Michigan Football's Denard Robinson: Why Does He Get No Heisman Love?

What's a guy gotta do to get a little love from Heisman pundits?

Denard Robinson became the first quarterback in NCAA history to rush for more than 1,500 yards and pass for more that 2,500 yards last year, and is currently the fourth leading rusher in the nation this year.  He has already led Michigan back from down 17 against Notre Dame, and has easily dispatched the Wolverine's other opponents while leading the nation's 15th ranked total offense and S&P+'s top rated total offense.

EPSN's Heisman watch currently ranks him 10th in its Heisman rankings.

So why isn't Denard Robinson getting any Heisman love right now despite being the most explosive offensive playmaker in the nation?  There are a few reasons.

Heisman pundits don't want to get burned again.

Remember last year when everybody and their brother was talking about Denard Robinson winning the Heisman as the calendar turned to October?  Of course you do, it was everywhere.

Well, the talking heads on ESPN remember it all too well, and they don't like to eat their crow when they are wrong on national TV.  As the season wore on and Denard Robinson faced tougher and tougher defenses that were focusing more and more on containing him, his production dropped to merely human levels.

Four of Robinson's first five games saw him gain 345, 383, 494 and 502 yards of total offense (the fifth game was against Bowling Green where he was knocked out early, but gained 189 yards on a combined nine passes and rushes).  Through the rest of the season he was held under 300 yards three separate times, and not once even matching his third best total from the early season (383 yards).

One thing that didn't help Robinson's perception within the national media is questions of his toughness.  After being knocked out early against Bowling Green, Robinson saw himself miss snaps in multiple games, and didn't finish out the Illinois game due to an injury.

What does a 10th place ranking signal?  That Heisman pundits, like women, aren't easy to win over once they have been burned.  Robinson will need to go to hell and back before people are willing to trust that this isn't just a mirage.

Michigan has only faced one real challenge so far, and that wasn't inspiring.

Throw out games against Minnesota and Eastern Michigan.  Nobody cares what you do against bad teams.  Same for Western Michigan, a team you get no credit for pushing around but lose lots of credit for playing close (ask Illinois).  San Diego State isn't really known for its defensive acumen either.

That leaves Notre Dame (speaking of high expectations dashed).

Don't get me wrong, what Denard Robinson did in the final 17 minutes of the Notre Dame game might have been the single most impressive offensive performance of the year, and it looks all that more impressive because of just how far it was from the three quarters preceding it.

Before the final drive of the third quarter, Robinson had passed for just 59 yards, thrown two interceptions, and completed just three of his 13 passing attempts.  It is hard to describe just how bad a day Robinson had over those first three quarters.  Even his touchdown throw to Junior Hemingway for the Wolverine's first touchdown was under thrown and only turned into a score because of a great individual effort by Hemingway.

Forget the fourth quarter for a minute.  If you are a Heisman voter and you see a quarterback who has only been average as a passer in four games against mediocre competition—Robinson is 39th in pass efficiency this year—and was downright terrible for three quarters against the toughest challenge he has faced, it is hard to take him seriously.

Michigan isn't yet a credible threat to win the Big Ten title.

And by that I mean, nobody takes the Wolverines seriously because we have all seen this movie (the 5-0 start) before, and know how it ends ( in pain).

Like it or not, the Heisman trophy usually goes to the best player on the best team—and if we are being totally honest, the best player on the best team with the best quarterback.  Michigan looks to be much improved this year, but with road trips still scheduled for Northwestern, Michigan State, Iowa and Illinois, as well as home games against Nebraska and Ohio State, it is easy to imagine Michigan's dream season going off the rails over the next two months.

If Michigan folds down the stretch, even a superhuman effort from Robinson would fall on deaf ears in terms of Heisman votes.

On the bright side, if Michigan can run through the Big Ten and make it to Indianapolis for the first ever Big Ten title game, voters will have no choice but to acknowledge that Robinson was an integral part of that, and it could be enough to get him in the serious Heisman discussion.

Enough to win?  We'll have to wait and see.