Heisman 2016: 5 reasons Deshaun Watson should win
By John Buhler
Clemson Tigers quarterback Deshaun Watson is one of five finalists for the 2016 Heisman Trophy. Here are five reasons Watson should win the 2016 Heisman.
The Clemson Tigers are 12-1 on the season and will play in the Playstation Fiesta Bowl as the No. 3 seed in the 2017 College Football Playoff. Clemson won the ACC for the second consecutive season. Much of the Tigers’ 2016 success has to do with the stellar play of starting quarterback junior Deshaun Watson.
Watson completed 67.6 percent of his passes for 3,914 yards, 37 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions. His quarterback rating through 13 games is 154.0. He has also carried the football 128 times for 524 yards and six rushing touchdowns.
Many believe that the 2016 Heisman Trophy was won back in September with the unbelievable play from Louisville Cardinals sophomore quarterback Lamar Jackson. If Jackson doesn’t end up winning the 2016 Heisman Trophy, here are five reasons that it will be Watson who joins college football’s most sacred fraternity.
5. There isn’t an SEC Heisman finalist
Don’t overlook this, but not having an SEC Heisman finalist is absolutely huge for Watson’s chances at winning the trophy this weekend.
One could argue that having to go up against Alabama Crimson Tide running back Derrick Henry from the same Southeastern region of the United States is what did Watson’s 2015 Heisman chances in. With the parochial nature of Heisman voters, it was totally understandable that the Southeast would cast its votes for Henry over Watson in 2015.
Looking back at the 2016 regular season, the SEC was lousy outside of No. 1 Alabama. The Crimson Tide were a faceless machine and do not have a representative going to New York for the 2016 Heisman Trophy. True freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts didn’t play well in the final weeks of the regular season and defensive end Jonathan Allen wasn’t going to get to New York in all honesty.
Having no SEC contender to go up against is huge for Watson. He and Jackson would likely duke it out for the Southeastern vote in the Heisman race. One would have to expect that the Oklahoma Sooners quarterback/wide receiver tandem of Baker Mayfield and Dede Westbrook will split the Big 12 vote. Does Michigan Wolverines linebacker Jabrill Peppers seriously have a shot? He was shocked to even get the New York invite?
It feels like a two-man race between Jackson and Watson. Don’t overlook how the Pac-12 vote will shake out either, as that conference didn’t get a finalist in either. Jake Browning faded in November quarterback the No. 4 Washington Huskies. Stanford Cardinal’s Christian McCaffrey’s mid-season swoon didn’t help the Pac-12’s case for a legitimate Heisman candidate either.
Having two of the five Power 5 conferences not having a finalist only helps Watson’s Heisman candidacy.