Sam Burnham, Curator

When I started covering college football on this site I immediately decided to not cover the hype of the race for the Heisman Trophy. I’ve grown to hate the entire fiasco. I don’t remember the last time I saw the award ceremony and I couldn’t tell you who won previous to last year.

But there’s a lot of uproar this year. Alabama fans are livid the award did not go to Tide QB Tua Tagovailoa. We can look at the stats and opponents and argue between Tagovailoa and winner Kyler Murray. But the spotlight on these two takes me back 31 years to another presentation of a trophy that allegedly goes to the most outstanding overall player in college football.

In 1987, Notre Dame wide receiver Tim Brown won the award based on an impressive season - catching 39 passes for 846 yards, 34 rushes for 144 yards,
23 kick returns for 456 yards, 34 punt returns for 401 yds and 7 total TDs. He played on a talented team that finished the regular season 8-3 and played in the Cotton Bowl.

But that year there was another player who deserved the Heisman Trophy more than Brown. At the much smaller Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts you would have found the rightful winner. Don’t believe me? Take a look at Gordie Lockbaum’s stats: 77 receptions for 1152 yds, 85 rushes for 403 yds, 2041 all purpose yds, 22 total TDs. AND he was a 1st Team All-American defensive back. That’s right, he played on offense, defense, and returned kicks. But he didn’t go to a high profile school or play on a Top 25 team. So he finished 3rd in the Heisman voting.

Thats the problem with the Heisman. It’s not about finding the most outstanding overall player, as it is intended to. It simply goes to the flashiest player on a major program. Yes, there was that one year that Houston’s Andre Ware won. But that was an anomaly and isn’t likely to ever happen again. A player on a non-contender doesn’t stand a chance.

Dont believe me?

Lets look at something.

Kyler Murray - QB Oklahoma
241/340 4053 yards 40 TD
123 rushes 892 yards 11 TD

Tua Tagovailoa - QB Alabama
199/294 3353 yards 37 TD
48 rushes 190 yds 5 TD

David Blough - QB Purdue
283/425 3521 yards 25 TD

​Rondale Moore - WR Purdue
103 catches 1164 yards 12 TD
18 rushes 203 yards 1 TD

I’ve tossed Purdue’s David Blough and Rondale Moore into this conversation, not to say that either was robbed of The Heisman, as Lockbaum was, but to prove the point of fairness and feasibility. Blough and Moore put up numbers that would have them in the conversation...if they were at Michigan or Ohio State. Blough outpassed Tagovailoa and put up comparable total yards. Moore’s yardage dwarfs the numbers that won Tim Brown the trophy (admittedly in a different time.) Their names never even entered the conversation. They got their numbers on an average Big Ten team. Murray’s stats were gotten on the best offense in the worst defensive conference in the country. Tagovailoa’s stats were gotten on the best team in the country, period. Murray and Tagovailoa played equal or lesser teams every week. Blough and Moore were punching up almost every week.

All that being said, if the award is about the player and not the team, you cannot have a legitimate conversation about that trophy that doesn’t even mention Blough or Moore. Again, not saying either should have won, but for them to not get a passing glance proves the trophy is illegitimate for its stated purpose. Either redefine the thing or get back to the roots.

And until one of those happens, we return to not covering the Heisman Trophy.

At the end of Championship week we find this Top 10, the final one until Bowl Season is complete. The combined ballots chose the same four teams as the committee, with the next three teams each just one vote from the other.

And now for Bowl Season.

This Recap is a bit different than the previous ones. Thhis week there were only two games that mattered in the scheme of determining the playoff teams. Really there was only one. Clemson took care of business as expected and that’s really the only takeaway from the ACC Championship.

The SEC Championship is the one that really mattered. Alabama’s remarkable come from behind win, enabled by the galactically stupid fake punt attempt that gave Alabama the ball at midfield, sealed the Tide’s place in the playoff. Georgia proved they could stay on the field with Bama but can their presence in the playoff be justified?

Looking at the résumés of Oklahoma, who struggled with Texas again, and Ohio State, the options are Georgia and two teams who aren’t prepared.

It could be justified to just let Clemson and Alabama play, or even have the Tide play the winner of a Clemson/Notre Dame bowl game. After today, it’s likely anticlimactic.

This is why expanding the playoff is a terrible idea. In some years there just aren’t the teams to fill a bracket. The trophy was cheapened last year when the national champion not only failed to win their conference, yet didn’t even win their division. If the goal is to crown the best team that season, excellence is a priority. If it’s just about ticket sales and flashy ceremonies, by all means, expand it.

As of now, only three teams have qualified for a four team playoff. The fourth spot will be awarded to a Georgia team who can compete but didn’t win their conference or to a conference champion who can’t compete on that level.

The committe has a difficult task ahead of them.

Rivalry Week did cause some movement in the polls and now we know that the conferences championshio games will as well. We will see two games this week pairing up two Top 19 teams. The SEC Championship will feature 1Alabama vs 4Georgia. The Big XII Championship matches up 5Oklahoma and 9Texas. 

Bama still holds onto the top spot while Clemson still received a first place vote this week. Oklahoma and UCF both climb the ranks. Ohio State moves up while dragging Michigan back. Texas and Washington reappear in the poll. 14 teams received votes this week. So while the Top 4 is solid, voters have broad opinions on the last 4. It will be interesting to see how this week impacts the poll and to see where these 14 teams stand going into bowl season. 

Ruvalry Week has a long history of upsets and making a mess of the post season. The conference championship games next weekend are likely to create chaos as well. Bama, Georgia, And Clemson took care of business. But let’s look at some of the chaos.
​3 Games That Mattered

Washington 28 Washington State 15
A snowstorm swept into Pullman and covered the field by halftime. The Cougars never got their offense running as they have in previous weeks. Gardner Minshew threw for 2 interceptions and no touchdowns. The Huskies outgained the Cougars by 250 yards. So Washington took home the Apple Cup and the Cougars are left to look forward to Bowl Season but their playoff run is over.

Ohio State 62 Michigan 39
Michigan came into Columbus in a “win and you’re in” situation. But the Buckeyes jumped up early and Michigan never led. The Wolverines were touted as being the #1 defense in the country but the Buckeyes piled on 62 points on 567 yards. That top defense failed to register a single sack. So now Michigan is out, The Buckeyes look for a win next week to try to lobby for a spot in the playoff. Jim Harbaugh remains 0-for-Ohio State.

Notre Dame 24 Southern Cal 17
This is one of those rivalries in which you never want to count out the underdog out. But let’s face it, despite being ranked 15 in the AP Preseason Top 25, Southern Cal is bad. The Trojans jumped out in front early and controlled the ball for much of the first half. But they also seemed to tire in the second half. Notre Dame took advantage of Trojan errors and came out with the win. With their regular season complete, all indications suggest a playoff bid for the Irish.

For the first time since the first week of the poll, our #1 team is not a consensus choice. Clemson picked up two first place votes this week and pulled within 1 of Bama in the points total. Bama struggled early with The Citadel and, as we've said before, the poll can be volatile and unforgiving. The top 6 teams are unchanged. West Virginia bows out after their loss to Oklahoma State. UCF slides back up a few spots, jumping Oklahoma. LSU is back and the Buckeyes cling to #10 after a silly win that really wasn't much of a win. One big note is 10-1 Utah State peeking in the window after getting 2 points this week. We'll be keeping an eye on that one. 

At the end of Cupcake Saturday we can point to some really bad games. Kudos to The Citadel and Maryland for their hard work to make this weekend a bit more interesting.

3 Games That Mattered
Notre Dame 36 Syracuse 3
Obviously Notre Dame needed to win. But to dominate a ranked opponent in such a fashion made a statement leading up to playoff selection. The Irish has one game remaining - on the road against a Southern Cal team that is just plain bad. That game should be nothing more than the punctuation on a perfect season and then a spot in the playoff. With wins against Michigan, Stanford, Syracuse, and at Virginia Tech, barring an unforeseen embarrassment next week, Notre Dame is in.

Oklahoma State 45 West Virginia 41
The Mountaineers’ playoff run came up just a few yards short. A winning touchdown pass wasn’t meant to be and fell incomplete as time expired. But this game goes deeper than that. With the Sooners coming to Morgantown next weekend a Mountaineer win in that game not only eliminates Oklahoma, it excludes the entire Big XII. Following this loss, The Sooners are now the only hope for a conference member making the playoff.

Washington State 69 Arizona 28
Is there anyone who doesn’t want Mike Leach in the playoff? His Washington State team made the most of their own opportunities and also made Arizona pay for their mistakes the Air Raid offense produced mind boggling statistics while the Cougar defense kept the Wildcats in check. With a win like this one the Cougars will have the attention of the playoff committee heading into next week’s Apple Cup.