Heisman Trophy: 4 Reasons Montee Ball Deserves To Win

The Heisman Trophy is the grand award for the college football season. It is supposed to go to the player who has had the most outstanding individual season.

Yahoo! Sports just released their Heisman Watch list, and it includes the Heisman candidates that everyone has been set on all year such as Andrew Luck and Trent Richardson.

However, there is a player far more deserving than those, and that is Montee Ball of the Wisconsin Badgers. Here are five reasons why he deserves to win the Heisman Trophy.

The Statistics

The first reason Montee Ball deserves the Heisman Trophy is because statistically, he has been the best player in college football.

He ranks second in rushing yards with 1,466, and is only two yards behind the top rusher, but has 103 fewer carries. His 25 rushing touchdowns is tops for a running back, and his 31 total touchdowns is just plain ridiculous.

Ball isn't just doing this against weak competition either. Against the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Ball rushed for 151 yards and four touchdowns. He had a similarly dominating performance against the Illinois Fighting Illini when he had 224 yards on the ground and three total touchdowns.

Simply put, Ball is having one of the most impressive seasons for a running back in college football history.

The Statistics Part II

I want to keep on the topic of statistics for just a moment longer.

It would be one thing if Montee Ball was putting up these incredible numbers as the sole focus of the team. For example, Trent Richardson is basically the entire offense for the Alabama Crimson Tide.

The same can't be said for Ball. The Wisconsin Badgers are loaded with offensive weapons, and they do a good job at using them all.

Russell Wilson has passed for over 2,500 yards and 26 touchdowns. James White, Ball's backup, has over 600 rushing yards and a handful of touchdowns. This Badgers offense doesn't just hand off to Ball on every possession.

Just imagine the type of numbers that Ball would put up if he was the only talented player on the Badgers roster.

Winning Team

Another key for Heisman winners is the fact that they need to play on a winning team. No matter how good a season a player for a losing team is having, if they aren't on one of the better teams in college football, they don't stand a chance to win the Heisman Trophy.

The Wisconsin Badgers currently sit with a 9-2 record. A win on Saturday over the Penn State Nittany Lions would put them in the inaugural Big Ten Championship game against the Michigan State Spartans.

What I'm trying to say is that the Badgers are a pretty darned good team. They are currently ranked in the Top 20 in the polls, and should they win their next two games, they would land in the Rose Bowl.

Highlights

While highlights shouldn't technically matter in the Heisman voting, they often do. Voters want to see that "Heisman moment" from the eventual winner.

While Montee Ball may not have a run like the Reggie Bush-esque run under his belt this year, he has had plenty of spectacular highlights. His 54-yard touchdown scamper against the Indiana Hoosiers in the video above was rather impressive.

Here's another check for Ball's Heisman candidacy. 

Conclusion

As you can see, Montee Ball should not only be considered a Heisman Trophy candidate, but he should be considered the front-runner.

No player in college football is having a season like Ball, and he deserves a trip to New York more than any other player in the nation.