Heisman presentation will break award deadlock between Kyler and Tua

The Heisman Trophy competition this season has been a two-man race for most of the season.

And it is still very much a two-man race to the finish on the eve of the 2018 Heisman presentation in New York City. The final vote is in and it could literally swing either way between Oklahoma’s one-and done star quarterback Kyler Murray and Tua Tagovailoa, the sophomore signal caller of the top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide.

There was a good chance we would get a signal on who might have the inside track in the Heisman race with the announcement on Thursday of a number of the top individual awards for the 2018 college football season, but all that did was leave us in a virtual dead heat and still clueless as to which player is on the brink of being inducted into college football’s most select club.

Earlier in the day on Thursday, Murray was named the Associated Press college football Player of the Year. Tagovailoa matched that and raised the stakes by one during the Home Depot College Football Awards Show Thursday night, winning the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award and the Maxwell Award as the best all-around player in college football this season.

Tagovailoa was also a first-team selection as the quarterback of the Walter Camp All-America Team. Murray was a second-team selection, but got the nod over his Bama counterpart on the Sports Illustrated All-America Team, announced earlier in the week.

Murray didn’t walk away from the awards show empty-handed, though. The Sooner quarterback was awarded the Davey O’Brien Award as the nation’s top quarterback this season.

That leaves the two Heisman contenders all square with two national awards apiece and the biggest and most prestigious award yet to come.

Murray is hoping to follow in the footsteps of former teammate Baker Mayfield, last year’s Heisman winner who also was AP Player of the Year and winner of the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award.

For what it’s worth, eight of the last 10 winners of the AP Player of the Year Award have gone on to capture the Heisman Trophy. Tagovailoa also has some precedent leaning his way. The last five winners of the Walter Camp Award also won the Maxwell Award, followed by the Heisman Trophy.

So, if you can tell me which player, Murray or Tagovailoa, holds an advantage heading into Saturday night’s Heisman ceremony, you’re a better man or woman than me.

One thing we do know with certainty: Oklahoma has had the most Heisman finalists since 2000 (9), three more than Alabama (6).

Keep those fingers crossed, Sooner fans.