All season, the Heisman Trophy contest figured to be close. Preseason front-runner Andrew Luck of Stanford was quickly joined by a number of contenders. No one seemed to break out of the pack in November, as is usually the case. But the four Dispatch writers who have votes were in unanimity when their votes were finally cast.

Columnist Bob Hunter, national college writer Todd Jones and Ohio State beat writers Tim May and Bill Rabinowitz all had Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III at the top of their ballots, although they differed with their second- and third-place votes.

Their explanations:

Bob Hunter

Robert Griffin III has said all along that the Heisman is a team award, and in an odd way, he’s right. He got my Heisman vote in part because his team would be nowhere without him, same as always. Griffin didn’t lead the Bears to a national title, but what he did was much harder: He took a team that hasn’t been on anybody’s football radar and made it 9-3.

Baylor beat Oklahoma because of Griffin. Baylor beat Texas because of Griffin. Baylor won nine games for the first time since 1986 because of Griffin. This is a team award, only in the sense that his ability to succeed as he has — he is on pace to set an NCAA record for passing efficiency — on this team only emphasizes how special he is. If Baylor beats Washington in the Alamo Bowl, it will be only the second 10-victory season in the school’s history.

For weeks, Stanford’s Andrew Luck seemed likely to get my vote, but when it came time to fill out the ballot, Griffin had blown past him. He had better stats — 3,998 passing yards to Luck’s 3,170, 36 touchdowns to Luck’s 35, six interceptions to Luck’s nine, more yards per completion, more rushing yards (644-153) — all against a tougher schedule.

No disrespect to Luck — he led Stanford to an 11-1 season and got my second-place vote — but in my mind, he wins out over Griffin only if this is a career achievement award instead of one designed to go to the top college player of the 2011 season.

Third place was hard for me because I usually try to cast one of my three votes for someone other than a quarterback or running back, and LSU cornerback Tyrann Mathieu would be an excellent choice for any of the three spots on my ballot. But in the end, Wisconsin running back Montee Ball got the nod. Any voter with Midwestern roots, and particularly one who has spent years covering Ohio State, should appreciate the kind of rushing numbers (1,759 yards, 32 touchdowns and 6.4 yards per carry) Ball had.

Todd Jones

Griffin received my first-place vote in part because he was so good this season that I actually watched Baylor on TV. He led the Bears to a 9-3 record and top-20 ranking, even though they’re No. 114 in the nation in total defense and No. 109 in scoring defense.

Griffin has all the necessary statistics, and Baylor’s victories over Oklahoma and Texas persuaded me to vote for him. The Bears were 0-20 against Oklahoma until Nov. 19, when he put up 551 yards of total offense against the Sooners and ended the game’s final drive with a touchdown pass. He then threw for two touchdowns and ran for two last week in a 48-24 victory over Texas.

Ball took second place on my ballot, and not because he led the nation in rushing with 1,759 yards while toiling in a Big Ten that was saturated with ground-oriented football. Name a more impressive statistic than the junior’s 38 touchdowns (rushing and receiving) this season.

That total was more than what 52 teams scored, including Ohio State. Ball scored four times and churned out 137 rushing yards while helping the Badgers earn a repeat trip to the Rose Bowl by defeating Michigan State 42-39 in the inaugural Big Ten championship game.

Ball enters the Rose Bowl against Oregon needing a touchdown to break Barry Sanders’ season record of 39. Imagine the numbers Ball could have amassed if he had not sat out the fourth quarter in six of Wisconsin’s 13 games this season.

Luck finished third on my ballot. He probably will be the NFL’s No. 1 draft pick next spring, but the Heisman is a college award, and I thought Griffin and Ball had better overall seasons. Sill, Luck had a tremendous year (3,170 passing yards and a 72.5 percent completion rate) in leading the Cardinal to an 11-1 record. I’m certain the Browns would love to have him.

Tim May

I went with Griffin. He has had my attention since his first year at Baylor in 2008, when he was the most-exciting freshman quarterback in the country during a season that included the debut of Terrelle Pryor at Ohio State.

There is no argument about the impact Luck has had at Stanford. And I shudder to think how methodical Alabama’s offense would have been this season without the outstanding ability and sheer will of running back Trent Richardson. They ended up No. 2 and No. 3 on my ballot.

This again is the year of the quarterback, though, and in a conversation I had with my brother, Tony, the other night, he made a point about Griffin that I had been harboring for a while. As good as Luck is, Griffin would be an upgrade at quarterback for Stanford. Along with having better passing statistics and a bona-fide touch with the ball, he would be the fastest and probably best runner for the Cardinal.

This season, Griffin would have been an upgrade at quarterback for any team in the nation, which makes him the nation’s outstanding player. On Saturday, I think the nation is going to find out that a lot of Heisman voters agree with me.

Bill Rabinowitz

I deliberately didn’t formulate any list in my mind until late in the season. After this weekend’s games, I finally reduced it to about five players: Griffin, Luck, Ball, Richardson and Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson.

I wish there had been a truly dominant defensive player like Nebraska’s Ndamukong Suh two years ago. He might have gotten a vote. LSU’s Mathieu was the closest in my mind to cracking the list. Unless a running back is dominant, my bias is toward quarterbacks because of the responsibility they have.

My deliberations boiled down to Griffin and Luck. I picked Griffin because of what he meant to his program. A few years ago, it would have seemed inconceivable to think that a Heisman winner would come from Baylor. A year ago, Griffin led the Bears to their first bowl appearance since 1994.

Luck’s season closely paralleled Griffin’s. He might be the overall better player, and certainly will be the No. 1 pick in the 2012 NFL draft. Luck didn’t have great receivers, and Stanford’s scheme didn’t showcase him as much as it could have.

That he threw two interceptions in the Cardinal’s biggest game, against Oregon, knocked him down just a peg.

The third spot came down to Wilson and Ball. As good as Ball was, I thought Wilson was more valuable to the Badgers. Throwing 31 touchdown passes with only three interceptions is ridiculously impressive.