Heismanpundit.com has compiled its 10 rules to winning the Heisman–”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.
The only way to overcome lack of prior name recognition is by producing a season that is head and shoulders above the other challengers.
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.
c. A player who puts up superlative single-season or career numbers on a good team, or numbers that are way out ahead of his Heisman competitors.
6. The winner cannot be considered an obvious product of his team’s system.
Call this the Andre Ware rule. Basically, this means that voters are unimpressed by huge stats put up by an individual in offensive systems conducive for huge numbers. Voters at one time were impressed (back when many of these systems were new and in vogue), but most have reached a level of sophistication where they are no longer completely fooled by big numbers alone. They will also look at the how the candidate fared against good teams and if the numbers are lacking, the player will suffer.
7. If you are a quarterback, running back or multi-purpose athlete at one of the following schools, 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: Notre Dame, USC, Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Ohio State, Michigan, Miami, Florida and Florida State.
These 10 schools have won 16 of the previous 19 Heismans and nine of the last 10.
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 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 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.
