Keeping Pace With the Heisman Race

Mike Bartlett (Viewpoint, 11-12) has to be kidding. His letter was riddled with invalid arguments supporting Troy Aikman as the Heisman favorite.

Bartlett begins to support his claim by comparing Aikman’s statistics through 9 games with Rodney Peete’s through 8 games. He then has the audacity to compare Aikman’s performance against Nebraska to Peete’s performance against Oklahoma. Next he’ll be comparing apples to rare Mongolian kiwi fruit.

The Cornhuskers and the Sooners are not the same team. And it’s ludicrous to compare statistics based on 9 games to statistics based on only 8. In fact, it would be ludicrous to compare statistics through 11 games this season because USC’s nonconference games include Boston College and Notre Dame while UCLA’s include San Diego State and Cal State Long Beach.

Besides, if Bartlett wants to blindly rely on statistics, his Heisman vote would be for Washington State’s Timm Rosenbach.

The only statistical comparison that is remotely fair is to compare Peete’s and Aikman’s performances in the 6 games in which UCLA and USC have faced the same opponents. Based on those games, Peete has completed 66% of his passes for 1,410 yards, including 3 touchdown passes and 5 interceptions. Aikman has completed 62% of his passes for 1,317 yards, including 11 touchdown passes and 5 interceptions.

Who really is the Heisman favorite here? For Peete’s sake, don’t tell me it’s Aikman.

WAYNE KAMEMOTO

Los Angeles