The SEC bias is still largely in effect even though Jameson Williams did not win the Biletnikoff Award. Tonight quarterback Bryce Young won the Heisman Award, yet Michigan Wolverines defensive end Aidan Hutchinson deserved it more.
For the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2021, Young completed 68 percent of his passes, threw for 4,322 yards to go along with 43 touchdown passes and four interceptions. His best performance came in a seven point win over the Arkansas Razorbacks where he threw for 559 yards and five touchdowns.
Arkansas was ranked 21st at the time and finished the 2021 season ranked 22nd even with four losses.
As for Alabama their best win of the season came over the No.1 Georgia Bulldogs who once again lost an important game. Which was not a surprise thanks to having Kirby Smart as head coach who is known for not having his team ready in big games. Young did throw for 421 yards and three touchdowns.
Interestingly enough Alabama nearly got shutout by in-state rival Auburn. Yet, somehow manage to win in four overtimes 24-22. Young in that game threw for 317 yards, yet completed only 49 percent of his passes on 51 attempts, he got sacked seven times, threw for two touchdowns and an interception.
In college football teams get judged by their margin of victory. So it’s surprising Young got the love for the Heisman as the Crimson Tide barely beat a dreadful Florida Gators team that went 2-6 in conference play and 6-6 overall. It also happened against LSU which finished with a conference record of 3-5 and 6-6 overall.
The only loss for Young and Alabama came against Texas A&M. A team that finished the season with four losses.
Like Alabama, Michigan were a one loss team. The only blemishes on the schedule for Jim Harbaugh and company was a 20-13 win over Rutgers and a tough loss to then no.8 ranked Michigan State Spartans 37-33.
Yet Hutchinson led the way on defense for the Wolverines. He started out strong registering 15 tackles and all five-and-a-half tackles for loss were sacks, and one forced fumble in his first four games of the season.
Over the next three games Hutchinson recorded 12 tackles with one for a loss, a half sack, a pass defended and a fumble recovery. Hutchinson turned it on over the final six games of the season. Finishing with 31 tackles with nine tackles for loss, eight sacks, a forced fumble and two passes defended.
Hutchinson finished the season with 58 tackles and 15.5 tackles for loss, 14 sacks, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, and three passes defended. He really put his name on the map with his dominant performance over the then no.2 team in the country the Ohio State Buckeyes. Where he constantly got pressure and tied for his season-high with three sacks while also registering seven tackles.
Alabama and Young struggled to beat several teams that were among the bottom of the conference standings in the SEC. Michigan did not really struggle at any point of the season except for one game, which means that Hutchinson was more deserving of the Heisman Trophy.