Before the night of November 12, most viewed Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck as the clear-cut favorite to win the 2011 Heisman award. The best and most well-known QB in the nation, Luck had a chance to shine under the bright lights as the whole nation watched on ABC. Instead of sealing the award for himself, he struggled against an average Oregon defense and threw two interceptions in a blowout loss.
Jon Wilner has the story and he recently talked with a few voters who fell out of favor with Luck's candidacy after a rough finish to the season:
His candidacy took an even greater hit last weekend. With Luck sitting at home because Stanford didn't qualify for the league championship game, voters turned their focus to other top candidates. Baylor's Griffin sizzled in a victory over Texas, throwing a 59-yard touchdown pass on the second play of the game.
"If you're a voter, you came away impressed," Huston said. "(Luck) didn't have a chance to make one last impression."
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"I was turned off by nine interceptions," said Bud Withers, who covers Pac-12 football for the Seattle Times and said he's voting for Griffin. "By my count, there are 51 guys in the NCAA top 100 passers who had fewer interceptions. It's not a deal-breaker, but not to be ignored, either."
What would have happened if Luck shined against the Ducks a few weekends ago? What if it was Stanford playing last weekend and it was Luck stealing all of the headlines instead of Robert Griffin III? He'd probably be leaving the Heisman ceremony with some hardware on Saturday night. Instead, it'll be another second place finish.