Spiller deserved better fate from Heisman Trophy voters

CLEMSON — As I watched the Heisman Trophy ceremony Saturday night, I got the distinct feeling something was missing.

There were five finalists, taking part in the closest race in Heisman history. But none of them were named C.J. Spiller.

Clemson’s do-everything senior tailback finished sixth, the Tigers’ highest Heisman finish since Steve Fuller finished tied for sixth in 1978.

That’s Clemson’s best finish and the best finish for an ACC player since 2000.

Yet, I couldn’t help thinking Spiller got jobbed.

He was the Tigers’ first ACC Player of the Year since 1987.

He scored 20 touchdowns this season, most in CU history, including one in every game — the only player in America to do so this season. He averages 194 all-purpose yards per game, fourth-best nationally.

Yet he couldn’t garner an invitation to New York in the most wide-open Heisman race in recent memory? If you’re a Heisman voter, you should be embarrassed.

I don’t have a Heisman vote, and my view may be a bit skewed by the fact that I’ve seen every Spiller play this season. And I agree with the voters’ final choice — emotional Alabama tailback Mark Ingram — even though some suggest that Crimson Tide linebacker Ronaldo McClain might be the better choice and backup Trent Richardson might be more talented.

But to suggest that Spiller is not one of the nation’s five best players is ludicrous.

Let’s take the No. 5 vote-getter, Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, for example.

Now, Tebow is a fine quarterback. An excellent humanitarian. And he’ll make a great tight end for some lucky NFL team.

But let’s just look at his stats for this year: 2,413 yards passing with 18 touchdowns against five interceptions and 859 yards rushing with 13 more scores.

They’re down significantly from his 2008 stats (2,746 passing yards, 30 TDs, 4 INTs; 673 rush yards, 12 TDs) and even more so from his 2007 Heisman-winning campaign (3,286 yards, 32 TDs, 6 INTs; 895 rush yards, 23 TDs).

Yet Tebow got a free trip to Manhattan, while Spiller sits home and stews.

You can argue that Spiller is not a traditional tailback; his 1,145 rushing yards are a career high by over 200 yards. And surely his 19 rushing yards in a 34-17 loss at South Carolina — where he battled stomach flu and the urge to vomit on the sidelines — hurt his status with national voters. So did the fact that his 233 rushing yards and four touchdowns against Georgia Tech were obscured by Nebraska’s near-upset of Texas at the exact same time; the ACC title game drew a pathetic 1.9 national rating.

But you can’t dispute that C.J. Spiller is the nation’s most electric, exciting player, the rare guy who can make something special happen on any play, the kind of guy you can’t take your eyes off of.

He might not be deserving of hoisting the stiff-arm trophy, but he deserved a better fate.

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