Casting my Heisman Trophy vote for a player who could go to the ceremony
facing a felony charge?
It's a weighty question that
is becoming an ever-increasing reality.
Tuesday's
report that the State Attorney's Office will need
two weeks or longer to decide whether to proceed in the alleged rape
case against the Florida State quarterback would have a resolution
coming after the Dec. 7 ACC Championship Game and, potentially, after
votes are due at 5 p.m. on Dec. 9.
A source with the
Heisman Trust said those dates remain firm and there is no contingency
plan should Winston be charged in the time between polls close and the
Saturday, Dec. 14 ceremony.
The fate of a 25-pound
chunk of bronze is, in the vacuum of two young lives potentially altered
forever, meaningless. Whatever time State Attorney Willie Meggs feels
he needs to decide should in no way be influenced by the deadline
surrounding selection of an award recipient or who will play in the BCS
title game.
But what, if any steps should the Trust
take if Winston is charged and it doesn't come until after the Dec. 9
cutoff?
We are given only one guideline on the
official ballot, which states:
In order
that there will be no misunderstanding regarding the eligibility of a
candidate, the recipient of the award MUST be a bona fide student of an
accredited college or university including the United States Academies.
The recipient must be in compliance with the bylaws defining an NCAA
Student-Athlete.
Winston, who at this point
is only facing allegations in this case, fits those qualifications and
even if he is charged with a felony there is no guarantee that Florida
State rules him ineligible. While the athletic department handbook says
those charged with a felony can't compete, the exception of
"extraordinary circumstances as determined by the administration" can
keep him eligible.
Ballots include three players
listed in order and if I were casting my vote today, Winston would be my
No. 1 choice. But if he's charged and ruled ineligible by Florida State
after I vote would he simply be removed from all submitted ballots? If
he's charged and remains eligible in FSU's eyes will I still feel he's
deserving of joining the legends that have won the
Heisman?
There are no known answers to those
questions and as a contact at the Heisman Trust stated "the Trust does
not comment on hypotheticals."
Ultimately, I would
want the opportunity to re-cast my vote if Winston is charged and ruled
ineligible, allowing a candidate that may not have made the cut before
to be included.
But that may not be an
option.
I've long felt that policing morality isn't
part of my job as a Heisman voter and a decision -- one based on
football -- can only be made with the information in front of me. If
Florida State allows Winston to continue playing, he fills the
guidelines of a winner and would, in my eyes, remain
deserving.
But uncertainty has become a major force
in this race, one could lead some voters to vote Winston lower or leave
him off their ballots entirely.
This Heisman has been
Winston's to lose for weeks. With Johnny Manziel, Marcus Mariota and
Bryce Petty slipping, that sentiment is undeniable. But how it’s lost
could have nothing to do with football.
Before we
move into who is rising and falling in the race, here's a glimpse at how
the voting would likely go if the season were to end today.
1. Jameis Winston, QB Florida State, RS
Fr.
2. Andre Williams, RB Boston College, Sr.
3. AJ
McCarron, QB Alabama, RS Sr.
In an era
of quarterbacks, Williams is putting up the kind of numbers that cut
through the stigma surrounding running backs. With 2,073 yards, he's the
16th player in BS history to go over 2,000 yards -- and the first since
Donald Brown in 2008 -- and is in line to end the regular season with
2,261 yards, which stretched across the postseason would put him at
2,450 yards. That would be the third-highest total in history behind
only Barry Sanders (2,628) and Kevin Smith (2,567), though that estimate
could on the light side given Williams' recent tear. He's averaged 299
yards the last three weeks, a pace that if he could somehow maintain,
would see him become the new single-season rushing king. He'll face a
stiff test this week at Syracuse, which is yielding 133.5 yards on the
ground (27th), but has yet to allow an RB to go over 100 yards. Williams
is putting together a late push that's very reminiscent to Montee Ball
during his 2011 pursuit of Sanders' TD record and that vote saw the
Wisconsin back finish fourth. That suddenly doesn't seem out of the
question for Williams, who at the least, should finish higher than last
year's top back in ninth-place Kenjon
Barner.
Let's get
this out of the way: The Heisman Trophy is not a
career achievement award. It has been won under that guise before, most
recently with Ron Dayne in 1999 -- who didn't lead the nation in rushing
yards or yards per game, though he did break the career rushing record
-- but including the Crimson Tide's last two BCS title runs, which are a
part of McCarron's overall resume, really has as much bearing on this
race as who his girlfriend is. His numbers pale in comparison to other
contenders, ranking 45th in passing yards (2,399), 48th in yards per
game (218.1) and 19 QBs have more TD passes. But he is the poster boy of
the nation's No. 1 team and with the uncertainty surrounding Winston,
McCarron is the safe choice. He'll have at least one spotlight game --
Saturday at No. 4 Auburn -- and another if the Tide win and make the SEC
Championship Game. If McCarron finishes strong, expect him to finish in
the top three.
Lynch is averaging 351
yards of total offense per game, which ranks sixth in FBS, and he's
posted seven 100-yard rushing games, including three straight,
punctuated by an FBS QB-record 321 vs. Western Michigan on Tuesday.
Stats aren't the issue with Lynch, but playing outside of the sport's
power structure is -- remember, no player from a non-BCS conference
school has finished higher than third in 21 years. That being said,
Lynch received two big boosts in Week 13 as 1) A number of top
candidates struggled; and 2) The Huskies passed Fresno State to sit 14th
in the BCS Standings. That magic number puts Northern Illinois in line
for a second straight at-large berth should it finish ahead of the
lowest-ranked major conference champ (it currently is with the ACC's UCF
at No. 19) or if it breaks the top 12, guarantees the Huskies a bid.
The combination of another BSC game, Lynch's stats and other players
taking a step back make the thought of the MAC's first finalist since
Chad Pennington in 1999 an ever-growing
possibility.
Johnny Manziel appears to be the eighth winner
since Archie Griffin's repeated in 1975 to be denied a second Heisman.
(Crystal LoGiudice-USA TODAY
Sports)
While the Forecaster has
been staunch in believing a second trophy just isn't going to happen
for Manziel, it's an idea that started to look somewhat realistic given
the uncertainty surrounding Winston. But not any more. Manziel's hopes
likely died in Death Valley as he completed a career-low 39 percent of
his passes, was intercepted twice and sacked twice in a loss to LSU that
all but took the Aggies out of contention for a BCS at-large bid. He
still has a chance to leave voters with a positive impression this week
vs. No. 5 Missouri, though regardless of how he plays, we can still
expect to see Johnny Football in New York. He's a ratings draw and will
still be on a number of ballots, but third place may be the best he can
hope for. That would have a certain sense of irony to it, given that
finish has been the glass ceiling for defending winners for 34 years
running.
Bryce Petty
What happened
to Petty's candidacy could pretty much be summed
up in one play. With a path to the end zone on a QB
keeper in the first quarter, Petty stumbled and was left a yard short.
The overall numbers weren't bad -- he threw for 359 yards and two TDs --
but both of his scores came in the fourth quarter when the game was
well out of hand. Petty remains second in FBS in pass efficiency (194.1)
and fifth in passing ypg (335.1), and with some help he and the Bears
could still win the Big 12, but his appeal weighed heavily on an
undefeated season and with that no longer an option, Petty has gone from
serious contender to all but out of this
race.
The Halfway Heisman
winner is done. He threw two interceptions in a beat down at the hands
of Arizona, ending a Pac-12 record streak of 353 passes without a pick.
The first of those came on a miraculous snag off a tipped ball on
Mariota's first pass attempt, but it led to his first multi-INT day
since Nov. 12, 2012 against Stanford. It's a performance that couldn't
have come at worst time for Mariota's chances, as he needed a strong
closing stretch to make up or the loss to the Cardinal. Now, he and the
Ducks' regular-season will end one game early as they'll miss out on the
Pac-12 title game, keeping him from taking advantage of a stage on the
final days before votes are due. With Arizona RB Ka'Deem Carey (1,559
yards) surging, the question now is whether Mariota will even be the
Pac-12's top vote getter?
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