Opinion: Ian Weller Examines the Heisman Trophy Race

Everyone has their own opinion about who should win the heisman trophy race, and with the award winner being announced on Saturday night, the debate is getting more heated.

As every year, there is a battle of both statistics and morals for who should win the Heisman trophy. With players like Jameis Winston being accused of rape, even though he was acquitted, and Johnny Manziel being known for his partying and “I don’t care” attitude, people wonder if this will hurt them in the Heisman trophy race.

But with stats like Winston’s 3820 passing yards this season, and Manziel coming in a close second with 3732 passing yards, you have to wonder if the voters will look past it.

It also makes one think why a senior quarterback like Jordan Lynch made it as a finalist with a measly 2676 passing yards, even though he plays in the MAC conference which is considered one of the weakest football conferences in all of college football. Lynch also threw two interceptions last Saturday to a weak, unranked Bowling Green team.

According to ESPN, the top two contenders, Winston and Lynch,  are in a “close” battle for the Heisman trophy, but when you compare the two do they really match up? Winston has over 1,000 more passing yards than Jordan Lynch and plays a higher level of competition playing teams like 25th ranked Maryland and 3rd ranked Clemson, while Lynch and plays mostly unranked MAC conference teams.

So why do analysts think the two are even on the same level? Is it all because Lynch came out of nowhere and started performing well for Northern Illinois University? Is it simply the shock factor that has people all hyped up about Lynch and his unranked Northern Illinois team?

They should be able to get over the 15 minutes of fame Lynch had and get back to the fact that Winston and Manziel played at a high level all year, and faced much better competition. Lynch only got recognized because of his shock factor of his good statistics coming out of nowhere.