For Braxton Miller and No. 7 Ohio State, the Heisman could be their championship trophy.
The Buckeyes’ quarterback has grown up fast in Urban Meyer’s spread offense. A sophomore in his second season as a starter, Miller is averaging 311 yards total offense per game (16th best in the nation), including 130 a game on the ground (seventh in the nation).
He has accounted for 20 touchdowns, and carried the Buckeyes and their shoddy defense to a 7-0 record. They might be the best team in unimpressive Big Ten, but because Ohio State did not self-impose a bowl ban last year – before the NCAA handed down punishments for the memorabilia-for-tattoos scandal – the Buckeyes’ 2012 season will end with the Michigan game on Nov. 24.
While conference and national championships are off the table, the Heisman is very much in play.
”I would have no problem putting Braxton Miller on my Heisman ballot,” said Mark Snyder from the Detroit Free Press. ”He still plays the games, still has to perform at the level worthy of the award and he had nothing to do with the reason the Buckeyes are sanctioned.”
Seth Emerson of the Macon Telegraph and Columbus Ledger-Enquirer said: ”He’s blameless, so I won’t blame him.”
There is also precedent for a player on a bowl-banned team winning the Heisman. Houston quarterback Andre Ware did it in 1989, when he threw for 4,699 yards, 44 touchdowns while directing the Cougars and their run-and-shoot offense to a 9-2 season in the Southwest Conference.
Chris Houston, a Heisman historian who runs www.Heismanpundit.com and does a weekly straw poll of 11 voters, said the sanctions might even work to Miller’s advantage with voters.
Continue Reading: Miller’s Heisman chase could be Ohio State’s bowl
