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The Heisman Trophy: CFB's Yearly Offensive MVP Award

Nick Bosa is the most dominant defensive lineman in CFB since Ndomukong Suh, and unfortunately like Suh, he will not win the Heisman in a season where he is (likely) to be the most outstanding player. There really is only one reason for that, and it's not the injury that may sideline him for 4-6 weeks. It's simply due to the fact that he is a player from the trenches.

The Heisman trophy never was designed for a lineman; offensive or defensive, to win. However that does not mean one should never win. Yet here we are, and 69 years have passed since a lineman won. There have been only three finalists since 1991 (Suh, Warren Sapp, and Steve Emtman). Mark Ingram is and was a fine player, the talismanic running back on a stacked Alabama team. He made plenty of Heisman moment (TM) plays, he was truly outstanding, and was likely the 5th or 6th best player in college football that season. It was a disappointing year from the offensive side of the ball yet the trophy went to the running back that didn't win the Doak Walker award, you know, the one for the best running back in the nation. You can make the argument that the Doak and Davey O'Brien often go to the "other" QB or RB up for the award, but the point still stands that Mark Ingram was considered the most outstanding player, but not the best running back in 2009.

The last defensive player to win the award was Charles Woodson, and many argue it was in large part due to his flashy (and unfortunate for us) return touchdowns, most of which where undeniably clutch. Since Woodson, Suh has come the closest to winning the award. In his Senior season Suh produced at an elite level while facing double, triple and the occasional quadruple teams from opposing blockers. He had 12 sacks, 20.5 TFL, and an interception from the nose tackle position in a year in which every team knew of his capabilities and disruptive nature. There was nothing you could to to stop him outside of living on the edges of the field. He was beyond outstanding, he was unblockable, he was unstoppable. And he finished 4th in the Heisman voting.

It is now 2018, Joey Bosa's dominant 2014 season seems like a distant memory, along with other incredible defensive seasons (Te'o, Clowney, Tommie Harris, Posluszny etc). We have just seen Nick Bosa complete the most incredible start to a season I've seen at Ohio State, and perhaps college football from the defensive side of the ball. Pundits say his injury is going to prevent a potential Heisman campaign, and they could not be more wrong. Through three games, and six (SIX!) quarters of play, 113 snaps, and Suh-esque expectations and blocking schemes Nick Bosa has produced at a ridiculous level regardless of the quality of competition. in those 113 snaps he's forced 2 fumbles, scored a touchdown, and amassed 6 sacks. He's put together a hell of a season in those 6 quarters, 3 games, and 113 snaps. Ed Oliver has seen a good (and deserved) amount of pre-and-early season hype for the award, in what has become the yearly tradition of writers teasing last year's breakout Linebacker or Lineman. Yet if you visit ESPN, SI, Twitter and look at the Heisman talk from the first three weeks of the season you're met with Tua, Grier, and Murray (To be fair, Bleacher Report loves Haskins). The chatter on the four letter network, and a large swath of the Twitter-verse is that Bosa's injury derailed his campaign, and that is nonsense. The unstoppable force from Florida has done everything one could to be considered and there has been almost no mention of his name. If that level of production doesn't create award buzz, nothing truly will. Looking at the recent history of this award with Suh as reference point tells one everything they need to know about a player like Bosa's chance at winning the most prized, and worst categorized award in sports. It ain't happening.

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