In the closest vote in the award’s 75-year history, Alabama’s tailback Mark Ingram is now the rightful owner of this year’s Heisman Trophy. Ingram’s 227 first-place votes along with 1,304 points put him ahead of this year’s other contenders, Toby Gerhart (Stanford), Colt McCoy (Texas), Ndamukong Suh (Nebraska), and Tim Tebow (Florida). Here’s why…

Ingram has been the backbone of Alabama’s offense all season, rushing for a school-record 1,542 yards, gaining 6.2 yards per carry and scoring 18 touchdowns.

And in his final chance to make a case for the Heisman, facing Florida’s then-top-ranked defense, Ingram ran for 113 yards and scored three touchdowns to punctuate his season.

The win sent the top-ranked Crimson Tide to the BCS national title game against McCoy and No. 2 Texas on Jan. 7 at the Rose Bowl.

Tearfully accepting the award, Ingram said, “I’m a little overwhelmed right now. I’m just so excited to bring Alabama their first Heisman winner.”

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