The more I think about the Heisman Trophy, the more it upsets me.
For those not familiar with it, the Heisman Trophy is awarded to the best player in college football.
Fifty-four former Heisman Trophy winners, 840 members of the media and a fan are appointed to find and vote for that player.
But I’ll let you in on a secret.
What the selection process really entails is 54 former Heisman winners and 840 members of the media cherry-picking from the nation’s best teams.
What results are some of the top players, sure, but the best , year in and year out? I’d be hard-pressed to agree.
Let’s walk through the selection process for the average Heisman voter.
Quarterback is the obvious choice. It’s easy to spot the man at the helm of an undefeated team.
He’s the focus of nearly every offensive camera shot. He has the most TV airtime.
But are voters — members of the media, for goodness sake — really so ?nearsighted?
If we go by the numbers, they are.
Of Odds Shark’s top 15 candidates, 10 are ?quarterbacks.
And of those quarterbacks, nine play for AP Poll Top 25 teams.
The only exception is Kenny Hill of Texas A&M, a school that ranked sixth in the country just three ?weeks ago.
Connor Halliday of Washington State University isn’t listed in the odds. Yet earlier in the season, he broke the all-time Football Bowl Subdivision record for single-game passing yards.
He also leads the nation in total yards and ?touchdowns.
I interviewed Goshen news reporter and IU alumnus Robby Howard last week on my radio show.
When asked about Coleman’s Heisman chances, Howard said that on this IU football team, Coleman didn’t stand a chance. Maybe on another team, but not this one.
Howard is right, and that’s what frustrates me.
Running backs Melvin Gordon of Wisconsin and Ameer Abdullah of Nebraska are listed at 11-2 and 25-1, respectively, on Odds Shark.
IU’s Tevin Coleman does not appear in the Week 8 odds, nor has he ever appeared in the odds, despite leading the nation in rushing yards and yards per ?attempt.
Like Howard, Odds Shark’s predictions are not inaccurate. They simply reflect the present mindset of Heisman voters.
These voters, and by extension, the Heisman Trophy, do not deliver on their promise. Their selection process is incredibly biased and stilted by notoriety, popularity and media attention.
What’s more, “the pursuit of excellence with” — key word — “ integrity ” is all but non-existent and at the very least compromised given the track records of recent recipients.
The Heisman ballot is the college equivalent of homecoming court: Heisman Trophy winners are queens, not valedictorians.
That is not to detract from any of the previous winners’ accomplishments.
Many deserved the ?highest accolade in college football, but others benefit more from their circumstance than they do their actual skillset.
When I see players such as Johnny Manziel and Jameis Winston hoisting up the bronze-cast Ed Smith-inspired trophy, the grandeur of the Heisman fades a little more.
If voters continue down this path, it might fade ?entirely.
Tevin Coleman may play for a team with only three wins. But he brings hope to a program where it would otherwise be desolate.
The Heisman belongs to outstanding individuals — in every sense of the word.
It’s time for voters to start raising their standards and expanding their view.
If they did, Coleman is nothing short of a legitimate contender.
That’s a big if.
vziege@indiana.edu
