Should one bad game hurt a player’s chance at the Heisman? We will know shortly

… Kyler vs. Tua

In the 2017 race for the Heisman Trophy, the coveted award that is awarded to the top college football player, one player was way ahead of the field.

Then the running back was held to 44 yards rushing in a one-point loss, and suddenly he was relegated to the sidelines.

Certainly, Saquon Barkley’s performance in the NFL this year has demonstrated that he was probably the best player last year in college. But that one game, followed by another one, cost him the big prize.

2018 race could turn on one bad game
Earlier this week, an ESPN story placed the quandary of the voters this week very succinctly: “Can an entire season's worth of production be undone during the course of a single game?”

That refers to Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and his lackluster performance in the Southeast Conference championship game against the University of Georgia. ESPN called the game the “worst performance of Tagovailoa's career.”

Tua was just 10-of-25 passing for 164 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. You could argue that had he not been injured late in the game and replaced by Jalen Hurts, who threw a TD pass to tie the game and the scored the winning touchdown on a run, the Tide could have lost the game.

His coach, Nick Saban, came to his defense, obviously concerned that Alabama’s chance to have its first QB Heisman winner was going down the drain. "Everybody should look at the whole body of work when they're deciding who the best player is," Saban said, according to ESPN.

Kyler Murray now the favorite

After losing the Heisman Trophy winner last year, Baker Mayfield, the Oklahoma Sooners were concerned about the QB position. Enter Kyler Murray, who had just signed a $4.6 million contract with the MLB Oakland Athletics.

Despite his desire to be a baseball player, Murray has been tremendous in leading the Sooners to the Big 12 title and a spot in the College Football Playoffs.

According to ESPN, “Not only has Murray seamlessly replaced 2017 Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield in orchestrating the Oklahoma attack, he is on pace to shatter the FBS season passing efficiency record set by his predecessor last year.

“As a result, Murray, who is the first FBS player to enter a bowl averaging at least 300 yards passing and 60 yards rushing, is primed to give the Sooners the first back-to-back Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks from any school in the history of the award.”

Stats also favor Murray

Prior to the Georgia debacle, Tagovailoa was leading the voting by six points. Now, Murray has a two-point lead over him, so he might pull off the upset.

However, Murray leads in most categories. He has a higher QB rating (96-94.2), more yards passing per game (312-258), most passing TDs (40-37), more TDs (51-42), a better completion percentage (71-68), and more yards per attempt (11.9-11.4).

In short, Murray appears to be the better candidate, despite the fact that the SEC voters will never stray from their beloved.

Murray deserves the award, and a bad game — particularly one in a championship — should be a factor.