or eight players worthy of strong consideration and you might as well rank them 1A, 1B, 1C, etc. They’re all about the same.

In my opinion, no player rose above the pack. You can make a case for a lot of them, which is sort of the problem. You can’t go wrong voting for the player of your choice, but you can’t really go right either because that player is no more or less qualified as the next guy.

I do take exception with players who, when interviewed, refer to the Heisman Trophy as a team award. It’s not a team award. A team award is a championship trophy. Individual awards are called individual awards for a reason, though it’s hard to win them if you team stinks like the port-a-potty at Hoover Dam. (Trust me on that one.)

Here’s what I consider when I vote: I don’t think the Heisman is an MVP award. I think it should go to the best player (period) in college football, regardless of value to his team. Maybe that’s why I usually get it “wrong” and rarely pick the winner.

A primary peeve is when voters give the award to a quarterback when that player isn’t the best player on his team. How can you be the best player in the nation if you aren’t even the best player on your campus?

Before voting today, I sorted players by position and then tried to come up with some sort of pecking order at each position. That’s at least a way to eliminate some of the contenders.

For instance, I ranked six quarterbacks in the categories of completion percentage, passing yards, touchdowns and interceptions. Stanford’s Andrew Luck, the player who has been considered the Heisman frontrunner for much of the season, did not grade out favorably in a numbers-only comparison, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t put him on my ballot. And I won’t tell you if I did or didn’t because you swear an oath of secrecy if you are granted a Heisman ballot and I take the oath seriously.

I am not swayed by gimmicks or promotions, but I do read “here’s what you should know” letters and emails sent by universities promoting their candidates. One of those emails played a role in me voting a player first on my ballot and, before doing research today, I’m not sure I would have listed that player among my top three picks.

That my mind could be changed so easily reinforces what I already believed. There’s not a best player in college football this season. There are just flavors of the day. Someone will win the trophy anyway.


Reader Comments 2 Total
laz (last year)
you say you ranked six qb's but, there were only five fianists you could chose from right?
Danomite Dandy Dan (last year)
I agree.
So let's not give one out this year.
2 comments displayed


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Tulsa World sports writer Jimmie Tramel is a former class president at Locust Grove High School. He graduated magna cum laude from Northeastern State University with a journalism degree and, while attending college, was sports editor of the Pryor Daily Times. He joined the Tulsa World on Oct. 17, 1989, the same day an earthquake struck the World Series. He is the OSU basketball beat writer and a columnist and feature writer during football season. In 2007, he wrote a book about Oklahoma State football with former Cowboy coach Pat Jones.

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