A Heisman reflection on the Wisconsin Badgers and Stanford Cardinal.
The Wisconsin Badgers and the Stanford Cardinal played each other on the first day of the new millennium and century. Little did each school know that in the ensuing 20 years of college football, the 21st century would unite the two schools… in a way they didn’t want or hope for. What am I talking about? I am talking about the reality that if there are two FBS college football schools which have received the short end of the stick in Heisman Trophy voting this century, Wisconsin and Stanford top the list.
Am I wrong? I try to say things which aren’t wrong. Let’s look at the files, though, to make sure.
Texas watched Vince Young get snubbed in favor of Reggie Bush in 2005. You could certainly argue that VY was wronged, and he obviously played like a man intent on proving everyone wrong in the 2006 Rose Bowl. Yet, that’s the only Texas snub this century. Colt McCoy did not deserve the Heisman in the years when he excelled. Ndamukong Suh was more deserving (and got snubbed) in 2009 when Mark Ingram of Alabama won the award.
Yes, Pittsburgh got snubbed in 2003 when Larry Fitzgerald lost to Jason White of Oklahoma. However, that was one snub. Pitt hasn’t had a second or third snub to deal with.
Florida’s Rex Grossman got snubbed in 2001, in favor of Eric Crouch of Nebraska, but Tim Tebow won the Heisman for the Gators six years later, in 2007.
Florida State, Nebraska, USC, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Florida, Alabama, Auburn, Baylor, Texas A&M, Oregon, and Louisville have won Heismans this century, with LSU about to join the list thanks to Joe Burrow. None of them can claim the worst luck among FBS schools this century in the Heisman process. One could reasonably make a distinction between Group of Five schools — such as Navy, which deserved to have Keenan Reynolds at the 2015 ceremony as a finalist — and Power Five schools, simply because the two sets of schools live in different contexts.
Fine. Among Power Five schools, Wisconsin and Stanford have had the worst luck in the Heisman spotlight this century, and more precisely, over the past 10 years.
In 2009, Toby Gerhart of Stanford finished second to Mark Ingram. In 2011, Andrew Luck finished second to Robert Griffin, while Montee Ball finished fourth, behind Trent Richardson, in a year when Wisconsin’s offense was MILLIONS of degrees better than Alabama’s very limited offense (you know, the offense which scored just six points against LSU in overtime that year). Russell Wilson finished ninth in Heisman voting in 2011, failing to get an invitation to New York.
In 2014, Melvin Gordon finished behind Oregon’s Marcus Mariota, despite 2,587 rushing yards and 29 rushing touchdowns and an average of 7.5 yards per carry.
In 2015, Christian McCaffrey finished behind Alabama’s Derrick Henry, despite one of the most dynamic seasons in college football history as a runner, a receiver, and a kick returner. Henry continued Alabama’s run of Heisman luck, getting rewarded not only for being on a national title contender, but for rolling up big yards late in games Alabama had already won, when opposing defenses ran out of gas and crumbled against the Crimson Tide’s overwhelming physical strength.
In 2017, Bryce Love gave Stanford a FOURTH second-place finish in a span of nine seasons, finishing behind Baker Mayfield. Jonathan Taylor rushed for 1,977 yards as a freshman but did not get a ticket to the Downtown Athletic Club.
In 2018 and 2019, Taylor continued to produce at an elite level, but not enough to get an invitation to the Big Apple in December.
Stanford and Wisconsin played on the first day of the year 2000, and have subsequently watched this century dump a bucket of bad luck on their programs every Heisman year. It’s unfortunate, and yet it is impossible to ignore in the larger workings of Heisman Trophy history.
