How the 12-team College Football Playoff works Share The most prestigious trophy in college football is the Heisman Trophy. Sometimes the winner dominates voting in a blowout — like Joe Burrow in 2019. But we're here to look at the tightest Heisman finishes in history. 2009: Mark Ingram vs. Toby Gerhart — and others (28-point margin) Alabama's Mark Ingram clinched the Heisman Trophy in the closest race in the award's history, beating Stanford running back Toby Gerhart by a razor-thin 28 points. Ingram's pivotal performances, like a career-best 246-yard game against South Carolina, helped carry Alabama to an undefeated season and their first SEC title in a decade. Gerhart's eye-popping 1,871 rushing