MARLER: Ranking greatest Heisman seasons of all-time

By Chris Marler

The second Saturday of December always means two things for me, the sheer panic that sets in when I realize that I haven’t started shopping for Christmas yet and the Heisman trophy. This year’s Heisman Trophy feels a little lackluster. Not only has it been wrapped up for weeks, but it just feels like no one had that truly amazing season. 

Maybe I’m being cynical or a Scrooge, but that’s my take. Here are my single greatest Heisman Trophy seasons in College football history.

1. Mark Ingram. Just kidding. Let’s start in reverse order.

3. Cam Newton, Auburn (2010)

You could really argue that anyone in the top three could be No. 1 overall, but Newton lands at three for me. He was incredible. It wasn’t just the numbers, but oh buddy did he have those. Newton became the second player in SEC history with at least 20 rushing touchdowns. He also threw for 28 scores and caught one against Ole Miss as well.

There was nothing on a football field that Cam couldn’t do, and he did it with seemingly no help around him. There was only one player on that entire offense that was drafted besides him. The only other season we ever saw like Newton’s was Tim Tebow’s 2007 campaign. The Gators went 9-4 that season. Newton brought Auburn their first national title since the Cold War.

2. Barry Sanders, Oklahoma State (1988)

We simply do not talk enough about how incredible Barry Sanders’ 1988 season was. Sanders finished the year with 44 total touchdowns, over 3,200 total yards and 2,850 yards rushing. He did that in just 12 games.

Sanders had four 300-yard games in the regular season alone. He also scored four or more touchdowns in seven of his 12 games. He had a kickoff return for a touchdown, a punt return for a touchdown, and averaged nearly 240 yards per game on the ground. We will almost certainly never see another season like that.

1. Joe Burrow, LSU (2019)

The greatest single season in college football history. Period.

Burrow finished the 2018 season with 16 touchdowns and five interceptions. He was slightly better statistically than his predecessors at the position but it seemed more of the same.

Then UCF defensive lineman Joey Connors blindsided Burrow in the Fiesta Bowl and awoke an absolute menace.

Burrow finished the 2019 season with 60 touchdowns and just six interceptions. He also set an NCAA record completing 78-percent of his passes. College Football had never seen a team like 2019 LSU nor an offense like 2019 LSU either. Burrow won the award in a landslide with over 91 percent of the Heisman votes, which was also an all-time record.