Marcus Mariota‘s big game against a ranked Washington team on the road this past Saturday has pushed him into the lead in the latest HeismanPundit Heisman Straw Poll released on Tuesday.
The Oregon sophomore collected 7 out of 10 first-place votes and tallied 25 points to finish six points in front of defending Heisman winner Johnny Manziel of Texas A&M (3 first-place votes, 19 points). Manziel had led the previous three polls.
Both sophomores were well ahead of the rest of the field, reflecting their dominance in the first half of the season.
Jameis Winston of Florida State was third with five points whileSean Mannion of Oregon State was fourth with four points.
Now in its eighth season, the HeismanPundit.com Heisman Straw Poll is the college football world’s most trusted gauge of Heisman voter sentiment. It has been the most accurate Heisman poll in the country during the past seven seasons, with the final 2012 poll correctly picking the top five finishers and the final 2011 poll picking the top seven.
Each week’s poll is released on Tuesdays throughout the season at HeismanPundit.com.
The HeismanPundit.com Heisman Straw Poll, 10/15/2013
Total Points (with first place votes in parentheses)
1. Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon - 25 (7)
2. Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M - 19 (3)
3. Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State - 5
4. Sean Mannion, QB, Oregon State - 4
5. (tie) Tajh Boyd, QB, Clemson - 2
Bryce Petty, QB, Baylor - 2
Duke Johnson, RB, Miami - 2
8. Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville - 1