Choosing a Heisman trophy winner is a complex process nowadays. Similar to the Most Valuable Player award doled out by most professional sports leagues, the guidelines for choosing a Heisman winner are annoyingly vague. The honor is simply stated to represent the “most outstanding player” in college football.
It may appear straightforward to identify college football’s brightest star. In reality, politics, past performance and team-related variables play a much larger role in deciding a winner than individual achievement. In today’s media-saturated, blog-dominated society, this holds true more than ever.
LaMichael James stands as a perfect example of how utterly political the Heisman trophy race has become in 2011. James returned to the then-No. 3 Ducks before this season as the NCAA’s reigning rushing leader and was considered a front-runner for the award. Only Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck — he of the bulbous beard and high football IQ — was in a better position to grab the award.
But one nationally televised, highly disappointing game later, James’ candidacy was shattered. Yes, the explosive running back did look totally overmatched in Oregon’s all-important opener against LSU. He was held to 54 yards on 18 carries, and was unable to break free for even one of his trademark streaks up the sideline. But James was playing against a team that was ranked No. 4 in the country, and now sits atop the polls after three impressive victories away from home over ranked teams in the season’s first four weeks.
James has since returned to form, starring for the Ducks on special teams as well as in the backfield. In three games he’s scored eight touchdowns (including a 58-yard punt return) and is now second in the country in rushing with 153.3 yards a game, almost 10 yards better than his nation-leading 2010 average. Did I mention that he’s averaging an insane 9.4 yards per carry?
Yet if you were to listen in on any discussions in the media about potential Heisman winners for this season, James is now nowhere to be seen. After being in the top 3 on most boards coming into the season, James has fallen out of the top 10. Or he may not be on the list at all.
Why? Because LaMichael’s early-season misstep on the biggest stage left a disproportionately sour taste in the media’s mouth (writers, after all, decide the Heisman winner). But if you look in the history books, it’s clear that plenty of past Heisman winners have tripped up on their way to the award.
Tim Tebow lost three regular season games during his Heisman run in 2007, including a setback against a Les Miles-lead LSU. Troy Smith had several sloppy outings during his 2006 Heisman season, two of which ended with Smith amassing more interceptions than touchdowns and managing less than 120 yards passing.
Another culprit for the lack of appreciation: past performance. Like it or not, college stars usually see their prospects for a Heisman win rise when they are having a breakthrough season (see Newton, Cam). After seeing James blaze spectacularly through the college ranks in his first two seasons in Eugene, writers simply expect the broken tackles and gaudy rushing totals. Fair or not, James set a high bar for impressing voters this season, and will struggle to clear that hurdle unless he ends his junior campaign in spectacular fashion.
Maybe it will just take time. Team success is another key element in the Heisman vote, so Oregon’s steady climb up the national polls may be just what James needs to get the notice he deserves (beating Andrew Luck and Stanford wouldn’t hurt either). But for now, LaMichael’s Heisman candidacy has taken an unfair hit. To change that, James will be looking to do what he does best: weather the blow and keep on running.