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The Heisman Trophy will be awarded Tuesday, Jan 5, 2021, virtually, with finalists appearing via satellite. This will be the first time since the award’s conception that the ceremony was not held in person.
The playoffs are scheduled to start on New Years Day. The semifinals and the National Championship game is set to take place ten days later.
Normally the awards ceremony takes place on the Saturday after the college football conference championship week. But since COVID-19, the championship week has been pushed back to Dec. 19. The deadline for voting will be Christmas Eve, Thursday, Dec. 24.
Award Creation
The Downtown Athletic Club created the award in 1935. They wanted to recognize the most valuable college football player. Club athletic director John Heisman passed away in October 1936, and the award was named in his honor. Some may ask the question, Who votes for the Heisman?
Who Votes?
There has been confusion around the voting process. Members of the Heisman Trust do not have a vote; they only serve as the administrators.
870 media members cover college football regularly, and every former award winner receives an electronic ballot. Voters are asked to select three players on their ballot. All college NCAA eligible football player can be included on the ballot.
The three players are given points based upon their position on the ballot. The first place receives three points, the second two-point, and the third receives one point. Fans vote via a survey collected by ESPN on NissanHeismanHouse.com. Every fan vote is tabulated and only counts as one vote.
This year’s candidates for this prestigious award are Alabama’s Mac Jones, Ohio State’s Justin Fields, Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence, and Florida’s Kyle Trask.
Written by Omari Jahi
Edited by Cathy Milne-Ware
Sources:
New York Post: What will ultimately decide wacky Heisman Trophy race; by Zach Braziller
Sports Illustrated: Forde-Yard Dash: The Heisman Race Is Coming Down to Quarterbacks, Again; by Pat Forde
BR: Heisman Watch 2020: Latest Race Odds and Predictions; by Joe Tansey
CBS Sports: 2020 Heisman Trophy ceremony to be held virtually in January due to delayed college football season; by Adam Silverstein
Heisman Trophy: HEISMAN TROPHY BALLOTING INFO
Featured and Top Image Courtesy of David Swinney’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License