Andrew Luck: 5 Reasons Why the Stanford QB Should Win the Heisman

Believe it or not, but Andrew Luck has fallen back to the underdog role when it comes to winning the Heisman Trophy. If one had said that Luck would return, play extremely well, put up great stats and lead the Cardinal to an 11-1 record, I think many would have expected Luck to win the Heisman. Sure enough, he's stuck in one of the closest races of all time.

Don't let that dissuade you, though. Luck should win the Heisman Trophy tonight. Here are five reasons why.

1. His Record

Unfortunately, the Heisman Trophy can ultimately become a "career appreciation award." If that is the case, Luck should win it hands down.

Stanford has only lost two games in the past two seasons under Luck, and are 23-2 overall. After not making a BCS bowl game since 2000, the Cardinal have made back-to-back with the Orange and Fiesta bowl (no one took them seriously in the 2000 Rose Bowl either. Before that they had only been in five bowls since 1978).

Because of the Cardinal's prowess under Luck's tenure, Luck will reach the annals of Stanford lore. Luck, Bill Walsh, Jim Plunkett and John Elway will now be mentioned in the same breath. This goes back to the "career award" ideology, but is special nonetheless.

2. The Style of Offense

Luck didn't put up video-game-type numbers the way Case Keenum, Matt Barkley or Robert Griffin III did because that isn't what Stanford does. In fact, with the style of offense that Stanford plays, it's remarkable that Luck put up the numbers he did.

Stanford is predominantly a rushing team. They attempted 373 passes and ran the ball 468 times, meaning they only threw the ball 44.4 percent of the time. While it is true that Baylor threw the ball only 41.3 percent of the time, Baylor employs a more vertically stretched passing game. They spread the defenses out and throw the ball down the field much more, leading Griffin to have gaudier numbers than Luck.

What does Stanford do? A majority of the time they line up in I-formation, three tight end sets. The Cardinal have an old-school offense built on size and physicality rather than speed. This doesn't lend itself well to huge passing numbers, but Luck was able to produce big numbers regardless.

3. His Surrounding Talent

Luck has a great offensive line and an underrated running back in Stepfan Taylor, but other than that, there isn't much to go off of.

Chances are you would have never heard of Griff Whalen or Coby Fleener is Luck did not play at Stanford. The only other Heisman finalist in a situation comparable to Luck is Griffin, and even Griffin had more talent at wide receiver. Kendall Wright and Terrance Williams are great receivers for the Bears, while Baylor running back Terrance Ganaway rushed for over 1,300 yards.

Luck stands out due to the talent which surrounds him. This isn't to rip on other players on Stanford, it's just the truth. Luck made names for these players and made them better more than any other finalist made his teammates better.

4. His Consistency

Luck showed up and produced solid numbers every game of the year. There is no off-game for him, even the loss against Oregon where the defense surrendered 53 points.

There are such games with the other Heisman finalists. Ball didn't get into a groove until half-way through the season. Mathieu was suspended one game and was quiet mid-season. Richardson didn't play great against Tennessee or LSU. Griffin lost the game late with an interception against Kansas State.

Luck's consistency should not go overlooked. He was more reliable than any other finalist and did not have an off game.

5. The Hype

Let's be honest...hype plays into the Heisman trophy as much as anything. It's why Northwestern sent out mini-weights to advertise Dan Persa and why Oregon took out building-size billboards in Times Square for Joey Harrington. You can't get voted to win the award if no one knows who you are!

Luck built the hype by returning one more season. By declining the probable No. 1 pick in the NFL draft, Luck built himself the persona of the No. 1 player in the NCAA. Media started to foolishly wonder if teams would stoop to a "suck for Luck" campaign and lose games on purpose to win the No. 1 overall pick (this has to be one of the dumbest thing I ever heard).

More often than not, the hype works. There may be a voter who hasn't watched a game since September voting on the Heisman, and he only recognizes Luck's name. It may be a tough pill to swallow but it is the truth...Luck is the most recognizable name on that ballot list.