NOWOSWIAT's Take
Winner: Derrick Henry, Alabama
Henry just feels like the Heisman winner, doesn’t he? He is the star offensive player of arguably the best team in the nation. He is the true MVP of his offensive unit and it’s not even close. Henry’s only knock is that he has put up such big numbers as the result of such a heavy workload—a “system” type player. But in the age of 2-back systems and air-raid offenses, Henry is a throwback player and his 40+ carry games are extremely impressive. Not to mention, it takes one quick look this cyborg to realize he is not a “system” running back. Runner-Up: Deshaun Watson, Clemson Watson is the best player on the best team in America—of course he is in New York. Besides his poor outing at Louisville early in the season, Watson has gotten Clemson out of the (few) treacherous situations the Tigers have been in scotch-free. Unfortunately for Watson, his numbers would be the weakest numbers seen from a Heisman winner since Mark Ingram was the tallest midget from a weak 2009 class. Right or wrong, the Trophy is a beauty pageant—which is why the award is only won by quarterbacks and running backs—and stats mean a lot. Since Cam Newton won the award in 2010, only quarterbacks have won; and each quarterback has eclipsed 4,000 yards passing OR 1,400 yards rushing. 3rd Place: Christian McCaffrey Unfortunately for McCaffrey and Stanford, this will probably go exactly how 2009 went. While Derrick Henry is an absolute terror to deal with, there are probably quite a few running backs who could match Henry’s production if put in his situation, including McCaffrey. Contrary to 2009 when Alabama’s Mark Ingram had fewer yards and touchdowns but played on the better team, Henry has both the stats and the team success to win this one in a landslide. However, if you’re thing is versatility, then you are certainly a McCaffrey guy. And if Stanford were in the Playoff, there would be a lot of voters that would agree with you. Regrettably, team success and exposure weighs heavily into the criteria used to determine “the best individual player in the nation.” CIANCIA's TAKE
Winner: Deshaun Watson, Clemson
Deshaun Watson’s 2015 Heisman campaign actually started in the 2014 season finale, when he scored 4 touchdowns to beat rival South Carolina ... with a torn ACL. The legend was born, and it has picked up momentum each week (and win) this season. In the rain-soaked top-10 matchup with Notre Dame, Watson willed the Tigers to victory, scoring all 3 touchdowns in the 24-22 thriller, a game that quickly threw Clemson into the Playoff discussion. Coasting through the ACC schedule, the dual-threat Watson displayed game-breaking ability on the ground, and perhaps the nicest deep ball in America. He has the touch and the power, the accuracy and the arm strength, the foot speed and the ability to consistently make the defense wrong with the zone read. Watson fits all the criteria I look for in a Heisman: stats, highlights, national impact, clutch performances, and sheer football invincibility. Before he stiff-arms defenders in the Orange Bowl against #4 Michigan State, Clemson’s #4 deserves the bronze stiff-arm trophy. Runner-Up: Christian McCaffrey, Stanford So much attention has been placed on Derrick Henry’s “workhorse” season and near-eclipse of 2000 yards. But Henry is a one-trick pony. Christian McCaffrey only trails Henry by 139 yards rushing – but also adds in 1700 additional yardage in different facets of the game. 540 receiving yards (4 TDs), 1109 return yards (1 TD), and even 67 passing yards (2 TDs). Scoring in 4 different ways stands out on paper, but his highlight reel is simply amazing. McCaffrey’s 461-yard performance in the Pac-12 Championship put an exclamation point on a special season, earned an invitation to NYC, and he is deserving of all the hype. 3rd-Place: Derrick Henry, Alabama Alabama is a team built on strength, power, and force. They will push you around in the trenches, and pound you all game – until you wear down, then it’s over. Derrick Henry symbolizes his team. He consistently gains 6 yards a carry all game, but by the time the 4th quarter hits, he is even stronger. Henry leads the nation in 4th quarter rushing yards, and continually puts the final touch on dominant wins for the Tide. He broke Herschel Walker’s SEC rushing record last Saturday, and led Alabama to back-to-back SEC titles, the first team to accomplish the feat since 1998. ALL-TIME HEISMAN MOMENTS
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2015 PREVIEW
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