This has been week of heavy and stiff competition for college football teams. This is especially true for those teams that were fighting for division titles in power conferences. Some of these teams include Virginia Tech, Michigan, Colorado, Wisconsin, Washington State and Washington. But the competition has not been an exclusive reserve for teams alone. Individual players have also had to battle it out for some of the most prestigious football awards. One player who has shown unparalleled determination to win the Heisman trophy is Lamar Jackson. And although the odds do seem to be in his favor, he still has a lot to do to ensure that he gets the award. To stay abreast of the occurrences in the football arena, visit top American betting sites like MyBookie.
Lamar’s Position
Lamar is arguably the most deserving player of the esteemed Heisman award. His has been a season of triumph after triumph and extraordinary achievement. This is true in spite of his not- so- spectacular game against Houston last week. Rushing, he reached 1367 yards and a solid 19 touchdowns this season, and 3109 yards, 9 interceptions and a staggering 31 touchdowns passing. By any standards, these are achievements worthy of recognition. But be that as it may, Lamar still has some hurdles to jump over before he lays his hands on the trophy. And primary among them is his team’s current rank in the Associated Press Poll.
Although the Heisman is a wholly individual award, a player’s team does play a role in determining who gets it. Usually, players from the best teams nationally get the award. This is really no surprise because the best players are usually on the best teams. To prove this, one only needs to look at the previous 25 winners of the Heisman award. With very few exceptions, all the other winners for the past quarter of a century came from the top 5 college football teams.
Lamar is in a rather unfortunate position- the team he plays for as quarterback, the Cardinals from Louisville, currently ranks at No. 11. Luckily for him however, his team stands a chance at redemption if they win their Saturday game against Kentucky. And even if the Cardinals lose the Saturday game, they can still be among the top ten teams if they win their game against Oklahoma the following week. However, if the Cardinals lose in both games, Lamar’s chances of winning the Heisman will plummet heavily.
Other Possible Winners
So, if Lamar doesn’t win, who else stands a chance? Other potential winners of the award include Jabrill Peppers, who plays for Michigan, which is ranked at No. 5, Baker Mayfield, who plays for Oklahoma, which is among the top ten teams, and Jonathan Allen, who plays for Alabama, which is currently at position 1.
The 5-7 Teams
Last season, a novel development took place in the college football competition. Three teams, Nebraska, San Jose and Minnesota all went 5-7 and went home with bowl victories. This has started being acceptable in college football- what with 80 bowls slots, 128 teams and the fact that 62.5% of the FBS will play in the post season? There are 65 teams that are eligible to play on Thursday, and there are 15 open slots for the 17 teams that haven’t yet attained the .500 record. Some of the teams that will most likely make it through include Arizona State, Northwestern and Indiana. And if things continue the same way, it won’t be long before teams are paired in order to make elimination easier. It might seem ridiculous, but it is very possible.
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