NCAA Football: 25 Heisman Trophy finalists who should have won in hindsight

To argue that Vince Young should have won the Heisman in 2005 is to look back with a rare, though not altogether surprising, view of events.

Also, let’s just be fair: USC’s Reggie Bush’s sham of a college career as a “student-athlete” included a Heisman Trophy in 2005, which he later vacated.

He was the first player in the history of the award to forfeit it and the Heisman Trust decided to leave the award blank. Even the official Heisman website lists the winners and skips from 2004 to 2006, as if the year in between was not even played.

Why not retroactively give the award to Young?

Bush rushed for 1,740 yards on 8.7 yards per carry and gained more than 2,600 all-purpose yards through rushing, receiving, kick returns and punt returns. His accolades, to observers at the time who did not know of the numerous USC recruiting violations, were deserved.

Young was no slouch himself in 2005: he embodied the new age of nimble and precision-passing dual-threat quarterbacks. He threw for 3,036 yards and 26 touchdowns while rushing for 1,050 yards and 12 touchdowns on 6.8 yards per carry.

His 2005 season, of course, culminated with the dramatic last-minute touchdown against USC in the Rose Bowl that cemented the national championship for the Texas Longhorns.

It’s often been called one of the most indelible moments in college football history and it’s a shame that the Heisman from that season sits in a closet collecting cobwebs. Young didn’t improperly accept the benefits that Bush did. In hindsight, Young should have undoubtedly won the 2005 Heisman Trophy.