Last week was not a good week to be a Heisman Trophy candidate. Johnny Manziel came into the week in second place on our ballots but his Aggies lost to LSU by 24. Bryce Petty and Marcus Mariota were tied for third and both of their teams got blown out. That leaves Jameis Winston sitting a top the poll all alone. Or does it? With Winston's potential legal issues pending, how would that effect his standing in the poll? Let's take a look at how the voting played out this week…..
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)- 23 points, 38.33% of votes, 7 first place votes
Last Week BHP Ranking: #1
Last Week: 14 of 25 for 225 yds with 4 TD and 0 INT
Season: 199 of 286 for 3,163 yds passing (69.6% completions) with 32 TD and 7 INT, 126 yds rushing, 3 rushing TD
This Week: at Florida (4-7)
* I know it's an unpopular opinion right now, but until, or if charges come down, I have to keep him at the top. If the legal system presumes innocence until guilt is proven, Heisman voters should too.
– Aaron Torres, Crystal Ball Run and Aaron Torres Sports
* In a week where almost every contender chose to pull out of the race with a dreadful performance, Winston cruised against Idaho. He had no chance at gaining ground this week, but he has still yet to have a bad game all season…not even close. There isn't another contender (from a BCS Conference) who can say that. If FSU runs the table, and the sexual assualt charges are dropped, Winston will win the Heisman.
– Josh Parcell, Crystal Ball Run
* Because no charges have been filed against Winston to this point, I see no reason to knock him off my ballot, let alone the top spot. That could easily change in the next week or so depending on what happens off the field, but for know he is firmly on top of my ballot.
– Kevin McGuire, Crystal Ball Run
2) AJ McCarron (QB- Alabama) – 8 points, 13.33% of votes, 1 first place vote
Last Week BHP Ranking: #5 (tie)
Last Week: 13 of 16 passing for 171 yards and 2 TD with 0 INT
Season: 190 of 277 (68.6%) for 2,399 yards with 23 TD and 5 INT
This Week: at #4 Auburn (10-1)
* In a year in which a number of flashier candidates have all imploded in one way or another, McCarron stands out for his consistency and efficiency. His stats are solid and his leadership is unquestionable as he closes in on a third National Championship. He embodies the Tide, and the Tide are the class of college football. Winston is under a cloud, Johnny 13-picks has three losses and Mariota has faltered twice. Give the award to McCarron for sustained excellence.
– Dale Newton, The Duck Stops Here
3 (tie) Andre Williams (RB- Boston College) – 7 points, 11.67% of votes, 1 first place vote
Last Week BHP Ranking: #7
Last Week: 32 carries for 263 yards and 2 TD with 8.22 ypc
Season: 320 carries for 2,073 yards with 16 TD and 6.48 ypc
This Week: at Syracuse (5-6)
* Andre Williams has run for 166 yards and 2 TDs, 295 yards and 2 TDs, 339 yards and 2 TDs and 263 yards and 2 TDs over the past four weeks. All of those games have been Boston College victories. They are 7-4 and a Heisman winner off a 8-4 or 7-5 team seems like it won't happen. Williams is a special case. He's rushed for over 2,000 yards through 11 games. He has had a monster season. With the Heisman race wide open, why not him? Williams have put BC on his back and he deserves some love.
– Scott, Bearcats Blog
3 (tie) Johnny Manziel (QB- Texas A&M) – 7 points, 11.67% of votes
Last Week BHP Ranking: #2
Last Week: 16 of 41 for 224 yards with 1 TD and 2 INT, 54 yards rushing
Season: 356 attempts/246 completions (69.1%) for 3,537 yards passing with 32 TD and 13 INT, 665 yds rushing and 8 rushing TDs
This Week: at #5 Missouri (10-1)
5) Jordan Lynch (QB- Northern Illinois) – 6 points, 10.00% of votes, 1 first place vote
Last Week BHP Ranking: #5 (tie)
Last Week: 17 of 22 passing for 202 yards passing, 161 yards rushing with 3 rushing TDs
Season: 207 of 312 (66.3%) for 2,418 yards with 21 TD and 5 INT, 1,434 yards rushing, 17 rushing TD, 1 reception for 17 yards and a TD
This Week: Tues 11/26 vs WMU (1-10)
Also receiving votes: Ka'Deem Carey (RB- Arizona) 2 pts, Tajh Boyd (QB- Clemson) 2 pts, Braxton Miller (QB- Ohio State) 2 pts, Derek Carr (QB- Fresno State) 2 pts, Bryce Petty (QB-Baylor) 1 pt
Dropped Out: Miles Jack (RB/LB- UCLA), Marcus Mariota (QB- Oregon)
Poll Notes
– Most of the voters stuck with Jameis Winston, but he did take a slight hit in the polls despite all of his competition seemingly falling by the wayside. Last week, Winston received eight first place votes out of ten and was listed on every ballot. This week, he received seven first place votes and was left off two of the ballots.
– In our 2011 poll, RG3 moved from 1st to 2nd after he was forced out of a game early with an injury. Trent Richardson took advantage by rushing for over 200 yards to take the top spot in the poll.
– It looks strange in hindsight but In our 2012 poll, Manti T'eo was in the lead for the second straight week. Johnny Manziel was starting to gain some real momentum and was in second place with 27.08% of the vote.
– Once again, NIU's Jordan Lynch has a spotlight to himself as he is the only Heisman hopeful in action on Tuesday night. Of course, they are playing WMU so it's not exactly a game where he can produce a Heisman moment.
– Johnny Manziel and AJ McCarron are in the best position this week to make a strong case for the Heisman Trophy. Manziel is coming off of an awful performance against LSU but he's right back into the fire against Missouri and if the Aggies win, voters could forgive last weeks outing. AJ McCarron and the Crimson Tide face off with the Auburn Tigers in a battle of top ten teams. If McCarron shines, he will pick up some votes.
– On Friday, check out David Carr and #16 Fresno State as they face San Jose State on the CBS Sports Network. Carr leads the Nation with 39 TD passes and has only thrown 4 INTs.
– Tajh Boyd has not had any luck in his career against Palmetto State rival South Carolina. If he can get the Tigers past the Gamecocks this weekend, he could vault himself back into contention for the Trophy.
– Arizona's Ka'Deem Carey got some votes this week. This weekend he has a chance to get some more if the Wildcats can topple their in-state rival Arizona State, who is currently ranked #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)
