Heisman Trophy Watch: Why Marcus Mariota is Not No. 1

Nov 29, 2014; Corvallis, OR, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) warms up before the game against the Oregon State Beavers at Reser Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports

3. Marcus Mariota, Quarterback, Oregon Ducks, (11-1, 8-1)

Last Game: 19-of-25 (76%) for 367 Yards, 10 Carries for 39 Yards (3.9 YPC), 6 Total Touchdowns

2014 Season: 229-of-334 (68.6%) for 3,470 Yards, 107 Carries for 636 Yards (5.9 YPC), 47 Total Touchdowns

Marcus Mariota wins the numbers game and the team leadership game. Mariota’s numbers are obviously incredible, as you can see, and he also has thrown 36 touchdowns to only 2 interceptions on the year. Who ever puts up numbers like that? And with Oregon playing in the Pac-12 Championship with a chance to go to the College Football Playoff, he has clearly accomplished everything you ask of a player.

So why do we have him at No. 3?

Well, let’s start with the fact that he spent the year playing against the Pac-12 North competition. That’s not the Pac-12 South. The North was an incredibly weak division, and padding your stats against terrible defenses like Washington State, Oregon State, and Cal along with getting Colorado from the Pac-12 South is not that impressive. Doing it against a Michigan State team that was inexperienced at the linebacker position early in the season isn’t impressive either.

In fact, the only times Mariota played real, or at least decent defenses were against Arizona, UCLA, Washington, and Stanford. And his numbers were mediocre against Arizona and UCLA, including having a loss against Arizona, which brings us to our next point.

Mariota hasn’t shown an ability to come through in the clutch yet. The one time he was in a close game, he lost. If he wants to show he truly deserves the Heisman, he needs to dominate Arizona this weekend. Otherwise, we’re keeping him here.

Next: No. 2 Ranked Heisman Candidate