THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Is the current hype for the Heisman worth it?

Here we go again.

Halfway through the college football season, and already there’s more yak-yak about the Heisman Trophy than debate on the bs top teams.

The Heisman is the silliest award in sports.

It might be the silliest award anywhere.

What would you say if I were putting together a massive award for the country’s best refrigerator installer?

Wait, there would be an argument immediately: Do fridge repair men count, or are installers the only ones eligible?

Are jobs that start from scratch the only work that puts someone on the ballot?

On the other hand, what about giant repair projects that actually require more ingenuity (and hours) than a brand new, hammer-by-the-numbers refrigerator.

Can you start to see the picture here?

The whole idea of comparing an installer in Las Vegas with a repair whiz in Rochester is just plain crazy.

Suggesting a single award for the “Best-With-a-Wrench” would be nuts.

Agreed?

I mean, who would vote on this thing?

Anyone who has spent $1,500 or more in the current calendar year gets a ballot?

Maybe only card-carrying plumbing professionals should vote, since they’re the ones who know pristine tile from rehabbed wallpaper.

YOU GET the craziness of voting on fridge installation, right?

OK, then explain how the Heisman Trophy makes any more sense than stardom in the kitchen.

Just for the record, here’s a confession.

I voted on the Heisman for several years, and then — following one more season full of hype and billboards and all the other nonsense – a thought came to me, clear as day.

“This is just plain stupid.”

Just like those refrigerator installers in Vegas and Rochester, how could I (or any other media member) cast an accurate vote comparing the quarterback from Alabama with a defensive tackle from Sacramento State?

I’ll give you a more realistic example.

The national media is going ga-ga over Oregon’s thrilling 32-31 victory over Ohio State in Eugene.

Quarterback Dillion Gabriel was terrific for the Ducks and Will Howard (grad transfer from Kansas State) had a great game for Ohio State.

Both suddenly have been tossed into the Heisman conversation, mainly because so many national pundits were there in person — and nothing impresses voters like seeing a really dominant player in person.

Howard actually might have lost some votes because of the way he, the Buckeyes and their coaching staff botched the time and distance situation in the final minute.

If they had been crisp and prepared when they got to the Oregon 28-yard line, at worst the Bucks should have had a field goal try that likely would have won the game.

To be fair, I watching those seconds play out with no knowledge of the Ohio State kicking game, so maybe they’d have had a problem without getting closer.

However the game might have turned out, the word “Heisman” got tossed around quite a bit on the broadcast.

Why?

Do announcers get a bonus if they rev up excitement for the award?

LET ME give you nice solid example of this mindless Heisman chatter, and it’s closer to home, too.

I think we can agree that Dillon and Howard played well, if not quite historically, in that Ohio State-Oregon game.

Both Dillon and Howard made mistakes that could have cost at the finish — and in fact, you can argue that Howard actually did.

What if Washington State quarterback John Mateer had played for Oregon or Ohio State last weekend?

Hey, we KNOW that Mateer, just redshirt sophomore, is talented and getting better by the game.

What if he were surrounded by the roster of Oregon … or Texas, or any of the very, very top teams in most polls?

I’m not arguing for Mateer as a Heisman finalist (although if the Cougs don’t lose again …), only that he’s one of several QBs who probably could have put on a show in Eugene.

For that matter, so could Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, who is the best player I’ve seen so far this year.

If Jeanty were playing for Georgia or Tennessee, he’d probably cruise to the Heisman.

Voters from the SEC and ACC, unfortunately, probably wouldn’t take the time to watch Boise State against anybody.

They likely missed a thriller just a few weeks ago, when the Broncos couldn’t quite get over the hump in a 37-34, final-second loss to Oregon.

(Yes, THAT Oregon!)

Jeanty ran for 192 yards and three TDs against the Ducks, and if I WERE still voting for the Heisman, he would be leader in the clubhouse.

But, still … what about that tight end from Yale?

Surely you’ve gotten the point here.

Surely.

Email: scameron@cdapress.com

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press four times each week, normally Tuesday through Friday unless, you know, stuff happens.

Steve suggests you take his opinions in the spirit of a Jimmy Buffett song: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On.”