There is no wrong answer.
There is Tua Tagovailoa, the best player on the best team in the best conference.
There is Kyler Murray, the quarterback for the most explosive offense in the country.
And there is Dwayne Haskins, the Big Ten record-holder in touchdown passes and total yards.
“I think we’re all here for a reason,” said Murray, Oklahoma’s dual-threat quarterback and multi-sport star who was also a first-round MLB draft pick of the Athletics in June. “Everybody is deserving of it. I think it’s fun, for us as the guys who can win it.”
Saturday night, one of these record-breaking quarterbacks will win the Heisman Trophy — the most prestigious award in college sports, voted on by writers and past winners — and unlike previous years there is intrigue leading up to the announcement at The PlayStation Theater in Times Square.
Murray, a redshirt junior, is considered a razor-slim favorite over Tagovailoa, hoping to give Oklahoma back-to-back winners after Baker Mayfield captured the award last December. Tagovailoa, the Alabama sophomore from Hawaii, could become the first quarterback to win the award in the program’s illustrious history. He has seen the trophy before: Former winner Marcus Mariota brought it to Saint Louis School in Hawaii, which both attended.
“When you’re a kid you dream of things like that,” Tagovailoa said. “Marcus got to do it, and being able to see Marcus do it, be able to see the people back home, how proud they were of him, it’s awesome.”
As a sign of how close this may be, the two have split four major awards. Tagovailoa won the Maxwell Award for player of the year and the Walter Camp Award for best player, while Murray was named the Davey O’Brien Award winner as the nation’s best quarterback and won the Associated Press’ Player of the Year.
The hero of last year’s national championship game in relief, Tagovailoa was considered the heavy favorite for most of the season, leading undefeated Alabama to one blowout after another, rarely playing into the fourth quarter. But he finished poorly, throwing two interceptions in the SEC Championship game and suffering a left ankle injury that required minor surgery. He is still expected to be ready for the College Football Playoff semifinal on Dec. 29 against Murray and Oklahoma. Murray, meanwhile, never slowed down, reaching the regular season’s finish line with a flourish, carrying the defenseless Sooners to the Big 12 title and leading Oklahoma to at least 39 points in each of its past nine games.
“I’ve only seen one game, and that was the West Virginia-Oklahoma game. High-scoring game,” Tagovailoa said. “The first touchdown, I think he had a rushing touchdown. Jeez, this man was moving. He can beat you with his arm and he can beat you with his legs.”
There are arguments that can be made for both players. Murray played under pressure all season, knowing anything less than his best would result in defeat for Oklahoma. The Sooners faced four second-half deficits, and he always came through in the clutch. In their lone loss, a 48-45 setback to Texas, Murray produced 396 total yards and five touchdowns. He led the nation in total yards (4,945), points responsible for (306) and passing efficiency (205.7).
Alabama’s one come-from-behind victory, over Georgia last Saturday, came with Tagovailoa sidelined with the ankle injury. But Alabama held massive leads throughout the season because of his brilliance. He threw for 3,353 yards and 37 touchdowns, compared to four interceptions, despite spending so much of the second half of games on the sideline.
“I’m just grateful to be here,” he said. “If I don’t [win it], I would have another opportunity to win again next year.”
In any other year, Haskins would be in line for the award, after throwing 47 touchdown passes and completing 70.2 percent of his passes to lead Ohio State to the Big Ten title. But because of what the other two accomplished, the redshirt sophomore’s prize is an all-expenses paid trip to New York City in December. He won’t be the only one disappointed. Either Tagovailoa or Murray will fall short, too, despite sensational seasons.
“Everybody’s been saying if [Tua] did what he did any other year, it would be a landslide. If I did what I did [it would be the same]. Even Dwayne,” Murray said. “This season offensively has been historically something offenses have never done before, and I’m just proud to be a part of it.”
Heisman Trophy announcment
Who will win the Heisman: Kyler Murray, Oklahoma
Recency bias is taking over. Murray finished so strong, throwing for a combined six touchdowns and 734 yards in wins over West Virginia and Texas, and holds a slim edge in various media straw polls and gambling odds.
Who should win the Heisman: Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama
Forget the SEC Championship game. One mediocre performance doesn’t wipe away a season full of brilliance. Just imagine Tagovailoa’s numbers if he weren’t on the sideline so often in the second half, and if he faced the kind of tackling-averse defenses Murray got fat against in the Big 12.
TV: Saturday, 8 p.m., ESPN