2011 Heisman Trophy Finalists: Was Matt Barkley or Case Keenum Bigger Snub?

Congratulations to Andrew Luck, Trent Richardson, Robert Griffin III, Tyrann Mathieu and Montee Ball for being named finalists for the 2011 Heisman Trophy.

And condolences to Matt Barkley and Case Keenum for getting shut out.

It's tough to argue with the five guys who did get invites to the Downtown Athletic Club in New York City; they're worthy candidates all.

But it's equally difficult not to wonder why the voters didn't show more love to Barkley and Keenum, other than the fact that both thrived in relative anonymity.

Barking for Barkley

Barkley enjoyed a fantastic junior season, completing 69.1 percent of his passes for 3,528 yards, 39 touchdowns (a new Pac-12 single-season record) and seven interceptions for a Trojans team that, while ineligible for the BCS (or any postseason consideration, for that matter), still finished the regular season at 10-2 and ranked fifth in the Associated Press Poll.

He was consistently brilliant for head coach Lane Kiffin, with his most memorable performances coming in 'SC's biggest games—284 yards and three touchdowns against Stanford and 323 yards and four touchdowns at Oregon.

Along the way, Barkley set just about every passing record in school history, surpassing even former Heisman Trophy winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart.

And while one could argue that his accomplishments meant less overall because his Trojans were, by rule, never in the national title hunt, the fact that he still performed so exceptionally, without that external motivation, makes his achievements that much more spectacular.

The Case for Keenum

As spectacular as what Keenum did, though? That's a bit more difficult to discern.

Forget about school or conference records. Keenum practically rewrote the NCAA history book this season. Keenum finished the 2011 season ranked sixth in the country in completion percentage (71.7), third in quarterback rating (177.9) and first in passing yards (5,099) and touchdowns (45) with just five interceptions.

In the process, Keenum broke the national record for touchdowns in a single game (nine) along with career marks for touchdowns, passing yards and completions.

What's more, he did all of this as a sixth-year senior, after missing most of his fifth year with a torn ACL. To fight back from such a devastating injury and play as well as he has speaks to Keenum's diligence and determination as a human being, far beyond his incredible acumen as a college football player.

Oh, and lest we forget, Keenum led Houston to the first 12-win season in school history and within sniffing distance of the BCS.

Clearly, Keenum's numbers are far superior to Barkley's, though he accumulated them while playing in a much weaker conference—Conference USA, as opposed to the Pac-12. From a purely statistical standpoint, though, Keenum is easily the bigger snub.

And the Bigger Snub Is...

However, on the whole, Barkley's absence is undoubtedly more egregious. It's not like USC's players don't win Heismans or that voters aren't aware of the Trojans football program. Seven Trojans have taken home the bronze trophy in the past, six if you discount Reggie Bush's victory in 2005.

As for Barkley's own merits in that context, his performance at quarterback this season outpaced that of Palmer and Leinart in their Heisman seasons by a fairly wide margin.

Palmer won the Heisman after completing 63.2 percent of his passes for 3,942 yards, 33 touchdowns and 10 picks, while Leinart nabbed the award with 3,322 yards, 33 touchdowns and six interceptions on 65.3 percent passing.

Houston has had a Heisman winner before—Andrew Ware in 1989—though the school would hardly mistake its trophy case for a full one.

And if that's not enough to put Barkley over the top against Keenum, consider this—Barkley threw for 423 yards and six touchdowns against UCLA, while Keenum accounted for 310 yards and two touchdowns against those very same Bruins.

Ultimately, though, while both would've been more than just invitees to the Heisman ceremony, it's still doubtful that either would've mounted much of a challenge among the five-man field that's already on its way to the Big Apple.