Heisman Trophy winners sometimes get a chance to double up with a national championship ring. Joe Burrow of LSU is the latest to have a shot at the prestigious double. How have others done since the start of the BCS and forward?
2000: Chris Weinke
Chris Weinke won the Heisman and led Florida State into the BCS Championship — aka the Orange Bowl — against Oklahoma. The runner-up for the Heisman, Josh Heupel, outplayed Weinke. completed 25-of-39 passes for 214 yards to the Seminoles’ quarterback’s 25-of-51 for 274 yards and two interceptions and a fumble. He did not throw a touchdown pass for the first time in his Heisman season. Florida State avoided its first shutout in 12 seasons when Stanford Samuels tackled Oklahoma punter Jeff Ferguson in the end zone for a safety with 55 seconds remaining.
2001: Eric Crouch
Eric Crouch led Nebraska into the Rose Bowl for the BCS Championship against Miami. It marked the first time since the 1919 Rose Bowl, and only the third time in the game’s history, that neither the Big Ten nor the Pac-10 Conferences had a representative. The Hurricanes won, 37–14. Miami QB Ken Dorsey and WR Andre Johnson were co-MVPs. Crouch ran 22 times for 114 yards and was 5-of-15 passing for 62 yards with a pick.
2003: Jason White
Jason White and Oklahoma met LSU in the Sugar Bowl for the BCS championship. LSU’s top-ranked defense held the country’s most prolific offense, which had averaged 45.2 points and 461 yards per game, to 154 total yards and one touchdown until midway though the fourth quarter in the Tigers’ 21-14 victory. White completed 13-of-37 passing attempts for just 102 yards. He was also sacked seven times and intercepted twice.
2004: Matt Leinart
The Orange Bowl featured many firsts regarding the Heisman Trophy. It was the first college game to have two Heisman winners — Matt Leinart and Jason White — on the same field (and on opposite teams). The game also featured four of the five Heisman finalists of 2004: Leinart (winner), Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson (first runner-up), White (second runner-up) and USC running back Reggie Bush (fourth runner-up). The Trojans destroyed the Sooners, 55-19, as Leinart was 18-of-35 for 332 yards threw a record five touchdown passes. White was 24-of-36 for 244 yards with three interceptions and two touchdowns.
2005: Reggie Bush
The Heisman trust made Reggie Bush forfeit and return his trophy. The USC tailback had an amazing year in 2005 en route to then being awarded the trophy over Texas’ Vince Young. The Longhorns got even for Young in the remarkable Rose Bowl. With the national title down to a final play, fourth-and-5, Young scrambled untouched for an 8-yard touchdown with 19 seconds left and the No. 2 Longhorns stunned No. 1 Southern California, 41-38. Young ran for 200 yards and passed for 267. Bush scored on a 26-yard run, part of his 82 yards rushing. He also had 95 yards on six catches. However, Bush also made an unfortunate lateral early and was not on the field on a fourth-and-2 from USC’S 45-yard line with 2:09 left, a play that came up short and set up Texas for its winning drive.
2006: Troy Smith
The Heisman winner Troy Smith of Ohio State and his fellow Buckeyes were thrashed, 41-14, by Florida in the BCS National Championship. The game started well for Ohio State with Ted Ginn Jr. returning the opening kick 93 yards for a TD. It was downhill from there. Smith was 4-of-14 for 35 yards passing with an interception and had 10 carries for minus-29 yards when sacks were factored.
2008: Sam Bradford
Sam Bradford was 26-of-41 with a pair of TDs and interceptions as Oklahoma fell to Tim Tebow and Florida, 24-14. Beaten out for the Heisman this season by Bradford, Tebow outplayed him and was picked the game’s most outstanding player.
2009: Mark Ingram
Mark Ingram led Alabama to a victory over Texas in a battle of 13-0 teams in the BCS National Championship played at the Rose Bowl. Ingram had a pair of short touchdown runs and finished with 116 yards on 22 carries. Trent Richardson, backfield mate of Ingram, ran for 109 yards and another two touchdowns.
2010: Cam Newton
Cam Newton and Auburn were a juggernaut. The QB won the Heisman and faced Oregon for the national title. A 19-yard field goal by Wes Byrum, as time expired, won the game for the Tigers, with the final score 22-19. Newton threw for 265 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 64 yards as Auburn finished 14-0 and handed the Ducks their first loss in 13 games.
2013: Jameis Winston
Down by four with 79 seconds left, Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston put together an 80-yard drive, concluding it by throwing a 2-yard touchdown pass to Kelvin Benjamin with 13 seconds left and No. 1 Florida State beat No. 2 Auburn, 34-31. Winston was 20-of-35 for 237 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdown passes. He was 6-of-7 passing for 77 yards on the game-winning drive.
2014: Marcus Mariota
Marcus Mariota and Oregon came into the championship game off the quarterback’s Heisman triumph. However, it was not to be a double as Ohio State walloped the Ducks, 42-20. Ezekiel Elliott, a sophomore, was the offensive MVP and ran for 246 yards and four touchdowns on a career-high 36 carries. Mariota passed for 333 yards and two touchdowns.
2015: Derrick Henry
Derrick Henry and Alabama survived Clemson, 45-40, in the national championship game. Henry, O.J. Howard and Kenyan Drake hit No. 1 Clemson with long touchdowns. Henry finished with 158 yards on 36 carries. Clemson’s Deshaun Watson, who finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting, had 478 total yards and bested Young’s 467 yards against the Trojans.
2019: Joe Burrow
LSU’s Joe Burrow has had a remarkable season. Now all that stands in front of him for a Heisman-national championship season is Clemson and its 29-game winning streak. The Superdome will play host to what should be a game featuring plenty of fireworks on Jan. 13.
