Heisman Trophy Winner: Why Voters Made the Right Choice with Robert Griffin III

This season might have been closest Heisman Trophy race in recent memory, but the voters were right in choosing Robert Griffin III for this prestigious award.

The candidates for the 2011 Heisman Trophy included quarterbacks Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III, running backs Montee Ball and Trent Richardson, and cornerback Tyrann Mathieu.

While each were deserving in their own right, this season belonged to Griffin.

He was not only the best player in college football, but the most valuable as well. If he is taken off Baylor, it is hard to imagine the team pulling out a winning season.

The season was great from a statistical standpoint. The quarterback threw for almost 4,000 yards, 36 touchdowns and a completion percentage of 72.4. His passer rating of 192.3 was the best in the nation.

In addition, Griffin also rushed for 644 yards and nine touchdowns.

Still, the season statistics do not tell the entire story. He led Baylor to a nine-win season, including wins over Texas, TCU, and most notably Oklahoma.

In that Oklahoma game, Griffin threw for 479 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. The junior accounted for 551 of the 616 total yards for the Bears, roughly 89 percent.

He also led an 80-yard drive that ended with a 34-yard touchdown pass with eight seconds left to win the game.

Critics always look for a "Heisman moment." That was it.

Each of the other candidates were good, but had their flaws.

Andrew Luck came into the season with the most hype, but did not have the best season statistically. Many would argue about Montee Ball versus Trent Richardson, but few could come to a conclusion as to who had a better season. Tyrann Mathieu captured the attention of America with his big-play ability, but he is simply a piece of a great defense.

Possibly the biggest flaw of Robert Griffin's season was the fact that his team had three losses. However, the quarterback had to overcome a defense that was ranked against 109th in the country in points allowed. In the three losses, Baylor gave up a combined 150 points.

The fact that the Bears were able to finish third in the Big 12, as well as ranked No. 12 in the country, is just short of a miracle.

Besides, Florida lost four games the year Tim Tebow won his Heisman Trophy.

Robert Griffin III gained momentum in the last few weeks of the season, but was really the best college football player in the nation from the beginning of the season to the end.

That allowed the quarterback to rightfully win the 77th Heisman Trophy.