What we learned from the 2017 Heisman Trophy race
By John Buhler
Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Baker Mayfield took home the 2017 Heisman Trophy. So, what were the biggest takeaways from the race for the most coveted prize in the sport.
It wasn’t even close. Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Baker Mayfield beat out Stanford Cardinal running back Bryce Love and Louisville Cardinals quarterback Lamar Jackson to win the 2017 Heisman Trophy. Mayfield was easily the best player in college football this season and everybody knew it.
So, his Heisman win comes as no surprise. It’s been a big week in the awards department for the Oklahoma quarterback, topping it off with the ultimate prize. He beat out last year’s Heisman Trophy winner and a guy that nearly rushed for 2,000 yards this season.
Here are the three biggest takeaways from the 2017 Heisman Trophy race.
This was not a legacy Heisman. Mayfield crushed the opposition as the season wore on.
In some years where there isn’t a clear choice for Heisman, the voters will give it to an upperclassman that has put together an impressive collegiate career. While Mayfield will one day be enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame, he’s no A.J. McCarron. He’s better.
At the beginning of the year, we all knew that Mayfield would be back in New York City for the Heisman presentation. He finished fourth in 2015 and third last season. Quarterbacking the best team in the Big 12 in an Air Raid system was the perfect pathway for Mayfield to have his best opportunity to win the trophy.
His numbers were ridiculous last year, but he managed to best those in his redshirt senior campaign in 2017. Mayfield completed 71.0 percent of his passes for 4,340 yards, 41 touchdowns and five interceptions on the year. With a quarterbacking rating of an unfathomable 203.8, how do you not give it to the guy?
Lamar Jackson was pretty amped to have Mayfield in the Heisman brotherhood.
One would think that third-place finisher Jackson would be a little bummed to not be the second repeat winner of the Heisman this December. No, he was so fired up to have Mayfield in the club. He knew this guy earned it.
Jackson is a selfless guy and could not have been happier to have seen Mayfield win the trophy. Last year, Jackson won the trophy before Halloween and he got better in his true junior year at Louisville. By putting together an impressive November for a so-so Cardinals team, he was able to get back to New York City for the second straight season.
Keep in mind that Jackson and Mayfield struck up a friendship last year during the 2016 Heisman Trophy ceremony. Why would he not be excited that his quarterbacking buddy gets to join his special club of eternal college football glory?
Saquon Barkley’s late season fade made this race almost non-existent.
Everybody knew that Saquon Barkley was going to win the Heisman when they were shopping for delicious Halloween candy. He was the best running back in the country and Penn State was going to win a national championship. And then they lost two conference games in which he was ineffective…
Struggling against Ohio State and Michigan State not only cost Barkley the shot at the Heisman but labeled him the second-best running back in college football after Love. With Mayfield, Love and Jackson outplaying Barkley in November, he didn’t even get to make the trip to New York.
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Perhaps the biggest thing the 2017 Heisman race taught us is that a great November is still better than excellent Septembers and Octobers. This sport matters more when the weather changes. Mayfield went on a tear after the Iowa State loss and earned every bit of that 25-pound bronze trophy.