Does 194 extra rushing yards on 62 extra carries make Gerhart the clear cut best player in college football? It seems as though you believe this, since you were the one posting stats on page 2. For that matter, Gerhart is a senior and Ingram is only a sophomore. You act as if Ingram clearly doesn't even belong in the same discussion as Gerhart. THAT is ludicrous.
I'm not even saying that he was clearly the obvious choice to win it. You could have damn near flipped a coin on a winner this year and made a case for each one. Shit, alot of you here were saying before the Iron Bowl that if AU could just shut Ingram down, AU could probably win. Thats been the case nearly every game we played this season. When the kid is identified to everybody as "musy shut down" to have a shot at winning, how does he not belong in the discussion? How is he not pretty important? Especially when on his back, Alabama is playing for the NC.
On his back?
If it weren't for Greg McElroy and the defense, Alabama loses to Arkansas. That whopping 50 yards rushing he had was TREMENDOUS in that win. If it weren't for Greg McElroy and Trent Richardson (a true freshman running back since their age matters to you), Alabama loses to Auburn. His incredible 30 yards rushing he was most important in that win.
Yes, Ingram is good, and he is very important to Alabama. However, it's been proven that if you take Ingram out of the game, Alabama still wins. If you take Gerhart away from Stanford, Stanford doesn't make a bowl game. If you take Colt McCoy away from Texas, Texas doesn't go undefeated.
Ndominate Suh's stats nearly equaled the stats of Alabama's entire defensive line. He's a defensive tackle. You know, the one that is just supposed to be fat and clog the middle of the line. The DT lets the other guys make plays. Suh made the plays. Terrence Cody? Perfect example of what kind of tub of lard plays in the middle. Suh redefined what a defensive tackle is capable of. He damn near won the Big 12 championship by himself.
Ingram needed McElroy to start out hot, and he needed the Florida defense to be on their toes against the Alabama passing game. It's why Nick Saban took the ball to open the 1st half. It's why Jim McElwain had the offense start out in the spread formation. Ingram needed some help from his surrounding players.
And as for Gerhart's stats, yes, it is indicative of who was a better candidate. We're comparing the two in terms of who was more important and who would be more valuable at the running back position. Gerhart won the stat category. Ingram won the "my surrounding talent and teammates was better" category.
Same shit every year.