Giger's Heisman ballot: A pretty easy decision taken in Altoona, Pa. (NCAA)

USC Athletics

Caleb Williams scores against Notre Dame this season.

ALTOONA, Pa. -- My Heisman Trophy frontrunner all season long was Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud, and he was the odds-on betting favorite until the Buckeyes lost to Michigan.

When that happened, USC quarterback Caleb Williams gained enormous momentum in a hurry, and his numbers this season were phenomenal.

I continued to give Stroud a lot of consideration right up until casting my vote -- in large part because I have major questions about the weaker defenses Williams played in the Pac-12 -- but ultimately, there really was simply no justification to vote anyone else over Williams for first place.

Williams was named the Heisman Trophy winner Saturday night, becoming the first USC player to win sports' most prestigious individual award since Reggie Bush in 2005.

I've been a Heisman Trophy voter since 2012. When the legendary Beano Cook passed away, it opened up his vote, and I was selected to receive it. Being a Heisman voter is an honor I hold dearly and take very seriously, so I spend a great deal of time each year on my ballot.

Here's how I voted:

First place: Caleb Williams -- He threw for 4,075 yards with 37 touchdowns and four interceptions. He also rushed for 372 yards and 10 touchdowns, which gave him a clear advantage over Stroud, who had only 74 yards rushing. USC lost two games to Utah, but Williams was terrific in both of those -- passing for 381 yards and five TDs in the first, then 363 yards and three TDs in the second. He injured his hamstring in the Pac-12 championship game loss to the Utes and was clearly limited, but still was effective. His overall numbers and impact on his team made him, in my mind, an easy choice as the Heisman winner.

Second place: C.J. Stroud -- He passed for 3,340 yards with 37 TDs and six interceptions. As mentioned, the thing that hurts Stroud some, compared to many previous Ohio State quarterbacks, is that he is a prototypical pocket quarterback who doesn't run much at all. That makes him a little easier to defend because, as we've seen against Penn State over the years, Buckeye QBs who have been dual threats can really hurt defenses in a lot of ways. As good as I think Stroud is -- I've voted him in second place for the Heisman two years in a row -- I think his limited running ability will hurt him in the NFL.

Third place: Max Duggan -- The TCU quarterback came out of nowhere late in the season in the Heisman odds, and he showed everyone what a warrior he is in the Big 12 title game loss to Kansas State. Duggan led the Horned Frogs to the College Football Playoff, so he absolutely was deserving of a spot on anyone's ballot. He passed for 3,321 yards with 30 TDs and four interceptions, plus ran for 404 yards and six scores.

COUPLE OF NOTES

I didn't give much consideration to Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett, who was one of the four finalists and earned an invitation to New York. I love Bennett's story going from former walk-on to national champion quarterback, and he deserves all the credit in the world for turning himself into a college legend. But he has so much talent around him on Georgia and really never has to be the guy. He passed for 3,425 yards with 20 TDs and six interceptions, and frankly, Tennessee QB Hendon Hooker (3,175, 27 TDs, two INTs) deserved to be a finalist more than Bennett. Those voting for Bennett, to me, may have been doing so as some sort of lifetime achievement award, but that's not what the Heisman is -- at all.

Michigan running back Blake Corum got a lot of consideration from me. He rushed for 1,463 yards and 18 TDs. But what hurt him in my mind is that, after he got injured, his replacement, Donovan Edwards, rushed for 216 yards and two TDs in a win at Ohio State, and 185 and a score against Purdue in the Big Ten title game. Edwards also had 173 yards rushing and two TDs against Penn State. While Corum is really good, he also is part of a magnificent overall Michigan running attack, and the fact that Edwards did so well took some of the luster away from Corum's accomplishments.

FINAL VOTING

Total votes, with first-place votes in parenthesis.

1. Caleb Williams (544): 2,031
2. Max Duggan (188): 1,420
3. C.J. Stroud (37): 539
4. Stetson Bennett (36): 349
5. Hendon Hooker (17): 226

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