The 2013 Heisman Trophy announcement will take place on Saturday, December 14th. The ballots are due back by December 9th so there is only one more week for potential candidates to make an impact on voters and most teams have already played their final game. Contenders who will be in action this week include front-runner Jameis Winston and fast rising NIU QB Jordan Lynch. Will somebody from Auburn or Missouri make a lasting impression this weekend? Can Braxton Miller make his case against the tough and tumble Michigan State defense? There are some interesting storylines this weekend to follow but for now let's take a look at how our voters see the Heisman trophy after fourteen weeks of college football…
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)- 26 points, 43.33% of votes, 8 first place votes
Last Week BHP Ranking: #1
Last Week: 19 of 31 for 327 yds with 3 TD and 1 INT
Season: 218 of 317 for 3,490 yds passing (68.8% completions) with 35 TD and 8 INT, 134 yds rushing, 3 rushing TD
This Week: ACC Championship Game against #20 Duke (10-2)
* No player in the country this season has produced as consistently as Winston, and it is not all that close. Florida may have been a wreck this season, but for Winston to weather an early storm in the Swamp and come on strong the way he eventually did was nothing short of impressive and proved that he is the best player in the country this season.
– Kevin McGuire, Crystal Ball Run
* If it weren't for this sexual assault investigation, the race would be over (barring a shocking loss to Duke this weekend). I see it this way: it would be worse to keep the Heisman away from Winston, only to find out he was innocent all along, than it would be to hand him the Heisman and have to deal with the consequences of a conviction later. With all due respect to Jay Jacobs, that would be un-American.
– Josh Parcell, Crystal Ball Run
* After 300+ yards and 3 TDs against your SEC rival, I think that will just about sew it up for Winston. Unless the bombshell comes down in the next week, the votes will be counted and we will have our second freshman Heisman winner in two years.
– Hamilton Riley, Lambeth Field
2) Jordan Lynch (QB- Northern Illinois) – 17 points, 28.33% of votes, 2 first place votes
Last Week BHP Ranking: #5
Last Week: 5 of 17 passing for 39 yards passing with 1 TD, 321 yards rushing with 3 rushing TDs
Season: 212 of 329 (64.4%) for 2,457 yards with 22 TD and 5 INT, 1,755 yards rushing, 20 rushing TD, 1 reception for 17 yards and a TD
This Week: MAC Championship Game against Bowling Green (9-3)
* A "non-AQ candidate" hasn't won the award since Jay Berwanger, but Lynch stands out as the sole survivor after leading the Huskies to a #14 BCS ranking. He had an incredible 321 yards rushing in last Tuesday's 33-14 win over WMU, and he gets another national showcase in the MAC Championship Game Friday night.
– Dale Newton, The Duck Stops Here
3) AJ McCarron (QB- Alabama) – 6 points, 10.00% of votes
Last Week BHP Ranking: #2
Last Week: 17 of 29 passing for 277 yards and 3 TD with 0 INT
Season: 207 of 306 (67.6%) for 2,676 yards with 26 TD and 5 INT
Also receiving votes: Braxton Miller (QB- Ohio State) 4 pts; Andre Williams (RB- Boston College) 3 pts; Tre Mason (RB- Auburn) 2 pts; Marcus Mariota (QB- Oregon) 1 pt; Chris Davis (DB/KR- Auburn) 1 pt
Dropped Out: Ka'Deem Carey (RB- Arizona), Johnny Manziel (QB- Texas A&M), Tajh Boyd (QB- Clemson), Derek Carr (QB- Fresno State), Bryce Petty (QB- Baylor)
Poll Notes
– After taking a slight dip in the polls (but remaining #1) last week, Jameis Winston bounced back this week by increasing his total share of the votes by 5% and gaining one first place vote.
– The big winner of the week was Jordan Lynch as he moved up from 5th place to 2nd place. With a big game in the MAC Championship this weekend, could he make a late run at the Trophy?
– In our 2011 poll, RG3 moved back into 1st place after a strong performance against Texas. He claimed 45.56% of the vote this week with Wisconsin's Montee Ball placing second with 18.89%.
– In our 2012 poll, it was this week (which was the final poll) that saw Johnny Manziel finally take the top spot with 36.36% of the vote to runner-up Manti Te'o's 28.79%.
– Both of our top two vote-getters, Jameis Winston and Jordan Lynch, have one last chance to put their stamp on the Heisman this weekend. Winston and FSU face off with Duke in the ACC Championship Game and Lynch and his Huskies have the lone spotlight on Friday night in the MAC Championship Game.
– Teddy Bridgewater has led his Louisville Cardinals to a 10-1 record and face the 9-2 Cincinnati Bearcats on Thursday night. Can he make one last push for the trophy?
– Braxton Miller and Bryce Petty have been long shots this season but both have one more chance to make an impression as Miller and the Buckeye's take on the best B1G defense and Baylor faces Texas.
– The SEC Championship Game pits #3 Auburn against #5 Missouri. Will somebody have a break-out performance that will convince voters to invite them to New York?
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)
