Strike A Pose

The stage is set, the finalists are in New York and it's time for the Heisman to be unveiled. Before this prestigious award goes to the newest member of the club, there are still arguments to be made and settled as to who got to New York and who will be giving their speech tonight.

The Freshman Repeat
Jameis Winston QB, Florida State University
I don't think there are many analysts out there who would argue that the performance that Winston showed this year was astounding. A freshman who completes 68% of his passes, throws for 38 touchdowns and just misses 4,000 yards passing (3,820) is extremely rare. To have Winston do this among the pressure of allegations of rape? Unbelievable. He eclipsed 400 yards passing at Clemson and 300 yards passing against Duke in the ACC Championship throwing for 6 touchdowns between the two games. His Heisman, though, moment came in the win over Boston College. Winston evaded two would be sacks and, as he was getting pummeled, delivered a beauty to Kenny Shaw for a 55 yard touchdown at the end of the half.

Senior Showoff
Jordan Lynch QB, Northern Illinois University
I hesitated to put down that Lynch is a quarterback because, well, his film is half quarterback and half running back. At 6 foot, 216 pounds, he makes for a strong, crafty back that can weasel and muscle his way to the endzone garnering him 22 touchdowns this season. He also has a strong arm with a 63.1% completion rate and 2,676 yards and 23 touchdowns through the air. He broke his own NCAA record for rushing yards by a quarterback in a single game when he ran for 321 yards against Western Michigan. The Heisman moment? His fourth quarter against Ball State which saw the Huskies rattle off 21 unanswered points to end the game in a rout. He started the rout, which only took 5:48, with a 36 yard strike to Da'Ron Brown.

SEC Rusher of the Year
Tre Mason RB, Auburn University
Mason came on the scene about the same time Auburn did, after the dethroning of then #1 Alabama. Although he should have been on the radar before that impressive show with his games against LSU and Texas A&M earlier in the season. He rushed for 132 and 178 respectively in those two games with three touchdowns. He also rushed for over 100 yards in 5 straight including a 164 yard performance in the Iron Bowl and a staggering 304 yards against Mizzou as the Tigers claimed the SEC Championship. He is unique in the fact that he didn't have one moment or quarter that defined his season although his entire game against Mizzou was awe-inspiring. His sheer numbers and his SEC lead in rushing yards have propelled him to NYC.