# Heisman Finalists Announced **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [December 5, 2011, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heisman-finalists-announced/605197 "2011-12-05T23:51:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2011, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heisman-finalists-announced/605197/1 "2011-12-05T23:51:02Z")
Robert Griffin III Andrew Luck Montee Ball Trent Richardson Tyrann Mathieu Even though I am a Badger Alumnus, I would vote for RGIII. If I had to rank them it would be: RGIII Montee Ball Tyrann Mathieu Andrew Luck Trent Richardson ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2011, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heisman-finalists-announced/605197/2 "2011-12-05T23:57:37Z")
I hope Richardson gets it. Mathieu would be my second choice. ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heisman-finalists-announced/605197/3 "2011-12-06T00:06:18Z")
i don’t understand how a CB/punt returner is being picked over andrew luck, even if he is on an undefeated team. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heisman-finalists-announced/605197/4 "2011-12-06T00:13:43Z")
Richardson won’t get it. Heisman voters will penalize him because Bama was voted into the BCSCG. Damn shame, too, because he’s the best football player in the country. ---
**Author:** ![Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omg_a_Black_Conservative)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heisman-finalists-announced/605197/5 "2011-12-06T00:16:43Z")
My money is on Luck. With that being said, Kellen Moore continues to get the snub. Sure, he might not have won, but not even an invite??? ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heisman-finalists-announced/605197/6 "2011-12-06T00:20:50Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > Richardson won’t get it. Heisman voters will penalize him because Bama was voted into the BCSCG. Damn shame, too, because he’s the best football player in the country. How do you figure? ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heisman-finalists-announced/605197/7 "2011-12-06T00:25:56Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > Richardson won’t get it. Heisman voters will penalize him because Bama was voted into the BCSCG. Damn shame, too, because he’s the best football player in the country. Wasn’t the ballot deadline before the final BCS standings were announced? ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heisman-finalists-announced/605197/8 "2011-12-06T00:28:43Z")
> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > Wasn’t the ballot deadline before the final BCS standings were announced? Don’t know for sure, but I heard on the radio today that the final votes had to be in by this afternoon (Monday). ---
**Author:** ![quixotic78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/3ab097/32.png) [@quixotic78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quixotic78)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heisman-finalists-announced/605197/9 "2011-12-06T00:29:31Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > Robert Griffin III > Andrew Luck > Montee Ball > Trent Richardson > Tyrann Mathieu > > Even though I am a Badger Alumnus, I would vote for RGIII. If I had to rank them it would be: > > RGIII > Montee Ball > Tyrann Mathieu > Andrew Luck > Trent Richardson Exactly how I would rank them (well, I go back and forth on the Mathieu-Luck order). I don’t understand why Richardson is on that list. I guess the SEC love is just that powerful? ---
**Author:** ![mkecane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@mkecane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mkecane)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heisman-finalists-announced/605197/10 "2011-12-06T00:49:15Z")
RGIII Tyrann Mathieu Montee Ball Andrew Luck Trent Richardson ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heisman-finalists-announced/605197/11 "2011-12-06T00:49:19Z")
I can’t believe Tyrann Mathieu made the list and Keenum was left off. The Heisman voters continue their crusade to ensure that the trophy is reflective of… …whoever and whatever ESPN wants it to be. It sure as hell ain’t about the best college player in the country. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heisman-finalists-announced/605197/12 "2011-12-06T00:57:41Z")
If Tyrann Mathieu is under consideration, then Javier Arenas should have been a contender in 2009. ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heisman-finalists-announced/605197/13 "2011-12-06T01:07:07Z")
ESPN wanted to make sure the title game was “between” two Heisman finalists. They already had that covered in 2009 without Javier Arenas. Plus, I don’t believe that you’ll ever see two finalists from the same team and Ingram was clearly the more deserving Tide player that year (or pretty much any year he was there, what a BEAST). ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heisman-finalists-announced/605197/14 "2011-12-06T06:55:39Z")
How LaMichael James didn’t make that list baffles me. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heisman-finalists-announced/605197/15 "2011-12-06T14:51:58Z")
Griffin would get my enthusiastic vote (no one else has done more with less talent around him), but I’m inclined to think Andrew Luck will get it. He started the season as clear frontrunner, and nobody has had enough big games on national TV to knock him off his perch. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heisman-finalists-announced/605197/16 "2011-12-06T15:40:08Z")
Projections from the web say Griffin is going to win, possibly by a lot. ---
**Author:** ![mkecane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@mkecane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mkecane)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heisman-finalists-announced/605197/17 "2011-12-06T15:42:37Z")
I’ll be shocked if Luck wins it. He’s clearly thought of as the best NFL prospect, but his season has been fairly unspectacular. He wins, of course. He’s got good numbers. But other than the USC game, where I don’t even recall the specifics of the situation, has he had a defining game or moment? I think the USC game had a couple interceptions, but he lead them from behind and then Stanford won in overtime. But nothing stands out except that they won. Mathieu has exciting returns and pass break-ups; Richardson has a championship under his belt and bruising runs (Auburn) in the memory; Ball has the statistics (most TDs since Barry Sanders in '88); and Griffin had the upset over OU along with the insane statistic early in the year where he had more touchdowns than incompletions, all with a team that hasn’t been relevant in cfb for years. I think this will be similar to '97. Woodson won with a great team and was the best player on the team, so that could be Mathieu or Richardson. Randy Moss would be comparable to Griffin (highlight reel stuff) and Ball (gaudy numbers). Luck, in yet another comparison, is like Manning where you knew he was a great talent, but what stood out other than just being effective? Hopefully no one in this group is the next Ryan Leaf. Edit to add that I think Moss should have won it in '97. ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heisman-finalists-announced/605197/18 "2011-12-06T16:18:13Z")
Again, im lost on the mathieu love. He’s a good db but he’s hardly charles woodson. Woodson was insane that '97 season. 8 picks and a couple of gimmick offensive td’s. He came up with multiple multi-int games against big time opponents like osu. Mathieu has… 4 career ints? Woodson had more as a freshman. And as for boring, unspectacular manning? Didnt he come in 2nd to woodson? I dont have a problem with people not choosing luck except for the mathieu pick. That one really puzzles me. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heisman-finalists-announced/605197/19 "2011-12-06T16:27:18Z")
> [@Zakalwe](#): > > I can’t believe Tyrann Mathieu made the list and Keenum was left off. The Heisman voters continue their crusade to ensure that the trophy is reflective of… > > …whoever and whatever ESPN wants it to be. It sure as hell ain’t about the best college player in the country. A 6th year QB? Sure, he’s broken some records, but it sure took him a while. And against some weak competition in C-USA. And Coog’ed it in magnificent fashion in the conference championship. I’m a Rice alum and got to watch him play for the last 6 years, and there’s absolutely no doubt in my mind he’s never been close to being the best player in the country. He’s definitely the most valuable player at UH and they’d fall apart without him, but that’s not the same thing. Griffin has a strong argument going for him, though playing for national championship might sway voters. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heisman-finalists-announced/605197/20 "2011-12-06T16:27:28Z")
> [@mkecane](#): > > I think this will be similar to '97. Woodson won with a great team and was the best player on the team, so that could be Mathieu or Richardson. Randy Moss would be comparable to Griffin (highlight reel stuff) and Ball (gaudy numbers). Luck, in yet another comparison, is like Manning where you knew he was a great talent, but what stood out other than just being effective? Hopefully no one in this group is the next Ryan Leaf. > > Edit to add that I think Moss should have won it in '97. Woodson had one thing going for him that this year’s contenders don’t: he had a spectacular game against Ohio State, in a game almost EVERYBODY was watching. Nobody had a big game on national TV this year. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heisman-finalists-announced/605197.md?page=2)