Auburn’s Cam Newton is trying to accomplish a rare feat — winning a Heisman Trophy and finishing the season undefeated. Twelve Heisman winners have entered bowl games playing for unbeaten, untied teams, and six have lost. Here are the winners ranked in order of the greatness of their seasons:
6. Mark Ingram (Alabama 2009) » Offensive MVP of the BCS title game as Alabama rolled past Texas 37-21. But Ingram was not a decisive Heisman winner. Runner-up Toby Gerhart scored 26 touchdowns to Ingram’s 15.
5. Charles Woodson (Michigan 1997) » Tennessee’s Peyton Manning deserved the Heisman, but Woodson, a cornerback, made big plays in big games. Had an interception in Michigan’s 21-16 Rose Bowl win over Washington State.
4. Davey O’Brien (TCU 1938) » Who could forget when O’Brien, the former backup to Sammy Baugh, guided TCU to a 15-7 victory over Carnegie Mellon in the 1938 Sugar Bowl?
3. John Cappelletti (Penn State 1973) » Rushing for 1,522 yards was a more impressive accomplishment given the era. Despite going undefeated, the Nittany Lions played a weak schedule and finished fifth in the AP poll.
2. Matt Leinart (USC 2005) » He won the Heisman over Adrian Peterson (Oklahoma) and then justified the choice with five scoring passes as USC steamrolled Oklahoma 55-19 in the BCS title game.
1. Tony Dorsett (Pittsburgh 1976) » Dorsett was the Heisman front-runner from Week 1 when he rushed for 303 yards at Notre Dame. In the Sugar Bowl, he sprinted for 202 yards in a 27-3 rout of Georgia, finishing the season with 1,948 rushing yards.
