Heisman Trophy: Montee Ball Deserves Top Prize—Why He Won't Get It

Tonight’s Heisman Trophy presentation is no longer the foregone conclusion it appeared at the beginning of the season. Presumptive No. 1 draft pick Andrew Luck of Stanford is certainly a finalist as expected, but he won’t get a runaway victory, if he wins at all.

The candidate with the best case for the award, though, has almost no chance of winning it. Wisconsin’s Montee Ball has had one of the most extraordinary seasons in college football history, but too many factors are stacked against Ball for him to take home the Heisman.

Ball has led the Badgers to a spot in the Rose Bowl with 1,759 rushing yards and a ludicrous 32 TDs. His six scores as a receiver leave him with 38 on the season, one shy of Barry Sanders’ all-time FBS record with one game remaining.

Despite his staggering stats, Ball couldn’t even win the Doak Walker Award for the nation’s top running back. That honor went to fellow Heisman finalist Trent Richardson—a fine runner to be sure, but one whose numbers (1,583 yards and 20 TDs) can’t match Ball’s.

Richardson’s presence on the ballot is the first of many strikes against Ball, as Ball’s failure to win the Doak Walker will almost certainly be held against him by some Heisman voters. After all, if he isn’t considered the best at his own position, how can he be the best in the country?

In addition, Ball is up against a longtime prejudice in favor of giving the award to a quarterback. Whether that’s a pocket passer for a winning team (such as Luck of the 11-1 Cardinal) or an electrifying dual threat (Robert Griffin III of Baylor), Heisman voters will rarely pick a running back over a qualified signal-caller.

Even Ball’s conference affiliation works against him. This has not been a strong season for the Big Ten, and going up against a candidate from the mighty SEC (and from title contender Alabama, yet) will certainly siphon a few more votes from Ball.

The single-season touchdown record is one of the most remarkable in all of college football. If he breaks it, Ball will have averaged over three scores per game by himself.

And yet, even with that record all but in the bag, he’ll be going home empty-handed from the Heisman ceremonies.