There are plenty of people who feel that Michael Penix should have won the 2023 Heisman Trophy. However, in that group of people, there is a subset which thinks the Heisman should be awarded after the bowl games, not before them. Such a belief is understandable, and yet it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense given the nature of the college football industry.
What happens between the end of the regular season and the bowl games?
Opt-outs. Jayden Daniels of LSU, the actual Heisman winner for 2023, opted out of LSU’s bowl game against Wisconsin.
What also happens between the end of the regular season and the bowls? Transfers. Coaching changes. It just isn’t realistic to include bowl games in the Heisman voting.
Regardless, a lot of people were talking up Michael Penix after he dazzled against Texas in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Sugar Bowl. That talk died down after Penix ran into Michigan’s elite defense in a national championship game loss on Monday.
Here’s a sampling of the reaction: