An average of 9.6 million viewers tuned in Saturday night to watch No. 2 Alabama defeat No. 3 Georgia on CBS last Saturday night when a graphic entitled “Heisman Watch” popped up on their television screens.
On one side was the familiar face and long-flowing hair of Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, accompanied by the stats of his performance earlier that day against Georgia Tech. On the other side was smiling, head band-wearing BYU quarterback Zach Wilson and the stats from his big game against Houston.
The split screen-like image required a double take. Was CBS sports suggesting that Wilson was a bonafide Heisman candidate, and deserving to be mentioned for the most prestigious honor in college football in the same breath as the heavily favored Lawrence?