Pitt QB Kenny Pickett finished third in Heisman Trophy voting. The final totals:
1. Bryce Young: 2,311
2. Aidan Hutchinson: 954
3. Kenny Pickett: 631
4. C.J. Stroud: 399
5. Will Anderson Jr.: 325
ALTOONA, Pa. -- This is my 10th season voting for the Heisman Trophy, and the decision came down to the wire this year.
I was still strongly considering the following five players for my ballot heading into the final week of the regular season:
Alabama QB Bryce Young
Michigan State RB Kenneth Walker III
Pitt QB Kenny Pickett
Michigan DE Aidan Hutchinson
Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud
We vote for first place, second place and third place, and entering the conference championship games, I was down to Young, Stroud and Pickett for my first-place vote. I wasn't exactly thrilled that all three are quarterbacks, because I do not believe the Heisman should always go to a quarterback, and I make sure to study all worthy candidates equally.
Nevertheless, those were my top three, and I waited to see how everything shook out in conference championship games while keeping an open mind on every candidate.
Here's my official ballot:
And here's an explanation for each vote:
First place: Bryce Young -- His performance in the SEC title game sealed the deal, for me and apparently the vast majority of voters since Young won the award Saturday night. Georgia was allowing fewer than 7 points per game entering the SEC championship, and Young torched that defense for 421 yards passing and three TDs while completing 26-of-44 in a 41-24 blowout.
Was Georgia's defense overrated? It's possible. But Young had his Heisman moment in that game and secured a playoff berth for the Crimson Tide. Given that and his body of work, Young became an easy choice for me.
A buddy of mine likes to say you can just plug and play Alabama quarterbacks, and any one of them will be good in a given year. I don't necessarily dispute that, because Alabama always has tremendous skill players everywhere. But this year's team was a little different because the Tide didn't have a phenomenal running game like always, so Young had to do more himself. And his numbers were tremendous: 43 TDs, only 4 interceptions, 4,322 yards and 68.0 completion percentage.
Second place: C.J. Stroud -- If Young would have struggled or Alabama would have lost the SEC title game, I was leaning toward Stroud for my first-place vote. His numbers were fantastic, and even in the Buckeyes' two losses, he was still outstanding: 394 yards, 2 TDs vs. Michigan and 484 yards, 3 TDs and 1 interception vs. Oregon. He was not the reason Ohio State lost those games; the defense was the reason.
Stroud threw for 3,862 yards with 38 TDs and 5 interceptions while completing 70.9 percent. I ultimately gave the nod to Stroud over Pickett for second place on my ballot because of two stats I believe are very important:
Passing efficiency: Stroud is second in nation, Pickett ninth
QB rating: Stroud leads the nation, while Pickett is seventh
I was closer to voting Stroud for first place over Young than I was voting Pickett ahead of Stroud for second.
Third place: Kenny Pickett -- He led Pitt to the ACC title and had a monster season. Major props to him for putting the Panthers on his back and putting up huge numbers in a dream season -- 4,319 yards, 42 TDs, 7 interceptions, 67.2 completion.
The 38-34 loss to Miami hurt Pickett the most in my eyes with regards to the Heisman. He threw for 519 yards, which was terrific. But that game was there to be won in the fourth quarter, and Pickett didn't deliver as he missed some key throws. He had two interceptions in the game, the second from the Miami 31 in the closing minutes.
If Pitt had beaten Miami, with Pickett having his Heisman moment in that game, I probably would have voted him second over Stroud. And if Pitt had beaten Miami and Alabama had lost to Georgia, then Pickett very well might have gotten my first-place vote.
Things were that close, in my mind.
I'm sure some Pitt fans may not like my reasoning when it comes to Pickett, but that Miami loss was a big factor for me.
For the record, if I had to vote for the top five players, Kenneth Walker III would have been fourth, and Aidan Hutchinson would have been fifth.
