In a year of really great college football players, the Heisman voters got it right in realizing that University of Oregon Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota was the best player this season.
Mariota put up some insane stats. He completed nearly 70 percent of his passes as he threw for 38 touchdowns and just two interceptions. He also rushed for 669 yards and 14 more scores. Last year's Heisman winner, Jameis Winston, didn't even get invited back to the ceremony this season. For once, it looked like the voters put being a decent person into a count this season. All three finalists—Amari Cooper, wide receiver from the University of Alabama, Melvin Gordon, running back out of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Mariota—are three of the good guys in college football. Winston proved time and time again that he isn't a good guy in the sport.
Kudos to Oregon State University. The Ducks' rival took out an ad to congratulate Mariota on his Heisman win.
Speaking of doing the right thing, Oklahoma State University-Stillwater dismissed All-Big 12 wide receiver Tyreek Hill over the weekend because of his arrest over domestic violence against his pregnant girlfriend.
I don't follow the Cowboys closely, but the school and head coach Mike Gundy put out a strong statement. I'm sure attitudes are changing in the wake of the NFL's domestic-violence problems, but most colleges are tight-knit and don't change as fast. Just look at the FSU fanbase over Winston. Maybe Oklahoma State and Gundy will lead a change in college football. It doesn't mean they haven't made mistakes in the past, but they are doing the right thing now.
Finally, as terrible as this season has been at times, the New Orleans Saints are still in the playoff hunt after beating Chicago Dec. 15. If the team beats Atlanta and Tampa Bay, it wins the NFC South and finish with an 8-8 record.
A loss to the Bears Monday night wouldn't have killed the Saints, though. If they lost, they would have had to win their final two games and the Carolina Panthers would have needed to lose one of their final two games. The way the NFC South has been this season, I expect all four teams to find away to muck things up. No division has been as big of a dumpster fire as this one. It is like a train wreck, and I can't look away.
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