Oklahoma State football: 3 reasons Chuba Hubbard deserved Heisman invite

2. Should a team’s win-loss record determine the Heisman Trophy?

It’s difficult for a player that’s not on one of the nation’s top teams to be recognized, much less win the Heisman Trophy.

Six of the previous seven Heisman winners played on teams ranked in the nation’s Top 5. These six teams all finished with double-digit wins, and several (like Alabama in 2015 and Ohio State in 2014) would go on to win the national title. The notable exception is Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson, who captained a 9-4 Cardinals squad in 2016.

In fact, since 1988, only two Heisman Trophy winners have played on teams that finished with four losses or more: Jackson and Florida’s Tim Tebow, whose Gators finished 9-4 after Tebow’s 2007 Heisman win.

Is it an absolute requirement that the most outstanding player in college football play on one of its best teams? In the eyes of Heisman voters, the answer is almost always yes.

One could argue that the best player might compete for a lesser-known and less talented team. It’s difficult, of course, to compare these qualities among 130 teams, and especially in a sport like football that requires 22 different on-field starting positions (excluding special teams).

OSU (8-4 overall) finished among a slew of Big 12 teams with a 5-4 conference record this year and finished with the No. 25 spot in the final regular-season CFP poll. It’s safe to say that without Hubbard, though, the Cowboys could have easily finished at .500 or worse.