At some point this must be addressed and can’t continue to be ignored.

Especially with the expanded Playoff 2 seasons away.

It’s time for the Heisman Trophy Trust to amend its rules, push back the voting deadline and declare a winner of the greatest individual award in sports after the college football season.

Not before the postseason begins.

“People have slept on Stetson Bennett for too long,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said after another epic Playoff performance by Bennett.

Here’s the thing: If the Heisman vote were this week, Bennett — Georgia’s 2-time national champion quarterback — would win in a landslide.

If the Heisman vote were after the Playoff last season, Bryce Young still would’ve won big — even after Alabama lost to Georgia in the national championship game.

And that’s the rub. For too long, there were those at the Heisman Trust who didn’t want the award to be a 1-game (old school bowl postseason), or now 2-game award.

Look, I don’t want to be the guy who breaks news to the good folks at the Trust, but the award is — right now — heavily swayed in December by 1 game on Championship Weekend.

The Trust’s argument is simple: It doesn’t want the focus of the award based on the 2 teams playing for the national championship, and in the process minimize the regular season and its precious and unique 3-month shelf life.

If that argument sounds familiar, it should. It’s the same postseason argument university presidents made for decades while avoiding a Playoff.

Now the postseason has evolved into a 12-team Playoff in 2024, and maybe even a 16-team Playoff in 2026.

The Heisman shelf life was stumbled into decades ago, and was heightened and strengthened during the early years of the sport because it was the one north star in a sea of multiple national champions named by multiple media outlets — before the bowl season and after.

AP and UPI and the New York Times and the Dunkel Index, and on and on. (If you need a quick history lesson, check out the 18,000 national titles claimed by Alabama — and how they were awarded).

The Heisman was the one thing that had a specific beginning and end, and everyone knew how it was chosen. Period.

The idea of the first week in December fit perfectly with the schedule of the old Downtown Athletic Club, and no one complained because once the award grew exponentially beyond what was envisioned, why change?

Because now it’s time. In 2 years, there will be 11 critical games in the Playoff that won’t be part of the Heisman Trophy race. Games where the elite of college football will shine, and the true value of the individual award will grow beyond the indisputable.

If the Playoff moves to 16 teams in 2026 (or later) — and there are many presidents and athletic directors eager to delve deeper into the idea of 16 — then you’re looking at 15 games that will decide the national champion being left out of the race for the Heisman Trophy.

Think about this: If Ohio State hits a 50-yard field goal in the Peach Bowl semifinal against Georgia, the entire college football world looks differently at the season of Buckeyes quarterback CJ Stroud.

He had a fantastic sophomore season, led Ohio State to an 11-1 regular-season record and put up big numbers. The only blemish was the loss to Michigan in the regular-season finale.

So he responds in the Playoff with a career game and is a missed field goal from nearly single-handedly beating the defending national champions.

Imagine the numbers he would’ve put up against TCU in the Playoff championship game.

As it was, the postseason saw a heroic comeback against Ohio State from Bennett, the former walk-on turned greatest quarterback in Georgia history. Then another epic performance in a rout of TCU.

The quarterback of the unbeaten back-to-back national champions, who became the first Georgia quarterback to throw for more than 4,000 yards, who accounted for 37 TDs (10 rush) and 4,377 yards (250 rush) in 2022, is a runaway winner of the Heisman over USC QB Caleb Williams — if it’s awarded after the postseason.

If the Heisman waited in 2005, Vince Young might have edged out Reggie Bush after capping a huge season with the greatest individual performance in the history of the modern day championship game.

If the Heisman waited in 2016, Deshaun Watson would’ve at least made voters think twice about Lamar Jackson’s electric season.

If the Heisman waited in 2008, it could’ve had its 2nd-ever 2-time winner with Tim Tebow over Sam Bradford.

Stetson Bennett played in 4 Playoff games in the past 2 seasons. He won all 4, and was named most valuable offensive player of all 4.

He played his best at the biggest, brightest moments — during the regular season and the Playoff. His unique story and path to greatness will live forever.

Yet he’s not eligible for the College Football Hall of Fame because he never made an All-American team. And he never won the Heisman even though Georgia — one of the greatest teams in the modern era — doesn’t win either of its championships without him.

“I know he’s got G.O.A.T. status in Athens, Ga., forever,” Smart said.

He should have a bronze Heisman statue, too.

Do the right thing, Downtown Athletic Club. Grow with the sport and expand your horizons.

Moving forward, push back the vote and declare the winner of the greatest individual award in sports after the college football postseason.