Super Bowl Domination

Chapter 159 Heisman Trophy
The NCAA season has all come to an end, and we are about to enter the off-season, and preparations for the new season will begin one after another. But before that, award selections from major leagues and across the United States have been announced one after another. This is a summary of the NCAA season and a warm-up for the upcoming NFL draft.

Among them, the Heisman Award, the highest award of the NCAA, is undoubtedly the jewel in the crown (Note 1).

Like football's Golden Globe Award, the Heisman Award is voted on by professional journalists and previous award winners. In addition, Heisman Award sponsor Nissan also has one vote. They will conduct fan voting on ESPN, and fans will make their choices, which will be counted as one vote and participate in the selection.

Each voter can choose three players as substitutes, and they must be ranked in order. The first place will receive 3 points, the second place will receive 2 points, and the third place will receive 1 point. Finally, the statistics will be added up and the one with the highest score will win.

Since its establishment in 1935, the Heisman Trophy has entered its st year. As the oldest and most authoritative award in the college arena, countless college players regard the Heisman Trophy as their ultimate goal.

This year is no exception.

Levi, Lamar Jackson, Deshaun Watson, Baker Mayfield, Christian McCaffrey, Jack Browning and other players have been competing fiercely throughout the season, even attracting the attention of the NFL, and professional players have also cast their eyes and paid attention to the development.

However, the reality is that college football and professional football are two different systems, if not "completely different", then "very different". Excellent performance in college does not mean that you can continue to be strong in the professional arena. On the contrary, the expectation of the Heisman Trophy has become a shackle that limits performance.

Since the turn of the millennium, the Heisman Trophy has become a curse.

In 2000, quarterback Chris Weinke won the Heisman Trophy. In the following year's draft, he was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the fourth round. After winning his first starting game in his rookie season, he lost games in a row. After losing his starting opportunity, he was never seen again.

In 2003, quarterback Jason White won the Heisman Trophy, but was not selected in the 2005 draft. At one point, he did not even have the opportunity to try out for an NFL team. He is the only Heisman Trophy winner in history who did not have the opportunity to win a professional football game.

By the way, he is also the third Heisman Trophy winner in history to be undrafted in the NFL draft.

Finally, the Tennessee Titans finally wanted to sign White, but the frustrated White refused and retired due to a knee injury.

In 2006, quarterback Troy Smith won the Heisman Trophy undisputedly with a historic 91.63% of the votes. However, his defeat in the National Championship Game and his 6-foot (180-cm) height caused his draft stock to plummet, and he was not selected by the Baltimore Ravens until the fifth round. He struggled between starting and being a backup throughout his career, and injuries caused him to move to many teams.

In 2007, quarterback Tim Tebow, winner of the Heisman Award, was once the most talented player in college football history. Even Cam Newton was his backup. However, after turning professional, he was unable to adapt to the complex tactical system, and his innate lack of passing ability became his ceiling.

Later, he retired early and moved into commentary, baseball and other fields. He was also a very eloquent person.

In addition, Sam Bradford in 2008, Mark Ingram in 2009, and Robert Griffin III in 2011 all had ups and downs due to serious injuries. Johnny Manziel in 2012 became a negative example because he could not understand the tactics.

In the past fifteen years, apart from the two most recent winners who have just entered the professional league and are still in the early stages of their careers and it is too early to judge now, only the 2002 winner Carson Palmer and the 2010 winner Cam Newton are players worth mentioning.

For a while, the "Heisman Curse" became a dark cloud hanging over the football field.

Of course, having said that, whether it is the NCAA or the NFL, the focus every year is still on the Heisman Trophy selection, and no one wants to miss it.

Even though the "curse" comes up every year, the Heisman Trophy selection list remains an important reference for major teams before the draft each year.

This year is no exception.

Jackson, who led the team throughout the season, faltered at the last minute.

Levi, whose performance this season is perfect, is a running back and a rookie who is stepping onto the football field for the first time.

Watson, who had a bonus point as a quarterback and had a very good season, suffered a buzzer-beater in the National Championship Game.

So, who will win?
The answer is revealed. Levi!

Unexpected, but not surprising.

The University of Alabama won the Heisman Award for the second consecutive year. This is also the third Heisman Award in the history of the Crimson Tide. All three came from running backs. The running back won the Heisman Award for the second consecutive year. After the quarterback won the award for five consecutive years, the running back also won the Heisman Award again.

Amid a series of historical records, the first time an Asian player won the Heisman Trophy was undoubtedly a true breakthrough moment, making headlines in major newspapers and magazines.

What is truly astonishing, however, is the percentage of votes received.

Strictly speaking, Levi's winning of the Heisman Award was a surprise but not an accident. As Shaban and Donald said, Levi's performance was obvious to all.

In addition to the Heisman Trophy, Levi has already won a series of honors.

Maxwell Award, Associated Press Player of the Year, Walter Camp Player of the Year, CBS Sports Athlete of the Year, Southeastern Conference Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year, and was selected to the NCAA All-America First Team nine times on different platforms and channels, showing a sweeping appearance.

From the Southeastern Conference to the entire NCAA, Levi demonstrated absolute dominance, gradually extinguishing the suspense of the Heisman Trophy.

What is truly shocking and surprising is the voting results.

93.8%, 2608 points.

Levi swept the votes with an absolutely strong attitude. Neither Jackson nor Watson had any chance in front of Levi. In the end, Levi surpassed Reggie Bush and Troy Smith and won the Heisman Award with the highest vote rate in the 81 years.

What is dominance?

What does it mean to sweep through an army?
Originally, people speculated that there would be a fierce battle between Levi, Jackson and Watson, and the voting results might be very close.

As a result, this is it?
Everyone was shocked and stunned.

After the Heisman Trophy selection results came out, Levi also officially announced for the first time that he would participate in the 2017 draft.

One stone caused a thousand waves!

This choice is not surprising. People are mentally prepared and are just waiting for Levi to announce it. After all, the dominance shown by Levi is so terrifying that he even broke a series of records set by Derrick Henry last year. It is only natural for him to enter the professional league now.

But people are curious—

Can Levi break the "Heisman Curse"?
Especially for a rookie like Levi, who has only been in the football game for a year, and then entered the NFL from the NCAA, the situation is more difficult and challenging. Can Levi withstand the pressure?

The suspense slowly opens up.

Note 1: The Heisman Trophy selection results are announced in early December every year. They have been slightly adjusted here according to the needs of the plot.

The third update today.

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(End of this chapter)