Notre Dame is 8-0, No. 2 in the polls and is playoff-bound if it wins out. Even a competitive loss in a rematch with Clemson in the ACC Championship Game might not knock the Irish out of the College Football Playoff.
The question has to at least be asked at some point.
Six of the last seven Heisman Trophy winners were members of playoff or BCS title game teams. Notre Dame’s chances of making the playoff are strong. Should any Irish player be a real Heisman contender? Furthermore, since it has become a quarterback-dominated award, what does Ian Book’s case look like?
Book is the quarterback of an unbeaten Notre Dame team. If that holds, or even if the Irish are a one-loss playoff team, it’s hard not to at least ponder the idea of him or one of his teammates as a legitimate Heisman candidate or finalist even if the thought is quickly doused. The idea is already popping up in some sections of the college football interwebs and was floated to Book Wednesday on The Jim Rome Show.
“It’s really cool. It’s awesome,” Book said on the show. “I just know that if we take care of business these next few weeks and hopefully the ACC Championship and into the playoffs, the rest will take care of itself. It’s a true honor to be mentioned in any of those. It’s cool to see and is motivating.”
This story isn’t here to launch a campaign or put coal in the boiler of a hype train, but to try and find the basis of a Notre Dame player’s Heisman case and test its strength as the question is asked louder while Notre Dame keeps forging its playoff path.
First, it’s important to determine the player with the best chance.
Book has 1,817 passing yards (227.5 per game), 419-sack adjusted rushing yards and 17 total touchdowns (2.1 per game). He’s averaging 8.4 yards per pass, 6.7 yards per non-sack rush and completing 62 percent of his throws. Running back Kyren Williams’ numbers (777 yards, 5.7 ypc, 10 TD) stand out more on first glance.
Thing is, it’s hard to watch recent games – particularly the most important one, a Nov. 7 win over Clemson – and conclude Book isn’t a main reason or the primary reason Notre Dame is winning. Some deeper digging confirms it.
