Heismanpundit.com has compiled its 10 rules that govern the Heisman race –”The 10 Heismandments,” if you will.
The more Heismandments that apply to a player in a given season, the better his chances are of winning.
THE 10 HEISMANDMENTS
1. The winner must be a quarterback, a running back, or a multi-threat athlete.
2. Juniors and seniors have the overwhelming advantage in the Heisman race and, as a general rule, will win over an underclassman. But a sophomore from a traditional power who puts up extraordinary single-season numbers can’t be discounted.
3. The winner must put up good numbers in big games on TV.
4. The winner must have some prior name recognition.
5. The winner must be one or more of the following three: (a) The top player on a national title contender. (b) A player who puts up good numbers for a traditional power that has a good record or (c) A player who puts up superlative single-season or career numbers on a good team, or has numbers that are way out ahead of his Heisman competitors.
6. The winner cannot be considered an obvious product of his team’s system.
7. If you are a quarterback, running back or multi-purpose athlete at one of the following schools–Notre Dame, USC, Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Ohio State, Michigan, Miami, Florida and Florida State–you have a good chance to win if you have a very good statistical season, are an upperclassmen and your team wins at least 9 games.
8. Statistical benchmarks exist for each position to help voters gauge a player’s ‘Heisman worthiness’.
a. A running back who is NOT on a traditional power or a national championship contender usually must gain at least 2,000 yards. This hefty yardage requirement for such backs has risen a bit over the years as the longer regular season has made it more commonplace. A back on a traditional power or national title contender, must gain at least 1,600 yards. In either case, the back must score at least 15 touchdowns.
b. A passing quarterback on a traditional power or national title contender needs to throw for at least 3,000 yards and have a 3-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio or better, with minimum 25 TD passes and an efficiency rating of 140.0 or more. In some cases, the yardage total can be somewhat less than 3,000 if the quarterback also possesses a particularly impressive touchdown-to-int ratio or a very high passer rating to make up for it. A passing quarterback who is NOT on a traditional power or national title contender, must produce a season that is considered to be statistically above-and-beyond that of his competitors, preferably breaking both single-season and/or career NCAA records.
c. A running quarterback on a traditional power or a national title contender must reach the 1,000-yard mark rushing in spectacular fashion and also be a decent passer.
d. A multi-purpose athlete can only win by producing spectacular plays on special teams, specifically kick and punt returns.
9. There will never be another two-time Heisman winner.
10. The winner must be likeable.
