Jordan Lynch hopes to crash Heisman party; Huskies to bust BCS
By Ryan Wooden
They went out and scheduled two Big Ten teams on the road (years in advance before they knew Purdue would be the laughingstock of the conference) and beat them both. They likely would have schedule other big-time games, as well, provided they could get some reciprocation in a home-and-home series.
Instead, they played and beat everybody placed in front of them and should they qualify for an automatic bid as mandated by BCS bylaws, all the analysis in the world of NIU’s roster, their conference and their makeup won’t change the fact that they’re going.
And, they might be taking a New York City invitee with them as their starting quarterback.
Lynch’s numbers have reached unassailable territory once again, and given his body of work, he might actually have enough support among voters to get there.
Folks who’ve had an awfully personal view certainly think he deserves to be in the mix.
“Jordan Lynch is goooood,” Fleck opened his presser. “I think he’s the best player in college football. I really believe that. That’s no disrespect to anyone else, I just think he’s a heck of a player. McCarron is a heck of a player, they’re all really good players, but the reason why I say that is that he makes every single guy around him better. He is Northern Illinois
“I think that’s what the Heisman Trophy is all about–finding the best player in the country and finding the player that makes everyone around him better. I don’t know what else to say about him, but I’ll will end it with that he deserves to be in New York City.”
Lynch’s current head coach Rod Carey echoed those sentiments.
“If he’s not in the Heisman conversation, I guess I don’t know what a Heisman is or should be. Because, to me, that’s exactly what it is… what you saw tonight.”
Given the need for most people with a Heisman vote to trivialize numbers and compare based on competition level, it’s hard to imagine that Jordan Lynch could ever garner enough support to win the award, but just making it to New York City would do wonders for the program and Northern Illinois University.
It’d raise the profile of the team and the school, furthering the efforts of both as NIU continues to carve out their space in the athletic and academic arenas.
And he deserves to go.
People are eager to diminish what he’s done because of the competition that he plays, but what if he played behind Jameis Winston’s offensive line and had a weapon like Johnny Manziel does in Mike Evans? What if he were only asked to not make mistakes and lead like AJ McCarron?
Jordan Lynch and NIU have entered the national conversation not by happenstance, but by determination. They’ve done what they were asked to do and much, much more, and that finally may all be rewarded.
They’re within reach of another trip to the BCS. They have a chance to send the quarterback that has meant so much to their team and their university to New York City for recognition on college football’s most recognizable individual stage.
They’ve still got obstacles between here and the dream, but for a school like NIU (the guys from the MAC) and a kid like Jordan Lynch (eating peanut butter sandwiches at 3 AM just to have a chance), having those dreams is more than most could ever ask.
Although I don’t imagine they’ll stop dreaming just yet.