Brian Kelly opens up on importance strength of schedule has on Heisman race

LSU may not be in the College Football Playoff conversation, but they do still have a quarterback, Jayden Daniels, who is leading the Heisman discussion at the moment.

Daniels may not be the odds-on favorite for the award at the moment — thanks to Oregon’s Bo Nix — but his candidacy is sparking questions about just how good a player off a non-national-contender has to be in order to garner enough attention to win college football’s premier individual award. One factor in this discussion is how strong of a schedule Daniels faced. Obviously, playing in a loaded SEC helps, but Brian Kelly says that and a whole slew of other factors all play into his shot at the trophy.

Here was Kelly at this week’s press conference answering on the abundance of criteria that goes into making a Heisman selection.

“Well, I think that there’s so many different things that people look at. You know, when they have a ballot, they’re looking at strength to schedule, they’re looking at wins and losses, they’re looking at consistency and performance. And I think if you examine it, you know, I think there’s so many different components.”

Among the most important of those components is the eye test, hopes Kelly.

“But when you break it down, it’s the eye test as well. So I could probably agree with a number of different components, but when a guy takes over a game and in the manner that (Jayden Daniels) has all year, I think that that really shifts it more so than, you know, really getting down to specifics.”

Of course, Daniels is paying a tougher schedule than any non-power conference player, if that were who he were up against. But instead, he admits that every one of the Heisman candidates has faced a tough schedule and had to perform at en elite level against power conference foes.

“And I guess that’s why it would be much more difficult if it was a non-power five, you know, performance. They would kind of scrutinize that. All the candidates that are up for it are are equal in terms of power five candidates playing a high-level schedule.”

Brian Kelly easily could have stood on top of his soap box and complained that Daniels is at a disadvantage having to play against an extremely difficult SEC schedule while other candidates do not. Rather, he understands that every power conference has great players putting up great numbers against great teams. That’s why the difference for Daniels is the eye test — actually watching him completely take over games against Ole Miss, Missouri, Florida or whoever.