Ranking the most dominant Heisman campaigns of the last 25 years

NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 13: Marcus Mariota, quarterback for the University of Oregon Ducks, hoist the trophy after being named the 80th Heisman Memorial Trophy Award winner during the 2014 Heisman Trophy Presentation at the Best Buy Theater on December 13, 2014 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: Photographer approval needed for all Commercial License requests. (Photo by Kelly Kline/Getty Images for The Heisman) /

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HOUSTON, TX – NOVEMBER 19: Carson Palmer #3 of the Arizona Cardinals watches from the sideline during the game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on November 19, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /

16. Carson Palmer

Palmer survived a tough 2002 Heisman race to become the first USC Trojans quarterback to win the award, helping set the stage for Carroll’s incredible dynasty.

A terrific quarterback prospect out of Orange County, Palmer agreed to play for USC under head coach Paul Hackett prior to the 1998 season. Palmer played sparingly during his freshman season as a backup to Mike Van Raaphorst before breaking his collarbone in September of 1999, and struggled mightily the next season with 16 touchdowns to 18 interceptions when finally given the full-time starting job.

The Trojans replaced Hackett with Carroll in 2001, a move that would forever alter the trajectory of the program, although Palmer again struggled during his redshirt junior campaign. Palmer finally played to his true talent level in Carroll’s second season, completing 63.2 percent of his passes for just shy of 4,000 yards and 33 touchdowns to 10 interceptions.

While Palmer still threw a lot of picks during his Heisman run, he set multiple USC program records and was locked in a tight race with Brad Banks of Iowa for much of the season. Palmer topped Banks by 233 total points, thanks to a record-setting 428-yard, four-touchdown performance in a blowout win over Notre Dame to close out the season.

With no clear separation until the regular season finale, Palmer’s Heisman run wasn’t exactly dominant, even if his award was well-deserved. Carroll’s dynasty would go on to produce an even more impressive Heisman Trophy performance a few years later.

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