Is Cincinnati QB Tony Pike worthy of the Heisman?

(CSTV U-WIRE) CINCINNATI—The News Record sports editors Peter Marx and Garrett Sabelhaus debate whether or not Cincinnati quarterback Tony Pike is worthy of the Heisman Trophy.

Yes, he is worthy

Last year I would have said there is no way Tony Pike had a realistic chance of becoming a Heisman candidate, but this year he has not only proven he belongs, he has also proven he has a chance to win.

Statistically, Pike ranks in the top-five in the nation in almost every major quarterback statistic.

Pike ranks fifth in the nation in quarterback rating (172.8), fourth in completion percentage (70.5 percent), fourth in yards (1,223), third in touchdowns (11) and has only thrown two interceptions through four games this season.

Pike recently moved into the top-10 of ESPN’s Heisman Watch poll, where he received three fifth-place votes Sept. 26. Tim Tebow, Colt McCoy, Jacory Harris, Case Keenum and Jimmy Clausen are other top quarterbacks mentioned on the list.

At 6-foot-6 and 225 pounds, Pike is beginning to receive attention from pro scouts and many NFL Draft experts. ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. ranked Pike as the fourth-best quarterback prospect in the nation and nfldraftscout.com ranked him third best.

Everyone knows to have a realistic chance at winning the Heisman trophy a player must play for a top-10 team. Now that the University of Cincinnati football program is ranked No. 10 in the latest AP Poll, Pike should become one of the Heisman frontrunners if the Bearcats continue to win.

Pike is showing he has a lot of upside and, if he continues to improve throughout the season, he could be the first Cincinnati player to win the prestigious award.

- Peter Marx

No, he is not worthy

Tony Pike lacks one essential thing necessary to win the Heisman Trophy: exposure.

Exposure that Texas’ Colt McCoy and Florida’s Tim Tebow both enjoy.

Sure McCoy isn’t having as great of a year as he had last year, and who knows if Tebow will miss any games after the hit he took Saturday against Kentucky, but both these players had a lot of attention before the season began. 

It would be an honor and one of the best individual accomplishments the University of Cincinnati has ever had if Pike is even just invited to the Heisman ceremony in New York at the end of the season. His chance of winning it though, is very slim.

McCoy and Pike have similar numbers, but McCoy was a Heisman candidate before the season started and Pike was not. Pike is now just starting to get noticed, whereas McCoy and Tebow are both preseason Heisman hopefuls.

Tebow has another advantage over Pike. He is god.

Tebow’s numbers are far inferior to Pike’s, but look at what happened when South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier didn’t vote for Tebow as the best SEC quarterback before the season.

The media jumped his case as Tebow received every vote except Spurrier’s. And who has a major hand in picking the Heisman? The writers.

It’s already a major accomplishment for Pike to be talked about in the same breath as the Heisman Trophy. To be invited to the ceremony as one of the finalists to win it would be unreal. Pike is too under the radar to win it.

- Garrett Sabelhaus

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