The first famous bad Heisman vote was Paul Hornung in 1956. The fabled Irish went 2-8 that year, with Hornung throwing for 3 TD and 13 INTs, while averaging 4.5 yards per carry.
Syracuse RB Jimmy Brown, Stanford QB John Brodie, and about a dozen other players have a better claim to the Heisman that year.
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Archie Griffin's 2nd Heisman was BS, imo. It was objectively a big downturn from his 1st Heisman season, and several other RBs at P5 teams had much better seasons.
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In my living memory, Ty Detmer's Heisman was BS, in 1990. If you wanted a big-numbers G5 QB, Klingler's numbers were superior. If you valued excitement, Rocket Ismail finished 2nd, but for all his flash, he only scored 6 total TDs.
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People seem to have an issue with Chris Weinke, but who are you putting ahead of him? Heupel and Brees (2nd and 3rd) had worse years than him. Tomlinson had a great season vs a high school schedule. Honestly, 5th-place NW RB Damien Anderson probably has the best case.
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I would've taken Ki-Jana Carter over Salaam in '94.
Rex Grossman would have easily won in 2001 if he hadn't been a sophomore.
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Jason White won the Heisman because his closest competition was a WR (Fitzgerald) and voters were idiotic sheep.
