With championship weekend in the rear-view, it’s time for one of college football’s time-honored traditions: Being upset with at least one of the finalists chosen to appear in New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony.
Though ostensibly an award for the most valuable player in the country, in practice, that generally translates to “the quarterback (or, sometimes, running back) with the best numbers.” No defensive player has won the award since Charles Woodson in 1997, and in 2020, DeVonta Smith became the first receiver to win since Desmond Howard in 1991.
This year reflects the Trophy’s perceived bias more than most, as all four of the finalists — USC’s Caleb Williams, TCU’s Max Duggan, Georgia’s Stetson Bennett and Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud — are signal-callers.
This year was certainly not free from controversy, but all four of these finalists have an argument for being there — yes, even Bennett. With that in mind, I’m going to briefly put on my PR hat here and make the best possible case each has to win this year’s award.