Many teams are two-thirds through their schedule at point of the season and we now have three legitimate Heisman candidates that have distanced themselves from the rest of the field. It's still possible that someone could rise up and challenge this trio of players but for now, it's their race to win or lose.
What you'll see each week in the Bloguin Heisman Poll:
* The top total vote getters and quotes from bloggers in support of their candidate
* A list of all players receiving votes
* Poll notes that look at some interesting facts, figures and trends of the poll
* The BHP Roll Call of voters, the links to their respective blogs and twitter accounts
Without any further adieu, the Bloguin Heisman Poll…
1) Jameis Winston (QB- FSU)- 21 points, 43.75% of votes, 5 first place votes
Last Week BHP Ranking: #1 (tie)
Last Week: 16 of 26 for 292 yds with 3 TD and 1 INT
Season: 128 of 183 for 2,177 yds passing (69.9% completions) with 23 TD and 4 INT, 126 yds rushing, 3 rushing TD
This Week: vs Miami, FL (7-0)
* How many football players have we watched in our lifetime and said "wow, that guy makes it look easy!" Well, Winston does make it look easy. For him, it just is that easy. He's a natural talent who has not been fazed by anything this season. Saturday's game against NC State was the perfect spot for a letdown, yet Winston was flawless. It's a tight race between Winston, Manziel and Mariota, but until Winston stumbles, I'm riding the Famous Jameis bandwagon.
– Josh Parcell, Crystal Ball Run
* He has elevated his team and played lights out in big games, exciting to watch and unflappable in the pocket. Our guy is good, steady and efficient, but Winston has more star quality than Mariota or even the guy who won last year.
– Dale Newton, The Duck Stops Here
2) Marcus Mariota (QB- Oregon) – 18 points, 37.50% of votes, 3 first place votes
Last Week BHP Ranking: #1 (tie)
Last Week: 21 of 28 for 230 yds with 1 TD and 0 INT
Season: 144 of 225 (64.0%) for 2,281 yards with 20 TD and 0 INT, 511 yds rushing and 9 rushing TDs
This Week: bye
* Oregon's win over UCLA wasn't flashy and neither was Mariota. but the Heisman front runner didn't do anything that would remove him from the top consideration. The college football season is full of close calls and challenges, and Mariota has yet to falter this season. Even if he was not outstanding against UCLA, he didn't do anything to take him out of the top spot.
– Jonathan Biles, Crystal Ball Run
* You can tell things are getting a little harder for Oregon. They needed a 21 spot in the 4th quarter to put away UCLA, and while he completed 75% of his passes, Mariota only accounted for 1 passing touchdown. The difference was clear that it was a game that was going to be won on the ground and that's exactly how the Ducks drew it up. And while this was a great test #1, next week will be the last major obstacle between him and the trophy: UO's trip to Stanford. Win that, and it's pretty much his.
– Hamilton Riley, Lambeth Field
3) Johnny Manziel (QB- Texas A&M) – 9 points, 18.75% of votes
Last Week BHP Ranking: #3
Last Week: 25 of 35 passing for 305 yards with 4 TD and 1 INT
Season: 252 attempts/184 completions (73.0%) for 2,594 yards passing with 22 TD and 8 INT, 497 yds rushing and 6 rushing TDs
This Week: vs UTEP (1-6)
Dropped Out: Melvin Gordon (RB- Wisconsin), Bryce Petty (QB- Baylor), Sean Mannion (QB- Oregon State), Lache Seastrunk (RB-Baylor), Anthony Barr (LB- UCLA)
Poll Notes
– In our 2011 poll, Andrew Luck continued to make it look like he was a shoe in for the trophy has he continued to lead with 42.67% of the vote. Trent Richardson and Kellen Moore were the only other players to receive first place votes as they both got one.
– In our 2012 poll, after week nine Collin Klein spent his second straight week at the top of the pile as he garnered 40% of the vote. Manti T'eo placed second with 25% and AJ McCarron was third with 16.67%. Johnny Manziel was still two weeks away from making a strong move into the poll with a victory over Alabama.
– Looking back at the last two years, it's interesting that the winner of the trophy wasn't even the pack with the leaders at this point of the season. What that tells us is that there is plenty of football to be played.
– After a big win over Clemson two weeks ago, Jameis Winston once again goes on the big stage with a game against undefeated Miami. Winston has a big opportunity to distance himself from Mariota because….
– The Oregon Ducks have an off-week and in the past that has meant a slight fall in the standings. The good news for Mariota is that after the bye week, Oregon plays Stanford and that will be a make or break game for Mariota and his Heisman chances.
– Johnny Manziel jumped back into contention with a gutty performance against Vanderbilt. Manziel will likely have a lot to say about this race before it is all said and done.
– Sean Mannion was a player we said to keep an eye on last week and he put up some good stats against Stanford (41 of 57 for 271 yards) but only threw for one TD as his Beavers lost to the Cardinal 20-12.
Bloguin Heisman Poll Roll Call
Aaron Torres- Crystal Ball Run (@aaron_torres)
Andrew Coppens- Crystal Ball Run, Madtown Badgers (@andycoppens)
Dale Newton- The Duck Stops Here (@DSH_Newton)
Hamilton Riley- Lambeth Field (@lambethfield)
Jonathan Biles- Crystal Ball Run (@Jonathan_Biles)
Josh Parcell- Crystal Ball Run (@joshparcell)
Kevin Causey- College Football Zealots, Crystal Ball Run (@CFBZ)
Kevin McGuire- Crystal Ball Run (@kevinoncfb)
Scott- Bearcats Blog (@bearcatsblog)
Tom Perry- Crystal Ball Run, Eye and Eer (@eyeandeer)
