College Football: 10 greatest players to never win the Heisman Trophy

MADISON, WISCONSIN - NOVEMBER 09: Jonathan Taylor #23 of the Wisconsin Badgers runs with the football in the second half against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Camp Randall Stadium on November 09, 2019 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
MADISON, WISCONSIN - NOVEMBER 09: Jonathan Taylor #23 of the Wisconsin Badgers runs with the football in the second half against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Camp Randall Stadium on November 09, 2019 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images) /
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PALO ALTO, CA – NOVEMBER 26: Christian McCaffrey #5 of the Stanford Cardinal carries the ball against the Rice Owls during the first quarter of their NCAA football game at Stanford Stadium on November 26, 2016, in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
PALO ALTO, CA – NOVEMBER 26: Christian McCaffrey #5 of the Stanford Cardinal carries the ball against the Rice Owls during the first quarter of their NCAA football game at Stanford Stadium on November 26, 2016, in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

When Christian McCaffrey finished second in the Heisman Trophy balloting in 2015, it was one of the few times in the 21st century where running backs dominated the top five of the ballot.

Derrick Henry won the Heisman that year with Navy’s Keenan Reynolds finishing fifth in addition to McCaffrey’s runner-up. This was one of the few times this decade that running backs dominated the top five of the voting. His 2015 season was spectacular. He had over 2,600 yards from scrimmage that year with 13 touchdowns.

McCaffrey’s second-place finish was a case of West Coast bias to some people. There may be some merit to that argument, but what Henry did especially to close the regular season was remarkable. He had a great postseason as well, but those games have no bearing on the voting.

It’s surprising, however, that the voting was not closer. It was not a blowout, but McCaffrey did not receive as many first-place votes as many people thought he would. Henry had a great season, so it’s difficult to say that McCaffrey should have won but 2015 was simply a case of two players having outstanding seasons and one getting the nod over the other.