NCAA Football: 25 Heisman Trophy finalists who should have won in hindsight
By John Scimeca
Stanford running back Bryce Love, who backed up Christian McCaffrey (who appears later in this list) for two seasons, just completed his playing career for the Cardinal last fall.
Love won the Doak Walker Award and was a unanimous First-Team All-American after rushing for 2,118 yards and 19 touchdowns in 2017. He averaged an absurd 8.1 yards per carry, a mark that has only been equaled or surpassed by nine other Power 5 conference players in the 2000s.
Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield was a national darling two seasons ago and not completely without reason: he was bold, brash, and could sling the ball anywhere on the field. He won the 2017 Heisman after throwing for 4,627 yards, 43 touchdowns, and only six interceptions on the season. He led the Sooners to the College Football Playoff, where they lost in overtime to Georgia.
Did Mayfield, though, benefit from playing in a pass-happy Big 12? It’s no secret that the up-and-down Air Raid and spread offenses can put up points in a hurry on anyone in the nation.
His success (along with OU’s) benefited tremendously from playing in these high-scoring games. Mayfield threw for 598 yards, five touchdowns, and two interceptions in a win over in-state rival Oklahoma State, for example.
No one will try to present the Pac-12 as the stingiest run defense conference in the land. Love, however, may not have gotten the recognition he deserved after leading an overachieving Cardinal squad to nine victories.
After tearing his ACL to end the 2018 season, Love was selected in the fourth round in the 2019 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins.