Stanford Football: 5 reasons Bryce Love will win 2018 Heisman Trophy
By Zach Bigalke
Bryce Love was the clear Heisman runner-up behind Baker Mayfield in 2017. Here is why the returning Stanford running back will win the trophy in 2018.
In 2017, Bryce Love finally got his opportunity to take over feature duties at running back for Stanford. After emerging from Christian McCaffrey’s shadow, Love blew up as the most dominant Power Five back in the country. While Saquon Barkley got more hype, Love blew his rushing numbers out of the water.
Love’s 19 rushing touchdowns ranked fifth nationally. The Stanford back finished with over 2,100 rushing yards, ranking behind only San Diego State’s Rashaad Penny in ground production. While he wasn’t as dynamic in the passing game, Love was the catalyst that drove Stanford to the Pac-12 North title.
The most impressive part, though, is that Love continued to put up big numbers even as he suffered through nagging injuries. If he can stay healthy in 2018, Stanford may finally break through for its first Heisman Trophy since Jim Plunkett snatched the award in 1970.
After coping with the oh-so-close pain of seeing a slew of runner-up performances since Plunkett’s victory, Stanford is ready to break their streak of Heisman misses. With the Cardinal looking to contend in the Pac-12 race once again, Love will remain on the minds of Heisman voters all the way to the dais of the Downtown Athletic Club in December.