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Did Montee Ball deserve more attention in the Heisman Trophy race?

Montee Ball from the Wisconsin Badgers has been a stud all season. He leads the nation in rushing with 1759 yards, and is one touchdown away from breaking Barry Sanders record of 39. Let me restate that...Ball has 38 touchdowns and is one away from breaking Barry Sanders record. That is amazing. Sanders' record is one that many thought would never be touched, and he is one away with 70 less carries than Sanders.

In the beginning of the season, Wisconsin quarterback, Russell Wilson, received a lot of hype for the Heisman Trophy. However, after losing to Michigan State and Ohio State on last second Hail Mary passes, Wilson was declared no longer a Heisman Hopeful by the media.

Wilson's Heisman campaign and hopes overshadowed Ball's accomplishments. For the majority of the year, Ball was kicking ass on the field but never being mentioned in the media for the Heisman Trophy. It was only in the last two weeks or so that his name has popped up. However, another running back, Trent Richardson from Bama, has been at the center of the Heisman race all season even though he has 200 less yards rushing and 15 less touchdowns. Seems slightly biased and unfair, don't you think?

Only in the last two weeks has Ball received any media attention for the Heisman, but it still has been less than other hopefuls. In my opinion, Ball deserved more attention all season long for what he was doing at Wisconsin. He was unfairly ignored and in part due to media bias. If the media declares x and y are preseason Heisman hopefuls, they pretty much never waiver from their preseason beliefs. Andrew Luck from Stanford has not had a great season by any means, but he was THE preseason Heisman favorite. Therefore, all season long we have been overwhelmed with talk about him deserving the Heisman. He played horrible in his two big games of the season throwing terrible pick 6's against both Oregon and USC.

Montee Ball Season Statistics by Game:

UNLV: 10 rushing attempts; 63 yards rushing; 3 rushing touchdowns; 2 receptions; 67 yards receiving; 1 receiving touchdown
Oregon State: 18 rushing attempts; 118 yards rushing; 2 rushing touchdowns
Northern Illinois: 20 rushing attempts; 91 yards rushing; 2 rushing touchdowns; 2 receptions; 32 yards receiving; 0 receiving touchdowns
South Dakota: 15 rushing attempts; 88 yards rushing; 2 rushing touchdowns; 2 receptions; 21 yards receiving; 0 receiving touchdowns
Nebraska: 30 rushing attempts; 151 yards rushing; 4 rushing touchdowns
Indiana: 14 rushing attempts; 142 yards rushing; 3 rushing touchdowns; 1 reception; 46 yards receiving; 0 receiving touchdowns
Michigan State:18 rushing attempts; 115 yards rushing;1 rushing touchdown; 2 receptions; 24 yards receiving; 1 receiving touchdown
Ohio State: 17 rushing attempts; 85 yards rushing; 1 rushing touchdown; 3 receptions; 30 yards receiving; 1 receiving touchdown
Purdue: 20 rushing attempts; 233 yards rushing; 3 rushing touchdowns; 1 reception; 9yards receiving; 0 receiving touchdowns
Minnesota: 23 rushing attempts; 166 yards rushing; 2 rushing touchdowns; 1 receptions; 5 yards receiving; 1 receiving touchdowns
Illinois: 38 rushing attempts; 224 yards rushing; 2 rushing touchdowns; 2 receptions; -1 yards receiving; 1 receiving touchdown
Penn State: 25 rushing attempts; 156 yards rushing; 4 rushing touchdowns; 1 reception; 15 yards receiving; 0 receiving touchdowns
Michigan State: 27 rushing attempts; 137 yards rushing; 3 rushing touchdowns; 3 receptions; 7 yards receiving; 1 receiving touchdowns

As can be seen, Ball didn't have a single bad game this season, and had over 100 yards of total offense and multiple scores in each. It just doesn't make sense that he didn't receive more attention. I'm not saying he should definitely win the Heisman Trophy, but it should be between him and Robert Griffin III from Baylor.

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