Andrew Luck: Why the Heisman Trophy Is the Stanford QB's to Lose

Last season ended with Andrew Luck being projected as the No. 1 quarterback in the 2011 NFL Draft. The problem was that Luck never declared, and Cam Newton was taken first overall and the first quarterback in 2011.

Luck decided that despite the loss of his head coach to the NFL, he would not follow him into the pro ranks. The return was questioned by some and praised by others; most importantly, the Stanford Cardinal family was and is happy with his return.

So far this season, Luck has been one of the elite quarterbacks in the game, completing 71.3 percent of his passes with 18 touchdowns and only three interceptions. Luck also has accumulated 1,719 passing yards through six games.

Luck has provided the statistical leadership that was needed for the Cardinal this season, but he has also taken on the mentoring role as well. Stanford lost a chunk of starters on the offense and defense heading into 2011, but Luck has managed to lead his team decisively to victories in all six games.

Don’t let the big wins be deceiving, however, as the Cardinal has not played a single ranked opponent at this point. There are only two that stand on the schedule today—this week’s game against No. 25 Washington and their November 12^th game against No. 10 Oregon.

The biggest cloud over Luck’s Heisman hopes is the competition that he has faced.

But if he continues with his brilliance this week against the Huskies and in three weeks against the Ducks, the naysayers will be gone.

A win is most likely to happen today for the Cardinal, continuing the undefeated streak and further solidifying Luck in the Heisman race. Looking across at the competition, he is the leader and stands to lift the award this December.

The heaviest competition that Luck will face this season appears to be Trent Richardson of Alabama. Richardson is sitting at 912 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns on the season. He is leading an undefeated Alabama team through another possible title run and has provided a spark in every game for the offense.

Richardson is the second leading rusher in the country and is looking to continue to crank out yards this week against Tennessee. Unless his performances slow down, this is likely to be a two-horse race between Luck and Richardson until the end.

The difference between Luck and Richardson is not only position but surrounding cast. Richardson is not only a great running back, but the team that surrounds him is one of the best in the country. For Luck, he has to work up his team and raise their play with his.

Stanford is a talented team, but they are not at the overall talent level of the Crimson Tide.

When it comes down to who means more to their team, Luck is the obvious choice.

Luck’s ability to keep Stanford in elite company is what makes him the front-runner in this race. Luck looks to earn only the second Heisman Trophy in Stanford history.

Other quarterback’s in the race for the Heisman are Robert Griffin III of Baylor, Landry Jones of Oklahoma and Kellen Moore of Boise State. The closest of these three to Luck would be Griffin III, simply because of his importance to his team and his stat line.

If Luck can continue to lead his team to victories—especially a win against Oregon—he will continue to be the leader of the Heisman pack and won’t have to look back.