Travis Hunter’s Heisman Prospects Threatened by ‘BCS Pressure’, Shedeur Sanders and Carson Beck Gain Edge

Even though reports tout the Colorado prodigy as one of the favorites for the Heisman Trophy, a tradition in college football may take precedence over his chances, preventing him from getting it. Travis Hunter is gaining more and more popularity this season, but even with all the fans’ support, the league doesn’t really give the Heisman trophy out to wide receivers.

Travis Hunter is both the WR as well as the CB for the Colorado Buffaloes, but alas, how lucky it would’ve been for him if he had been a QB too! As per the recent speculations from NFL analysts and fans alike, the top contenders for this year’s Heisman trophy are players like Jaxson Dart, Shedeur Sanders, Carson Beck, Quinn Ewers, and even Travis Hunter, but unfortunately, ever since the BCS era came to light, it’s been a steep slope for the wide receivers and thus, the trophy is more likely to go in the hands of a quarterback.

How did the BCS system come into play?

It all began in 1998 when then-SEC commissioner, Roy Kramer created the BCS to pair the two-highest ranked teams in a natty game at a traditional bowl game site. Before this, the teams would play their season and then the bowls would come in and pick the teams that they wanted as the finalists.

After they faced off against each other, a lot of sportswriters would chime in together and decide who the national champion would be. The Bowl Championship Series creators designed it to move past the polls and determine a champion through roughhousing, picking a clear winner. However, a shocking fact is that in the 26 years since the BCS system implementation, only 1 WR has received the Heisman trophy, which does not bode well for Travis Hunter’s dreams of hoisting it anytime soon.

Is there any chance of Hunter winning the trophy?

As of now, QBs like Jalen Milroe, Quinn Ewers, and Carson Beck look to be the top contenders if Colorado’s Shedeur doesn’t end up catching up to them this season. The Colorado WR doesn’t look to have a shot this year but never say never since there have been Heisman winners who weren’t just QBs.

Even though the Heisman Trophy has become about the best QBs in the league, there have been times when the running backs have also won it. Reggie Bush and Mark Ingram, both RBs, won it in the years of 2005 and 2009 respectively. DeVonta Smith, the WR for the Alabama Crimson Tide, broke the string of bad luck in 2020 when he won the award but he’s been the only exception in all these years.