according to si.com
1. QB Robert Griffin, Baylor, Jr.
Last week: 15-of-22 passing for 320 yards, two TDs and one INT; 12 rushes for 32 yards and two TDs; one punt for 28 yards in a 48-24 win over Texas
Season: 267-of-369 passing for 3,998 yards, 36 TDs and six INTs; 161 rushes for 644 yards and nine TDs; one reception for 15 yards and three punts for 99 yards
"Most outstanding?" That's RG3, a former All-America hurdler who has emerged as the most dynamic player in the nation. You want stats? He broke Colt Brennan's single-season NCAA pass efficiency record with a 192.3 rating, finished second in the FBS in total offense (386.8 yards per game) and averaged a stunning 36.6 yards on his 36 touchdown passes. Looking for a Heisman moment? His game-winning 34-yard touchdown pass against Oklahoma fits the bill. Career achievements? He's just the third player in history with at least 10,000 career yards passing and 2,000 rushing, joining Dan LeFevour and Colin Kaepernick.
Griffin's most impressive feat, however, might be getting us all to pay attention to Baylor. He took down Oklahoma and Texas in the same season, a long unthinkable occurrence in Waco, and he led the Bears to the second nine-win season in school history and the first in 25 years. He did all this despite a defense that gave up over 35 points and 475 yards per game. That's Heisman worthy. Griffin isn't BCS-bound, and more often than not that's been the ticket to winning the bronze trophy over the past 13 years. But in a season where no player on a top-tier team locked up the award, my vote goes to the guy who has been truly captivating all season.
2. RB Trent Richardson, Alabama, Jr.
Last week: Regular season completed
Season: 263 rushes for 1,583 yards and 20 TDs; 27 receptions for 327 yards and three TDs; three kick returns for 66 yards
Based on pure numbers, Richardson wasn't the nation's premier running back -- five others ran for more yards; four scored more touchdowns -- but it's hard to argue with his results. As detailed last week, Richardson fits the blueprint for a winner: He carried his team to the national championship game, and he did so while navigating the waters of the SEC, which received a further reputation boost by placing two teams in the BCS title game. Richardson stands a strong chance of giving the conference its third straight trophy, having averaged 136 yards per game in conference play. He also became the third player, and first running back, in league history to total 20 touchdowns in one season.
Richardson's trademark was his toughness: A stunning 49.7 percent of his yards came after contact, and he totaled 938 and 12 touchdowns after halftime. But for as strong as he was against the five top 20 defenses he faced, his yardage total would be the lowest for a Heisman-winning running back since 1975. He'd benefit from having a Heisman moment, but it's hard to argue that he delivered one. His career-high 203 yards came against Auburn's 99th-ranked rush defense, and he was largely held in check by No. 1 LSU in the biggest game of the season.
3. RB Montee Ball, Wisconsin, Jr.
Last week: 27 rushes for 137 yards and three TDs; three receptions for seven yards and one TD; one pass for 32 yards in 42-39 win over No. 13 Michigan State
Season: 274 rushes for 1,759 yards and 32 TDs; 20 receptions for 255 yards and six TDs; two passes for 57 yards and one TD
This decision was the most difficult. I could have gone with Luck here, but his last four games included five picks and a blowout loss. I could have gone with Mathieu, but in my mind he took himself out of the running after he was suspended for failing a drug test. I could have gone with Keenum, but for all his numbers he fell short of putting Houston in a BCS game.
Ultimately Ball's run at history, which helped power the Badgers back into the Rose Bowl, won out. He scored a jaw-dropping 38 touchdowns, 12 more than any other player and one short of Barry Sanders' single-season record -- which Ball can break in Pasadena since bowl stats are now included -- and he led the nation with 1,759 rushing yards. As stunning as Ball's numbers are, they could be far gaudier: He sat out the fourth quarter in six of the Badgers' 13 games. If there's one fault in Ball's case, it's that he has another Heisman-caliber player in his own backfield in quarterback Russell Wilson, which makes it difficult to gauge how much of Ball's success stemmed from sharing the load. But not even that discounts Ball having one of the most prolific seasons in history.
College Hoops Week Ahead
Tuesday
7 p.m.: Missouri vs. Villanova (ESPN)
7 p.m.: Marshall at Syracuse (SNY)
7 p.m.: George Mason at Virginia (ESPN3)
9 p.m.: Long Beach State at Kansas (ESPNU)
9 p.m.: Memphis at Miami (ESPN2)
Wednesday
7 p.m.: Arizona at Florida (ESPN)
7 p.m.: Colorado State at Duke (ESPN2)
7 p.m.: Vanderbilt at Davidson (ESPN3)
9 p.m.: Xavier at Butler (ESPN)
9 p.m.: Oklahoma St. at Missouri St. (ESPN3)
9 p.m.: Iona at Denver
Thursday
7 p.m.: Harvard at Connecticut (ESPN2)
9 p.m.: West Virginia vs. Kansas St. (ESPN2)
Friday
8 p.m.: Richmond at VCU (ESPN3)
Saturday
Noon: Washington vs. Duke (CBS)
Noon: Creighton at St. Joseph's
12:30 p.m.: Cincinnati at Xavier (ESPN2)
2 p.m.: UNLV at Wisconsin (BTN)
2:30 p.m.: Oklahoma St. vs Pittsburgh (ESPN2)
3:15 p.m.: Ohio State at Kansas (ESPN)
5 p.m.: Villanova at Temple (ESPN2)
5:15 p.m.: Kentucky at Indiana (ESPN)
7 p.m.: Long Beach State at UNC (ESPN3)
9 p.m.: Michigan St. at Gonzaga (ESPN2)
Sunday
6 p.m.: Murray State at Memphis (CSS)
But don't forget about Ohio State.
You could forgive Thad Matta's team for feeling a little bit disrespected Saturday afternoon. By the time UNC-UK was finished, everyone was rushing -- and understandably so -- to anoint the Cats and Heels as the two best teams in the country, the two who would surely vie for the national title in April. That may be true. But let's not forget about Jared Sullinger & Co., either. Duke was riding high after a Maui Invitational championship when it arrived in Columbus on Tuesday. That didn't last long: The Blue Devils were absolutely pulverized by a deeper, stronger, more athletic, downright dominant Ohio State team, one that might be even more talented than last year's. Are Kentucky and North Carolina the nation's two best teams? Probably. Do the Buckeyes need to get a marquee win on the road? Yes. But I wouldn't sleep on OSU. The Buckeyes were left out of Saturday's festivities, but they appear inclined to include themselves before all is said and done.
Ohio State: No other team had as dominating a performance as the Buckeyes' beatdown of Maui champ Duke in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Ohio State then showed it could coast without Jared Sullinger, who was absent with back spasms, in an easy win over Texas-Pan American.
Passengers: Ndamukong Suh lied about car accident
According to one of the passengers in Ndamukong Suh's(notes) car when the Detroit Lions defensive tackle hit a tree early Saturday morning in Portland, Ore., Suh lied to the police about the reason for the accident, the number of passengers in the car and the extent of the injuries one of them suffered.
Just after the accident happened at approximately 1 a.m. Saturday, Suh told Portland police that he was passing a taxi cab when he lost control of his 1970 Chevy Coupe and crashed into a tree. He told police that nobody in the car was injured, and no tickets or citations were given.
But two people in the car have since spoken to Portland TV station KGW, and their versions of the accident and its effects differ quite seriously from Suh's version at the scene. As a result, the police report has been amended to include passenger injuries, the possible reason for the crash and the number of passengers in the car — from two to three.
"When the light turned green, he floored it," one of the passengers, who asked to remain anonymous, told KGW. "I just remember going so fast and it was violent and just getting thrown around like rag dolls."
The woman told KGW that she suffered several injuries in the crash: a cut eyebrow, a black eye and a cut lip that required stitches. A second passenger verified the woman's claims but did not speak on camera.
Suh called 911 after the crash (listen to the call here) and said "Yes, everyone is fine" when the dispatcher asked, "Are you sure you don't need an ambulance?" But the woman said that she asked Suh to call an ambulance. Suh refused and told the woman that she was fine. From the scene of the accident, the woman walked away from the car and asked her husband to pick her up. She then was driven to the Oregon Health and Science University for treatment. The insurance company initially refused to pay for her injuries, doing so only when the police report was amended to support her story.
The woman also said that nearly 50 people approached Suh's car after the crash and started taking photos. A witness named "Allan" spoke to KGW and said that the driver "floored it" when the stoplight at 3rd and Burnside turned green. The witness said that it looked as if Suh was trying to "show off" with screeching tires, and he did not see any taxi cab.
When the woman in the car saw a television report about the crash on Sunday morning, she was upset because she felt Suh had lied to police, according to KGW.
However, local authorities told the station that despite the amended police report, there were no plans to issue any citations.
"At no point did anyone there tell an officer that he [Suh] was driving out of control," Sgt. Pete Simpson of the Portland Police Bureau told KGW. "The crash doesn't meet our threshold for investigation which is vulnerable road user, DUI, or serious trauma injury."
KGW attempted to contact Suh, who declined to comment.
Suh was in Portland after losing his appeal with the NFL to reduce the two-game suspension he picked up for kicking Green Bay Packers guard Evan Dietrich-Smith(notes) during a Thanksgiving Day game. As part of his terms, he is barred from team facilities through the length of the suspension.
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