Berry Tramel: Heisman Trophy vote shows the changing nature of college football

You heard it leading up to the metamorphosis of college football.

You keep hearing it now that the change has arrived and the campus game is professional football, only with a theoretical ceiling on age and experience.

The rich will get richer.

All the best players will congregate in a select few schools.

Hasnt happened.

Isnt likely to happen.

The history of American sports and commerce show that the opposite is true.

But people are going to believe what theyre going to believe.

And maybe just checking out the Heisman Trophy will persuade fans to scratch the crust off their imagination.

Colorados Travis Hunter won the Heisman.

Hes the first player from outside the blueblood-school ranks since Louisvilles Lamar Jackson in 2016.

The first defensive player to win since Charles Woodson in 1997.

The first Mountain Time Zone player to win since Rashaan Salaam in 1994.

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The closest Heisman vote since 2009.

Boise State tailback Ashton Jeanty was the runner-up.

Thats right.

Boise State.

Jeanty was the first mid-major player to finish in the top four since Northern Illinois quarterback Jordan Lynch placed third in 2013.

Jeanty was the first mid-major player to finish in the top two since San Diego States Marshall Faulk was the 1992 runner-up.

And Jeanty was the first running back to finish in the top two since Stanfords Bryce Love was runner-up in 2017.

The other New York finalists were more orthodox stories.

Oregons Dillon Gabriel and Miamis Cam Ward are veteran quarterbacks from high-profile schools and playoff contenders.

But check out the rest of the top 10: Arizona State tailback Cam Skattebo, Army quarterback Bryson Daly, Penn State tight end Tyler Warren, Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke and Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord.

Only one other traditional-power school, Penn State, on the list, and a tight end at that.

Sure, Heisman voting can be goofy.

Its more popularity contest than expert analysis of a college football season.

But thats the point.

Its a popularity contest.

And among the top 10 vote-getters are two players from Colorado and one each from Boise State, Arizona State, Army, Indiana and Syracuse.

Four of the top five vote-getters are from schools west of Denver.

Thats remarkable, considering the power axis of the sport resides in the Deep South and the Upper Midwest.

Yet Hunter, Jeanty, Gabriel and Skattebo play at schools at least a thousand miles from the Great Lakes or the Gulf.

I dont know if this is an aberration.

But its danged interesting.

College footballs talent is spread out like never before, which explains teams like Boise State and Arizona State with playoff byes, and teams like Southern Methodist and Indiana in the 12-team bracket.

The Southeastern Conference did not have a player finish in the top 10.

The Big 12 had three players.

Four players in the top 10 were from schools that a year ago were in the now-dormant Pac-12.

Heisman voting had grown stale.

In recent decades, the winner overwhelmingly has been a quarterback from either a national-championship contender or a tradition-rich school.

That description matches 18 of the 21st-century winners.

Roll call: Louisiana States Jayden Daniels (2023) and Joe Burrow (2019).

Southern Cals Caleb Williams (2022), Matt Leinart (2004) and Carson Palmer (2002).

Alabamas Bryce Young (2021).

OUs Kyler Murray (2018), Baker Mayfield (2017), Sam Bradford (2008) and Jason White (2003).

Oregons Marcus Mariota (2014).

Florida States Jameis Winston (2013) and Chris Weinke (2000).

Texas A&Ms Johnny Manziel (2012), Auburns Cam Newton (2010), Floridas Tim Tebow (2007), Ohio States Troy Smith (2006) and Nebraskas Eric Crouch (2001).

Thats a difficult trend to break.

Yet voters didnt just break it, they shattered it.

This was a non-quarterback, non-blueblood, Mountain Time Zone celebration.

Quite befitting a season that launches a new era.

Expanded playoff, realignment madness, all kinds of parity, free-agency run amok, paying the players, some exorbitantly.

Some say it will ruin the sport.

Maybe so.

But all of the evidence suggests otherwise, starting with the Heisman Trophy..

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