Johnson for Heisman...

Compare Matty J's numbers through eight weeks to the last five @HeismanTrophy winning quarterbacks #MattyJHeisman pic.twitter.com/ZJOkie0PI1

— BGSU Athletics (@BGathletics) October 25, 2015

So I have to admit, I have been a little lukewarm on the whole Heisman thing for Matt Johnson.  Not that he isn't worthy, but we've been through this before...MAC team launches big Heisman "campaign", puts billboards up, sends a bunch of dimensional mail pieces out to voters and the guy finishes 8th.  And I'm not saying they aren't worthy of better, just that the people who make this decision don't respect us and never will, and it isn't worth getting too excited about.  Screw them.

The graphic you see above did give me a chance to take a second look at that issue.  This is impressive.  Johnson is not just putting up huge numbers but crazy, historic numbers, based on Heisman QBs.  I initially thought people would discount numbers and give credit to the "system," but you can see there are other things in play because there are system QBs on there.

You can't even talk about strength of schedule too much.  Those numbers have been generated without benefit of an FCS stats-tallying game, and include 3 P5 teams and Memphis, who are undefeated.  Now, Purdue and Maryland are not good, but they are P5 teams and both games were on the road and Johnson set school records in one of them.

So, I guess I have changed my view.  He deserves to be in this conversation.  Do I think he will win?  No.  Do I think he deserves to be on the stage if we continue at this pace--and especially if a second conference title is earned?  Yes.  Yes, I do.

If he doesn't--and that's most likely--it's because the big school powers don't respect what we do.  I don't think they ever will (to wit, Herbstreit calling NIU in the Orange Bowl a "joke") and I don't spend too much time being outraged about it.  If performance mattered, he'd be included.  And performance is all he can control.