Stiff Arm Trophy

Heisman Statistics

Like everything in sports, there are a lot of stats that relate to the Heisman. And because the whole point of the Heisman is compare great performances in one year - it's tempting to compare across years. Nothing wrong with that, but make sure you're comparing apples-to-apples.

When comparing year-to-year, always use percentage of points possible.

If you use raw points, you'll find that OJ Simpson leads in almost every single statistical category. But it's not because he was an overwhelming Heisman winner. He was simply the biggest Heisman winner during one four-year stretch when the Heisman had over 1200 voters. Since 1988, the Heisman has standardized on 870 media voters and every living winner. (And even that total changes every year, of course.)

In 2013, there are 928 voters - 870 media, 57 living winners (excluding Reggie Bush), and 1 fan vote. There are a total of 2784 points available to each Heisman candidate. Simply divide the actual point total by 2784, and you'll have the number to use.

Here's the right comparisons for your coverage (with links to details):

(Wondering what the heck happened in 1952? That year, the Heisman voter pool was expanded dramatically from 987 to 1222 - and 162 different players across the country earned votes.)