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Stats & Info insights into this morning's top sports stories.

1. CARDINAL FEVER: Day two of the 2012 NFL Draft was held on Friday. Stanford had four offensive players taken in the first 50 picks (1. Andrew Luck, 24. David DeCastro, 34. Coby Fleener, 42. Jonathan Martin). That matches the third-most offensive players to be selected from one school within the first 50 picks in the common draft era.

2. WHITNEY LIFTS COYOTES: Ray Whitney’s goal at the 14:04 mark of overtime lifted the Phoenix Coyotes to a 4-3 win over the Nashville Predators in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals. It was Whitney’s second-career playoff OT goal. His first came in 1995 against the Flames. According to Elias, Whitney now holds the NHL record for the longest gap between playoff overtime goals (17 years), breaking the mark of 14 years held by Teemu Selanne.

3. SLUGFEST IN DENVER: In a slugfest, the Colorado Rockies defeated the New York Mets, 18-9. The game featured the Mets’ Scott Hairston hitting for the cycle. The star of the show was Colorado’s Carlos Gonzalez, who knocked in six runs. Five of his RBI came in the fifth inning. According to Elias, he is the first player in Rockies history to drive in five runs in one inning.

4. PASTRANA MAKES DEBUT: Travis Pastrana finished 22nd in his long-awaited NASCAR Nationwide Series debut at Richmond. NEXT LEVEL: A closer look showed that he had an eerily similar performance to that of Danica Patrick during her first race at Richmond last season. Each of them spent most of the race in the middle of the field yet neither were able to crack the top 15.

5. PLAYOFFS START: The NBA playoffs begin Saturday with four games. The schedule features the Miami Heat hosting the New York Knicks (3:30 ET, ABC). The Heat are seeking back-to-back trips to the NBA Finals. LeBron James is averaging 30.4 PPG in the first round, the highest average of any round in his playoff career.

After taking Andrew Luck with the first pick overall on Thursday, the Indianapolis Colts continued to overhaul their offense on Friday.

The Colts became the seventh team in the common draft era to draft three pass catchers (wide receivers or tight ends) in the first three rounds. After adding Luck’s Stanford Cardinal tight end Coby Fleener in the second round, they picked tight end Dwayne Allen and wide receiver T.Y. Hilton in the third round.

The last team to select three pass catchers in the first three rounds was the New York Giants. They chose Hakeem Nicks, Ramses Barden and Travis Beckum in the 2009 draft.

Last season, Colts tight ends dropped nine passes, tied for second-most in the NFL. They are the first team to draft two tight ends in the first three rounds since the St. Louis Rams in 2006. Among NFL teams last year, the Colts ran the fourth-fewest plays in multiple-tight end sets.

By taking Luck and Fleener, they were the first team to draft a quarterback and tight end from the same school in a draft since the 2003 Houston Texans, who picked Drew Henson and Bennie Joppru from the Michigan Wolverines.

Luck threw multiple touchdown passes to his tight ends in nine of Stanford’s 13 games last season. No FBS quarterback attempted more passes or gained more yards when targeting tight ends. Fleener led all FBS tight ends with 10 touchdown receptions of at least 20 yards over the last two seasons.

Draft chatter
• The Denver Broncos selected defensive tackle Derek Wolfe with the 36th pick. Last year, the Broncos recorded only two sacks from players lining up on the interior of the defensive line, tied with the New Orleans Saints for the fewest among teams playing a 4-3 defense.

• The Rams selected North Alabama’s Janoris Jenkins with the 39th pick. It was the highest that a Division II player has been picked since Ricardo Colclough of Tusculum went 38th overall in 2004.

• Bobby Wagner went 47th overall to the Seattle Seahawks, the first player from the Utah State Aggies to go in the first two rounds since Rulon Jones was a second-round pick in 1980.

• By taking safety Tavon Wilson in the second rounds, the New England Patriots drafted a defensive player with their first three picks. Last season, the Patriots had 12 players play at least 100 snaps at defensive back, most in the NFL.

• The Pittsburgh Steelers selected offensive tackle Mike Adams late in the second round. Pittsburgh used a league-high 25 different offensive line combinations last season.

• The San Francisco 49ers selected LaMichael James 61st overall. It’s the fourth straight season that the 49ers drafted a running back. Last season, San Francisco targeted running backs just 54 times, second-fewest in the NFL.

Nine straight Super Bowls have been won by franchise quarterbacks, which means the demand for an elite signal-caller has never been higher.

For proof of this, simply look at the top of the NFL Draft, where Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III continued a decade-long trend of quarterbacks being chosen earlier than ever.

A quarterback has been selected first overall 20 times in the 46 drafts during the common era (since 1967). But in the past 12 drafts, 10 quarterbacks have been chosen first.

The exponential rise has been particularly pronounced over the last 25 years. From 1988 to 1994, the first quarterback was chosen with the 15th pick on average. There wasn’t much difference in the next seven drafts, before the tide turned with the new millennium.

Quarterbacks were taken first overall in five of seven drafts from 2002 to 2008, for an average pick of 1.6. And Andrew Luck’s selection makes it four straight quarterbacks chosen first since 2009.

The mindset is emphasized by when the next quarterback has been picked over the last quarter-century. From 1988 to 2001, the second quarterback typically went in the second round. Over the last 11 years, the second quarterback has jumped into the top half of the first round.

Still not convinced? How about the third quarterback, which has leaped from an average slot in the third round to a late first-round selection over the last 25 years.

Because of this new emphasis on franchise field generals, three quarterbacks were taken with the first eight picks this year, for the third time in the common draft era. You’re welcome, Ryan Tannehill.

Paul Carr contributed to this post.

Stats & Info insights into this morning's top sports stories.


1. LUCK MAKES IT FOUR: The first round of the 2012 NFL Draft was held on Thursday. The Indianapolis Colts selected Andrew Luck with the first overall pick. Luck is the fourth Stanford QB to be picked first overall in the history of the NFL Draft, joining John Elway (1983), Jim Plunkett (1971) and Bobby Garrett (1954). Stanford is the first school to have four QBs drafted first overall and the first school to have four No. 1 picks at any single position.

2. DEVILS MOVE ON: The New Jersey Devils defeated the Florida Panthers in Game 7, 3-2, in double overtime. It marked the fifth time under the current playoff format (since 1993-94), that a Game 7 had multiple overtime periods. Adam Henrique scored the game-winning goal. According to Elias, he is the second rookie to score an overtime goal in a Game 7. The other was Montreal’s Claude Lemieux in 1986 against the Hartford Whalers.

3. RANGERS MOVE ON: The New York Rangers defeated the Ottawa Senators, 2-1, in Game 7. It’s the Blueshirts’ first Game 7 win since the 1994 Stanley Cup Final against the Vancouver Canucks. The Rangers now face the seven-seed Washington Capitals in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. In their two previous playoff appearances, the Rangers were eliminated each time by the Capitals.

4. DURANT WINS TITLE: Thursday marked the final day of the NBA regular season. Kobe Bryant did not play in the Los Angeles Lakers finale against the Sacramento Kings. As a result, Kevin Durant won the 2011-12 NBA scoring title for the third straight season. At the age of 23, Durant is the youngest player to win three straight scoring titles.

5. HUMBER ROUGHED UP: The Boston Red Sox defeated the Chicago White Sox, 10-3. The game marked the first start for White Sox pitcher Philip Humber since his perfect game last Saturday. Humber allowed a career-high nine earned runs in five innings. According to Elias, Humber became the first pitcher in major-league history to allow as many as nine runs in his first appearance after pitching a perfect game.

The first pick of the 2012 NFL Draft seems to be a coronation for Andrew Luck rather than the selection of a college quarterback.

Mel Kiper Jr. has called Luck the finest quarterback talent since John Elway. Todd McShay graded him higher than any other prospect he has rated. The Indianapolis Colts are so confident in his future that they chose to part ways with Peyton Manning. So what makes Luck so special?

During his stellar career at Stanford, Luck erased many of the records set by Elway and Jim Plunkett, both No. 1 overall draft choices, and his success began before the snap.

“The guy is running the game at the line of scrimmage,” said Cardinal coach David Shaw. “He's controlling the protections. He's controlling the running game.”

Not only did Luck call and change plays at the line, he did it exceedingly well. Stanford had the fewest negative plays (47) and 3-and-outs (14) in FBS last season. The Cardinal had eight games with three or fewer negative plays; no other FBS team had more than six of those games. Stanford also tied Baylor and Boise State for the most games (5) with no 3-and-outs. Overall the offense averaged 6.8 yards per play and 489.3 yards per game, both ranked in the top 10 nationally.

Assessing his options at the line, Luck made defenses pay. On play-action passes, he completed 72 percent of his throws with 25 touchdowns and no interceptions over the past two seasons. When teams sent extra pass rushers, Luck capitalized. He finished 2011 with 15 TDs and four interceptions against five or more rushers.

He excelled in crucial situations:

• In the red zone last season, he completed 75 percent of his passes with 27 touchdowns and no interceptions. No one in FBS had a higher TD-Int differential than Luck’s plus-45 over the past two years.

• In fourth quarters and overtime in 2011, Luck had the best completion percentage (81.6) of any quarterback with at least 20 attempts.

• When Stanford was trailing, his passer efficiency was second-highest in the nation over the past two seasons.

This success stemmed from a nearly incredible accuracy. Factoring in dropped passes and passes that were knocked away by defenders, Luck’s percentage of on-target throws in 2011 was 81.1 percent. He also kept defenses off balance with his ability to run, averaging 5.9 yards per scramble and scoring twice on runs of 50 or more yards against FBS opponents.

Those long runs showcased his underrated athleticism, as did his 40-yard dash time at the NFL Scouting Combine. His 4.59 was faster than Tim Tebow’s and a tenth of a second off the time registered by Cam Newton. Those two were the NFL’s top rushing quarterbacks in 2011.

Luck's poise and confidence were evident in the way he bounced back from mistakes. Luck threw 10 interceptions in 2011, but on Stanford's 10 drives that followed, Luck was 28-34 for 288 yards, three touchdowns and no turnovers. The Cardinal scored a touchdown on seven of those 10 drives.

All of these stats add up to a single number: one, which is where the Colts will draft Andrew Luck tonight.

Stats & Info insights into this morning's top sports stories.

1. BRUINS BOUNCED: The Washington Capitals beat the Boston Bruins 2-1 in overtime in Game 7. The Bruins lost when facing elimination for the first time in six games. It is the fourth time in the expansion era (since 1967) that both Stanley Cup finalists from the previous season lost in the quarterfinals the following season. FROM ELIAS: It was the first series in Stanley Cup history in which all seven games were decided by a one-goal margin, and only the second series to go to overtime in Game 7 with the two teams having scored the same number of goals in the series. There are two more Game 7s Thursday (Ottawa Senators at New York Rangers, New Jersey Devils at Florida Panthers).

2. KOBE OR KD: Kevin Durant scored 32 points in his final regular-season game. Durant averaged 28.03 PPG this season, 0.17 ahead of Kobe Bryant. Bryant needs 38 points against the Sacramento Kings on Thursday to win the scoring title. Bryant has scored 38 points 152 times in regular-season games in his career, including nine against the Kings. Durant or Bryant will become the eighth player in NBA history to win at least three scoring titles.

3. CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL SET: Bayern Munich advanced to the UEFA Champions League final (tied 3-3 on aggregate; advanced 3-1 on penalty kicks) over Real Madrid. It was the first time that a UEFA Champions League semifinal went to penalty kicks since 2007. Bayern Munich will face Chelsea on May 19 in Munich. They will be the first club since Roma in 1984 to play the European Cup Final in its home stadium.

4. NBA FUTILITY: The Charlotte Bobcats lost for the 22nd straight time on Wednesday. They end the regular season at home against the New York Knicks on Thursday. If the Bobcats lose, they will set the record for the worst winning percentage in a single-season in NBA history (would finish at .106 win pct), passing the 1972-73 76ers (finished at .110). Charlotte is still looking for its first win since March 17.

5. NFL DRAFT: The first round of the NFL Draft begins Thursday at 8 ET on ESPN. QB Andrew Luck and QB Robert Griffin III are expected to be the first two players taken. It would be the fifth time in the Common Draft Era (since 1967), and first since 1999, that quarterbacks were selected first and second overall.

The evolution of the modern-day tight end has made it possible for NFL teams to view the position as much more than an extra offensive lineman who catches the occasional pass. Tight ends have become primary options in the passing game.

Tight ends such as the New England Patriots' Rob Gronkowski (second round, 2010) and Jimmy Graham of the New Orleans Saints (third round, 2010) often line up in the slot or at wide receiver because of their ability to make plays.

Six tight ends who lined up in the slot or at wide receiver in 2011 had more than 500 yards receiving (including playoffs). Both Graham (938) and Gronkowski (876) had more than 800 yards each.

There has been a dramatic increase in 100-yard receiving games at the position since the 2001 season. Last season, there were 28 100-yard receiving games by tight ends compared to just four such games in 2001.

Tight ends have also become downfield threats. Since the start of the 2008 season, 30-plus yard receptions for tight ends have progressively risen from 64 in 2008 to 107 last season.

Who among this year’s draft prospects at tight end could blossom into a high-end contributor? ESPN NFL Draft Analyst Todd McShay thinks Stanford’s Coby Fleener “is most ready” to contribute right away (check out the breakdown of the 2012 TE class).

Fleener was effective stretching the field last season, catching 15 of 24 targets (62.5 percent) with seven touchdowns on throws -- from expected No. 1 overall pick Andrew Luck -- traveling at least 15 yards downfield. Fleener caught 10 touchdowns for Stanford last season, most of any tight end in FBS.

Fleener, who is 6-6 and nearly 250 pounds, did not work out at the NFL Scouting Combine, but at Stanford’s Pro Day, he ran 4.45 seconds in the 40-yard dash and is widely considered a first-round pick.

In addition to Fleener, Dwayne Allen of Clemson and Georgia’s Orson Charles are two other draft prospects that have a “good chance” to contribute as rookies in 2012. There are prospects beyond Fleener, Allen and Charles who could be worth a draft pick, according to McShay. Oklahoma’s James Hanna ran 4.49 seconds in the 40-yard dash and had a 36-inch vertical leap at the Combine.

The evolution of tight ends, according to McShay, has started to alter the ways NFL teams are evaluating defensive backs as well. Teams might be forced to look for and draft bigger defensive backs as a counter-measure to the more versatile tight end corps in the NFL.

Other quarterbacks have chosen to stay in school when they stood to be prominent NFL Draft picks, as quarterback Matt Barkley has done at USC.

Let's take a statistical snapshot of recent examples to forgo the NFL Draft for one more year in the college ranks.

Peyton Manning, Tennessee
Manning still ended up as the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft after returning to Tennessee for his senior season in 1997.

The Vols won the SEC Championship, beating Auburn, 30-29 before losing to Nebraska, 42-17 in the Orange Bowl. They finished No. 7 in the final AP poll.

Matt Leinart, USC

After winning a national title as a junior, Leinart returned for a memorable campaign in 2005, but one that floundered on a couple fronts.

A year after winning the Heisman Trophy, Leinart finished third in the balloting. His Trojans fell short of a second straight undefeated season and national championship, losing to Texas and quarterback Vince Young in a classic game.

Leinart ended up being selected 10th by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2006 NFL Draft and has not yet flourished at the level he did in college.

Sam Bradford, Oklahoma

After winning the Heisman Trophy and losing the national championship game to a Tim Tebow-led Florida team, Bradford returned for his junior year at Oklahoma. It did not go as planned.
Bradford suffered a shoulder injury in the Sooners first game of the season, then re-injured his shoulder upon returning to face Texas.

Bradford sat out the remainder of the season, then declared for the NFL Draft. He was taken by the St. Louis Rams with the No. 1 pick, and he has thrown for 24 touchdowns and 21 interceptions in two NFL seasons.

Andrew Luck, Stanford
Luck tested his luck by staying in school for his senior season in 2011, and the decision worked out well.

The Cardinal went 11-2 in Luck’s senior season, finishing No. 7 in the national rankings after a 41-38 loss to Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl.

Luck is expected to be taken No. 1 in this year’s NFL Draft.

Andrew Luck is constantly praised for his accuracy, football intelligence and leadership intangibles, but on Sunday at the NFL combine he proved that his athleticism rivals the top quarterbacks in the league.

Of the 14 quarterbacks who participated in the 40-yard dash, vertical jump and broad jump at the 2012 combine, only Luck and Robert Griffin III placed in the top four in all three events. Notably, Luck posted the top broad jump of all quarterbacks, and put up comparable numbers to Cam Newton’s combine in 2011.

Unlike Newton, Luck played in a pro-style offense in college that did not ask him to run consistently. But anyone who watched Stanford throughout Luck’s career could see that he has the athleticism and mobility to succeed at the next level.

Luck was one of the most accurate quarterbacks in the nation when throwing on the run. The average quarterback completes less than 50 percent of his passes when forced to scramble outside of the pocket, but last season Luck completed 63.6 percent of these passes. He was even better when passing outside of the pocket on designed roll-outs, completing 71.8 percent of his passes with nine touchdowns and just one interception on such passes.

Inside of the pocket, Luck’s mobility helped him elude pass rushers and get the ball out quickly. Luck was sacked only 23 times in his career at Stanford, about once in every 50 drop-backs. Of quarterbacks that started at least 20 games since 2009, only Kellen Moore and Brandon Weeden were sacked at lower rates.

Luck chose to remain in the pocket on the majority of the time, but when forced to scramble he averaged 5.9 yards per attempt. Overall, Luck ran for 957 yards and seven touchdowns in his career. Additionally, he caught two passes for 24 yards, including one of the most athletic plays of the season -- a one-handed, sprawling catch down the right sideline against UCLA.

So while Griffin may have stolen the spotlight by running a 4.41 40-yard dash on Sunday, Luck proved that he is one of the top athletes at the quarterback position -- a fact that may be surprising to some, but not those that have watched him closely for years.

The 2012 offseason will be filled with questions for the Indianapolis Colts.

Do they stick with Peyton Manning, who missed all of last season after having neck surgery?

Do they draft Stanford’s Andrew Luck with the first overall pick?

If they draft Luck, is he their starter from Day One?

Cases can be made for or against any decision.

The Case For Manning
Obviously, Manning’s legacy in Indianapolis is set, but he could easily keep moving up the all-time lists next season, regardless of the uniform he's wearing. Even with a below-average season, Manning could pass Dan Marino for second on the completions list and could become the third player all-time to throw 400 touchdowns.

It’s not like Manning was washed up when he last played. From 2008 to 2010, Manning’s Total QBR was a 77.2, the best in the NFL and nearly eight points higher than second-place Tom Brady. He was tops in QBR in 2008 and 2009, and second in 2010.

Manning was also the runaway leader in QB Points Above Average, the number of points a quarterback contributed to his team above an average QB on the same number of action plays.

The Case Against Manning
The reasons to opt for a new quarterback in Indianapolis boils down to two reasons: age and health. The health is a question mark, but we can analyze age.

There have been 34 quarterbacks to throw at least 300 passes in a season in which they were 36 or turned 36 during the season. Among those:

• 16 led teams to postseason
• Five had passer rating of 90 or higher
• 12 had 3,000 yards passing
• 15 threw at least 20 touchdowns
• 21 threw more TD than interceptions

Manning will turn 36 in March, but his window for success is still open. Three starting quarterbacks have won Super Bowls at 36 or older, Jim Plunkett, Johnny Unitas and John Elway.

But things get a lot more dicey when you look at quarterbacks since 1970 who missed at least one full season then returned to the NFL.

The best possible year for a QB when combining the past single-season highs for anyone who missed an entire season? 3,223 pass yards, 20 touchdowns and nine wins.

The Case for Andrew Luck
Regardless if the Colts keep or cut Manning, the Colts plan to draft Luck according to sources, who could start right away or sit behind Manning and learn from a legend.

Among the quarterbacks drafted first overall, only one waited an entire season to make his first start, Carson Palmer. And 12 of the 19 were their teams' Opening Day starter.

Patience will be key if Luck is the man right away. No quarterback taken first overall has even had a winning record as a starter in his rookie season. But it pays off, as quarterbacks taken first overall are 13-5 as starters in the Super Bowl.

Luck might be too good to pass up, regardless of how much longer Manning plays. The reviews have been shining, as he’s No. 1 on both Mel Kiper Jr.’s Big Board and Scouts Inc.’s Top 32.

Luck has shown to be more than just hype, his results on the field, especially in the red zone, speak for themselves. This season in the red zone, Luck completed 73.3 percent of his passes with 29 touchdowns and no turnovers.

The Oklahoma State Cowboys never led until making the final field goal in its Fiesta Bowl victory against the Stanford Cardinal.

Oklahoma State won its first-ever trip to a BCS bowl game and finished with a school-record 12 wins.

It was the third overtime game in Fiesta Bowl history (most recent before this year was 2007 between Boise State and Oklahoma).

Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon tied career and Fiesta Bowl highs with three receiving touchdowns, and was the first receiver this season to go for more than 100 yards against Stanford.

Blackmon (eight receptions, 186 yards) was bracketed for much of the game by multiple defenders but found space when the Cardinal blitzed.

He was targeted seven times, hauling in four passes for 139 yards, including two touchdowns, when Stanford sent five or more pass rushers.

Cowboys running back Joseph Randle ran for one touchdown, his 26th rushing touchdown of the season, finishing one behind Ricky Williams for the Big 12 record.

The door swung wide open for Oklahoma State, courtesy of Stanford kicker Jordan Williamson.

Williamson missed a career-high three field goals, including a possible game-winner at the end of regulation.

Andrew Luck ended his collegiate career with interceptions in six straight games. But he threw only four incompletions all game.

On Stanford's touchdown drives, Luck was even better. He was a perfect 15-for-15 passing on Stanford's touchdown drives.

Luck completed all but one of his 24 pass attempts from the pocket Monday. He was 14-of-14 when targeting Ty Montgomery or his tight ends from the pocket, including both of his touchdown passes.

Cardinal running back Stepfan Taylor finished with a career-high 177 yards in the loss.

Oklahoma State forced two turnovers and finished the season first in the nation with 44 forced turnovers.

No. 4 Stanford takes on No. 3 Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl tonight (8:30 ET on ESPN), in a game featuring several of college football’s biggest offensive stars.

Cardinal quarterback Andrew Luck won both the Walter Camp and Maxwell Awards for National Player of the Year, and the Cowboys Justin Blackmon won his second straight Biletnikoff Award as the best receiver in college football.

Both players have been outstanding this season when close to the goal line. In the red zone, Luck has completed 73 percent of his passes and accounted for 28 touchdowns without turning the ball over.

Blackmon leads the country with 29 red-zone receptions, 10 more than any other player in FBS. He also leads the nation with 11 red-zone touchdown catches.

The Cowboys offense isn’t just Blackmon though. Running back Joseph Randle has run for 25 touchdowns this season. In Big 12 history, only Kansas State quarterback Collin Klein this season and Ricky Williams during his 1998 Heisman season have run for more.

Oklahoma State's Brandon Weeden is one of six quarterbacks in FBS with 40 red-zone touchdown passes over the past two seasons and his +37 touchdown-to-interception differential in the red zone is tied for third in that span.

Luck is at the top of that list, with 45 touchdown passes and one interception in the red zone since the start of last season.

The biggest weapons in Luck’s arsenal are his tight ends, whom he targets on 40 percent of his pass attempts, most of any quarterback with 100 attempts. Stanford’s tight ends have scored two or more touchdowns in nine of the team’s 12 games, including each of their past two.

Luck has thrown a touchdown in every game this season out of two-tight end formations, and the two losses to Oregon were the only games in the past two years in which he completed less than 50 percent of his passes with two tight ends on the field.

Numbers to Know
The Cowboys lead FBS with 22 touchdown drives that have lasted one minute or less, and their average touchdown drive of 1:46 is the shortest in the country.

Entering last year, each of these programs had exactly three 10-win seasons in its history, and neither had ever won 11 games. Now both schools have back-to-back 11-win seasons.

At the 77th annual Heisman Trophy presentation, Robert Griffin III did something that has never been done before as he became the first Heisman Trophy winner in Baylor history.

Griffin beat out Stanford quarterback, Andrew Luck, by 280 points. For comparison, last year’s winner Cam Newton beat Luck by 1,184 points.

This is the fifth time in the last six seasons that a quarterback has won the sport’s top honor.

Baylor is the sixth different school in the state of Texas with a Heisman, joining Texas, Texas A&M, Houston, TCU and SMU. No other state has had more than three schools with a winner (California, Florida).

Baylor is ranked 15th in the pre-bowl AP poll. It’s the lowest pre-bowl ranking for a Heisman winner’s team since Ricky Williams’ Texas squad was No. 20 in 1998, and the second-lowest in the last 25 seasons. Williams is also the last player from a Texas-based school to win the award.

Griffin is the first Heisman winner from a school that has never won a national championship since Wisconsin's Ron Dayne in 1999.

The junior quarterback has been Mr. Big Play, with half of his 36 TD passes having covered 35 yards or more. He's on pace to set the single-season passing efficiency record, thanks in part to his 10.8 yards per pass attempt, which is third-best in FBS history behind Michael Vick and Ty Detmer.

Griffin leads the nation with a passing efficiency rating of 192.3, which would be an NCAA single-season record if he can sustain it through his team’s bowl game. As good a mark as that is, Griffin has been even better when the game has been on the line.

When the game is in the second half, and the scoring margin is within eight points, his passing efficiency rating is 211.8, with seven touchdowns and only one interception.

When it came to pressure, Griffin handled it as well as any other quarterback in the nation. Griffin completed over 70 percent of his pass attempts when opponents blitzed this season with 11 touchdowns and no interceptions.

Griffin is the fifth Heisman winner from the Big 12 Conference and 29th quarterback ever honored.

The Heisman Trophy will be awarded at 8 pm ET on ESPN. Here's a statistical snapshot of the strengths of each of the finalists for the sport's most prestigious honor.

Andrew Luck, Stanford
Luck’s 2011 season stats are eerily similar to those of his 2010 season where he was the Heisman runner-up. His completion percentage, touchdowns and interceptions, yards-per- attempt, and number of 20-yard completions are nearly identical.

Luck did improve statistically in two areas.

On passes that went at least 10 yards down the field, he finished with 17 touchdowns and only three interceptions, an improvement upon his 16-to-7 ratio in 2010

Luck’s accuracy on play-action passes (73 percent completion rate) was a near-match for 2010 (72 percent), but an increase of how often he passed out of play action (from 22 percent of the time to 28 percent) resulted in his doubling the number of touchdowns he made on such plays, from eight to 16.

Stat to know:Luck is trying to become Stanford's first Heisman winner since Jim Plunkett (1970).

Robert Griffin III, Baylor

When it comes to pressure, Griffin handled as well as any other quarterback in the nation. Griffin completed over 70 percent of his pass attempts when opponents blitzed this season with 11 touchdowns and no interceptions.

Griffin excelled in 2011 with the deep ball, as much as anyone in the country. Griffin completed a higher percentage of his passes and threw more touchdowns than many other notable quarterbacks on throws of 25 yards or more downfield this season.

Griffin’s 17 touchdown passes of at least 50 yards over the last two seasons are the most in college football by a considerable amount, five more than Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones. Griffin leads FBS with 10 touchdown passes of at least 50 yards in 2011.

Stat to know: Baylor has never had a Heisman Trophy winner. If Griffin wins, Baylor will be the sixth different school in the state of Texas with a Heisman, joining Texas, Texas A&M, Houston, TCU and SMU. No other state has had more than three schools with a winner (California, Florida).


Trent Richardson, Alabama
What made Richardson so good this season was that he was tough to tackle. Nearly half of his rushing yards (767 of 1,583) came after contact. He broke for at least 10 yards at a rate of nearly once every six runs.

Richardson had 21 rushes of 15 yards or longer in SEC play this season, including three in the Iron Bowl against Auburn. Only Cam Newton has had more in SEC play (22) over the past eight seasons.

In his last chance to impress Heisman voters, Trent Richardson ran for a career-high 203 yards on 27 carries Saturday against Auburn.

Richardson showcased his versatility by gaining 100 yards after contact and by breaking five runs for at least 10 yards, including ones of 35 and 57 yards.

Richardson’s performance was reminiscent of Alabama’s Mark Ingram, who also excelled in his last chance to secure votes, rushing for 113 yards, 75 coming after contact in the 2009 SEC title game against Florida.

Stat to Know: Richardson and Mark Ingram would be just the third pair of running back teammates to both win the Heisman Trophy, joining Charles White (1979) & Marcus Allen (1981) from USC and Doc Blanchard (1945) & Glenn Davis (1946) from Army.

Tyrann Mathieu, LSU

Mathieu has only a pair of interceptions this season, but he has forced an FBS-high six fumbles.

Mathieu is also tied for the lead in the FBS with five fumble recoveries, two of which he returned for touchdowns.

LSU is ranked third in the nation in pass efficiency defense this season (93.1) and that has a lot to do with their play on the perimeter. Opponents have struggled to throw the ball towards the sideline against the Tigers, an area usually patrolled by Mathieu.

LSU finished the regular season having allowed 5.4 yards per pass attempt in 2011, tied for third-fewest in the nation. Teams were unable to stretch the field against the Tigers as they had more than twice as many interceptions (9) as completions allowed (4) on passes of 25 or more yards downfield this season.

Overall, LSU’s foes were 4-for-38, with just one touchdown on those sorts of throws. Teams in the BCS Top 25 were 2-for-20 with four interceptions.

Stat To Know: Mathieu would be the second Heisman winner from LSU, joining Billy Cannon (1959) and the second defensive player to win the Heisman, joining Charles Woodson.

Montee Ball, Wisconsin
Richardson is credited with getting his numbers against tough SEC defenses, but Ball’s opponents have stacked up to what Richardson has faced.

Wisconsin’s FBS opponents ranked an average of 68th against the run this season compared to 59th for Alabama’s opponents. Ball has only faced one fewer team that ranked in the top 50 in opponents rushing defense than Richardson did.

Ball also had more yards (1,759), touchdowns (32) and big runs (57 runs of at least 10 yards) than Richardson in 2011. Richardson finished with 42 runs of at least 10 yards.

Ball's strength was in blowing past opposing defenders. He was not touched by the defense on 18 of his 32 rushing touchdowns.

Also of note: Of his 32 rushing touchdowns, 23 came against defenses that were ready for him-- those that lined up eight or more men in the box.

Stat To Know: Ball leads FBS with 38 touchdowns this season. The last national scoring leader to win the Heisman was Eddie George in 1995.

There were 770 games played in the 2011 college football season. We give you the 10 plays that shaped the BCS Championship race.

1. Tyrann Mathieu returns fumble for TD
LSU 40, Oregon 27
Significance: These top-five teams were locked in a 6-3 game. The Tigers went three-and-out and punted, but Kenjon Barner fumbled the return at the three and LSU's playmaker snapped it up and went into the end zone for a momentum-shifting score.

2. Kirk Cousins completes 44-yard Hail Mary to Keith Nichol
Michigan State 37, Wisconsin 31
Significance: Wisconsin had its eyes on a perfect regular season and a spot in the title game. But after a last-second heave, ricochet, catch and then video review, that dream was dashed.

3. Oklahoma misses 28-yard field goal vs Texas Tech
Texas Tech 41, Oklahoma 38
Significance: The Sooners were preseason No. 1 and still undefeated, but trailed 31-7 at home. They mounted a comeback, but after Michael Hunnicutt's missed FG from 28 yards out there wasn't enough time left to overcome a 10-point deficit.

4. Tajh Boyd gets intercepted in the end zone
Georgia Tech 31, Clemson 17
Significance: Down 14 points, Clemson had just intercepted Georgia Tech, getting the ball at Georgia Tech's nine-yard line. But on the first play, Boyd was picked by Jemea Thomas, ending the Tigers' comeback and dashing their national-title hopes.

5. LSU’s Eric Reid intercepts Alabama at the 1-yard line
LSU 9, Alabama 6 (OT)
Significance: In a 6-6 game in the fourth quarter, LSU's Eric Reid wrestled the ball away from Alabama TE Michael Williams at the one-yard line for an interception, preventing what could have been the winning score. LSU would win it in overtime.

6. Boseko Lokombo picks off Andrew Luck and returns it for TD
Oregon 53, Stanford 30
Significance: This was Stanford’s last major obstacle to a perfect regular season. Down 16 points, Luck had Stanford driving. But the pick ended those hopes, putting the game out of reach and handing the Cardinal its only loss of the season.

7. Boise State misses 39-yard field goal as time expires
TCU 36, Boise State 35
Significance: Playing on the home turf where they had been dominant for so long, the Broncos went down a point after TCU made the gutsy call to go for two. But Boise drove down the field before Dan Goodale sailed his kick wide right as time expired and the Broncos were no longer unbeaten.

8. Brandon Weeden's pass intercepted in first play of second overtime
Iowa State 37, Oklahoma State 31 (2 OT)
Significance: The Cyclones came back from a 24-7 deficit to tie the game at 24 heading into overtime. But on the first play of the second overtime, Brandon Weeden was intercepted. Three plays later Iowa State scored to end Oklahoma State's dream.

9. Oregon misses 37-yard field goal as time expires
USC 38, Oregon 35
Significance: Even after their season-opening loss, the Ducks still had a shot at the BCS Championship. But USC, ineligible for postseason play, gave the Ducks a battle at Autzen Stadium. Down three, Oregon had the chance to send it into overtime. But Alejandro Maldonado missed a 37-yarder.

10. Robert Griffin III completes 34-yard TD pass with :08 left
Baylor 45, Oklahoma 38
Significance: Just like Oregon, Oklahoma still had a chance to sneak back into the title picture despite a loss. But Baylor's Heisman candidate Griffin shocked the Sooners with a game-winning touchdown pass with eight seconds left.

To see images of these plays, click here.