Heisman Watch: Monster Finish Won't Be Enough for Robert Griffin III

No player has made a stronger Heisman push over the course of the season than Baylor’s Robert Griffin III. From a season-opening stunner at TCU to a home upset of then-No. 5 Oklahoma, RG3 has won huge games and put up huge numbers for the Bears.

Unfortunately for Griffin, his team hasn’t quite been good enough to let him overtake preseason Heisman favorite Andrew Luck. For all that the Heisman is nominally an individual award, it’s rare in this era to see a Heisman winner who wasn’t playing for a BCS team.

Luck came into the year more or less assured that the Heisman was his to lose, and he’s done little to cost himself the award. He couldn’t save Stanford from getting pounded at home by No. 9 Oregon, but he’s led them to 11 wins overall and thrown for 3,170 yards with 35 TDs.

Griffin’s individual numbers have been a good bit more impressive, as he’s thrown for 500 more yards (with only one fewer TD) while also bringing a second dimension to the Baylor offense. Griffin is the Bears’ second-leading rusher with 612 yards and seven TDs on the year.

However, the Bears’ three losses—to Kansas State, Texas A&M and Oklahoma State, hardly a disreputable group—will kill Griffin’s shot at the prize. Team wins are almost an individual statistic for a QB, and the fact that Baylor’s scoring was noticeably down in the losses to the Aggies and Cowboys will also hurt Griffin’s chances.

Griffin will put on a show for the voters this afternoon as he faces No. 22 Texas in Waco. The Longhorns are a solid defensive team, but they’ll be no match for the versatile, strong-armed Baylor QB.

Even so, Griffin’s fate is already sealed. Andrew Luck will be playing in a BCS bowl, and that statistic will be all the advantage he needs to take home the Heisman Trophy.