Alabama Football: Would Beating LSU Make Trent Richardson the Heisman Favorite?

It seems like forever ago that Trent Richardson only had 37 yards on 13 carries against Kent State.

Since that dreadful opener, he has averaged 136 rushing yards as well as 28 receiving yards per game.

Those averages would put him as the second best back in the country just behind San Diego State’s Ronnie Hillman, and he did it in the SEC.

In any other year, Richardson would be the Heisman favorite—he’s on an undefeated Alabama team, after all—but Andrew Luck is still the man to beat. He is being touted as the best NFL quarterback prospect in years, and he has done everything in his power to keep that lofty praise.

Also, Kellen Moore will end his illustrious career at Boise State this year as the winning-est quarterback in NCAA. He too has put up fantastic numbers, as have fellow quarterbacks Tajh Boyd, Brandon Weeden and Case Keenum.

The Heisman has gone to a quarterback every year this decade, except for when Mark Ingram won it in 2009, and if any running back will do it this year, it is Richardson. But he’ll need some help in order to jump over Luck and keep the other contenders at bay.

The biggest thing he can do is have a solid performance against LSU. The Tigers defense has been one of the most impressive in the country, so it will be no small feat, but it is something he will have to accomplish in order to firmly supplant Luck at the top of the leaderboard.

But what if he didn’t have a great game and Alabama still won?

Looking at the rest of Stanford and Boise State’s schedules, a win should be enough by the end of the season, assuming the Tide go undefeated.

Boyd, Weeden and Keenum are great players, but they don’t have the preseason clout to take the Heisman away from more established players like Richardson, Luck and Moore if one of their teams goes undefeated.

Stanford only plays one team ranked in the Top 25, possibly two if they make it to the Pac-12 Championship, and Boise won’t play any. Oklahoma State plays too many ranked teams to realistically remain undefeated. Plus, Stanford’s defense could easily cost them the game against Oregon—in their one game against an offense in the top third of the country in scoring, they gave up 28 points and 430 yards in just 27 minutes.

Alabama’s defense will more than hold up against LSU, so it will be up to Richardson to win the game for the Tide.

Do it, and he will likely win the Heisman.