Under the bright lights of New York, Heisman drama will hit its final countdown on Saturday. With hours left in the ceremony, Fernando Mendoza, Jeremiyah Love, Diego Pavia, and Julian Sayin make headlines. Each delivered a season worth remembering, but only one will emerge as the winner. For others, brilliance might not be enough, as they will join a long list of unforgettable Heisman snubs.

Did Peyton Manning deserve the 1997 Heisman over Charles Woodson?

Peyton Manning’s Heisman snub remains the most debated one to date. Despite concluding his 1997 season with 3,819 passing yards, 36 touchdowns, and just 11 interceptions, the Tennessee QB couldn’t take the title home. As cornerback Charles Woodson won the trophy with 433 of 921 first-place votes.

It’s not like Woodson didn’t do well that season; he finished the year with 43 tackles with seven interceptions for the nation’s no. 1 scoring defense, scoring 9.5 points per game. But Peyton Manning had one of the most remarkable seasons that year, pushing Tennessee to an 11-1 record, and yet he lost to Woodson despite being in a position that rarely gets recognized by the Heisman.

Even Peyton Manning’s offensive coordinator, David Cutcliffe, at that time, got numb and mute after the winner was out.

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“I was there at the [Heisman] event, and as I look back, when they announced Charles Woodson, and this isn’t to diminish Charles, but there was more media to go see the reaction of Peyton than to see the reaction of Charles,” David Cutcliffe said. “I was sick to my stomach about it and still get sick about it.”

One reason that ended Manning’s Heisman hopes was the Vols’ only regular-season loss to Florida in 1997. Despite Manning’s impressive return of an interception for a touchdown. With that, even media bias turned things around. As they were more focused on the Big Ten rather than the SEC, it didn’t give Manning the spotlight he deserved.

Whereas Michigan’s Charles Woodson’s highlight play against Ohio State, with his punt return touchdowns, got all the attention. Now, one notion remains: that Woodson’s defensive ability attracted the voters, and they were drawn to the idea of rewarding a once-in-a-generation, two-way star in this quarterback-heavy era. But that ended Manning’s hopes.

Was Vince Young robbed in 2005 after his iconic Rose Bowl run?

Texas’ legendary quarterback Vince Young’s college resume was loaded with awards, great moments, and a national title, but the Heisman couldn’t make its case next to his name. During the 2005 season, Young stood toe-to-toe with USC star Reggie Bush.

While Bush won the Heisman, Young finished second with 1,608 votes, and Bush came first with 2,541. That decision fueled debate, especially after Young’s impressive Rose Bowl performance, where he passed for 267 yards and rushed for 200 yards with three touchdowns against USC in the BCS championship game.

But nothing changed until years later, when the NCAA addressed extra benefits. USC dissociated itself from Bush, and in 2010, he voluntarily returned his Heisman Trophy to the Heisman Trust. Which meant 2005 didn’t officially have a winner.

The Heisman Trust did try to give Young the trophy, but he refused it, saying Bush deserved it. And that’s how both ended up losing it.

Why did Larry Fitzgerald lose the 2003 Heisman despite historic stats?

Larry Fitzgerald was an incredible wide receiver in college football; as a redshirt sophomore at Pitt, he led the nation with 1,672 yards on 92 catches and 22 touchdowns. Despite facing double or triple coverage, he used to make spectacular catches.

But despite that, Oklahoma’s quarterback Jason White came up strong in the Heisman voting after putting up strong numbers coming back from season-ending knee injuries in the last two years.

Analysts like ESPN’s David Hale couldn’t make peace with the news as he took to X, expressing his dissatisfaction and claiming how Fitzgerald got “utterly robbed” of the Heisman. On top of that, Fitzgerald also lost because of the position he played, as wide receivers rarely win the Heisman. In fact, no WR won the award for nearly three decades after 1992.

Did Christian McCaffrey’s 2015 all-purpose dominance deserve the Heisman Trophy?

Despite breaking Barry Sanders’s NCAA single-season all-purpose yards record with 3,684 yards, running back Christian McCaffrey still came second to Derrick Henry, who won the Heisman in 2015.

Many called the result openly unfair. Christian McCaffrey’s running back coach, Lance Taylor, labeled it a “travesty,” while teammate Solomon Thomas went further, calling it a “disgrace to the trophy.”

But let’s not forget that even Henry’s case was strong. He rushed for 1,932 yards, breaking Herschel Walker’s long-standing SEC record, and did it with 58 fewer yards. Then he carried Alabama to the national championship while McCaffrey’s Stanford lost two regular-season games. With players’ success, even team success stood out in front of the voters, and hence, Henry made it to the end.

Timing was McCaffrey’s biggest enemy, as most of his biggest performances came late at night on the West Coast, which even fueled the East Coast bias and SEC favoritism talk. But in the end, things turned in Henry’s favor.

Should Tua Tagovailoa have won the 2018 Heisman before Kyler Murray?

Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray won the 2018 Heisman, finishing up with 517 first-place votes, while Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa finished second with 299 first-place votes. Now, the result shook many, as Tagovailoa was a front-runner since the start of the season.

But even Murray’s victory was historic, as he became the first quarterback from the same school to win the Heisman in consecutive years following Baker Mayfield. He completed over 70% of passes and led the nation in passing efficiency.

This man threw 3,353 yards with 37 touchdowns and just 4 interceptions despite never playing a full game. He led the offense that averaged 47.9 points per game. But the turning point of his career came in the SEC championship game when he struggled, going 10 of 25 for 164 yards with two interceptions before getting out with a high ankle injury. Backup Jalen Hurts saved the season, but an injury ended Tagovailoa’s Heisman hopes.

Now, let’s wait and see who wins it this season.