Heisman Point/Counterpoint: Andrew Luck Should Have Won

With the Heisman voting closed and the award delivered on Saturday, the arguments can begin to mount justifying the win or the loss for every finalist that was found on the stage. Andrew Luck was the season long leader, but after the voting had finished just slightly outside the winner circle, as Robert Griffin III took home the hardware.

Looking at the final decision of the voters, it is easy to see why the voters struggled to separate Griffin III and Luck. At the end of the day, both could have deserved the honor, but looking deeper, here are the reasons why Luck should and shouldn’t have won the Heisman.

Why Luck Should Have Won

Andrew Luck had his second star style season at Stanford this past year. Luck was as consistent as you could get at the quarterback position and led the Cardinal to their second BCS bowl berth in a row. The Cardinal have built a legacy around Luck and his ability to lift his teammates performance to another level.

Luck finished this season fifth in the country in passing efficiency and fifth in total touchdown passes in an offense that is a pro-style that doesn’t necessarily lead to 35 touchdown passes regularly. Luck only lost one regular season game which came against Oregon.

Luck didn’t absolutely lose the game for the Cardinal, but he couldn’t win it either. Outside of that one loss, Luck carried the Cardinal to victory 11 different times. He led the Cardinal over a very impressive overtime victory over the 10-2 USC Trojans.

Luck had some great showings and will likely be the first player taken in this years NFL draft.

Why Luck didn’t Win the Heisman

At the end of the voting period, Robert Griffin III had taken over college football with his electric play and big wins. He finished game after game with amazing comebacks and making impossible throws. Griffin III was the most explosive player in college football this season.

Luck doesn’t have the benefit of being explosive. He is a very skilled tactician at the quarterback position and can find open receivers in space where no one else could. Luck also has the unique ability to roll the pocket and make throws as he is on the move.

Despite that, Griffin III brought electricity to the game that was unshakable. This year it was expected that Luck would win the award. He entered the season as the favorite and weathered almost every storm to maintain his leading candidacy.

Luck likely would have come out on top with a victory over Oregon. If the Cardinal could have made it to the title game it would have been Luck’s to lose. With him being pooled outside of the title game, Griffin III was the clear cut choice.