Heisman Finalists 2011: Why Robert Griffin III Should Win Coveted Award

Robert Griffin III is the clear cut hands down best player in college football this season. He should be recognized for these efforts with the Heisman trophy.

He is certainly in the running to do just that.

The Finalists

Your five 2011 Heisman trophy finalists.

This is an accomplished group of diverse players. A case can certainly be made for any of these guys, but the best case is what you'll see next.

Why RGIII Should Win

The three front-runners for this award are Griffin, Luck, and Richardson.

Of these three, Griffin's team finished with the worst record and lowest in the polls. However, he is not surrounded by the talent like the other two guys.

Griffin was the central figure in Baylor's success. The same cannot be said for Trent Richardson. Alabama dominated this season because their defense was amazing.

This kept Alabama's offense on the field and helped Richardson rack up 1,910 yards from scrimmage and 23 touchdowns. On the ground he gained 1,583 yards at 6.0 yards per carry.

Those are impressive numbers, but it cannot compare to what Griffin has done. Let's look at Griffin's numbers while comparing him to Luck.

Griffin's numbers were better than Luck's in every passing category that matters. This led to RGIII posting a 193.2 QB rating compared to Luck's 167.5.

Griffin threw for 36 touchdowns and a meager six interceptions. He also hit a whopping 72.4 percent of his passes—and we are not talking about dump offs either. Griffin averaged 10.84 yards per pass attempt compared to 8.5.

To further the argument for Griffin, he was the team's second leading rusher with 644 yards and nine rushing touchdowns.

It is impossible to justify Luck over Griffin in light of these numbers.

It is also nonsense to say Richardson deserves it over Griffin. RGIII had over a third of the rushing yards of Richardson, and nearly half of the rushing touchdowns. Combine that with his prodigious passing output and it is clear that Griffin needs to be the 2012 Heisman winner.

As good a job as these numbers do to justify Griffin's claim to this award, he makes the best case with his dynamic ability in the visual form. Enjoy his highlights.