Reports of an investigation into allegations surrounding Jameis Winston have done little to dampen the enthusiasm of voters for his Heisman candidacy, as the Florida State freshman quarterback once again led the HeismanPundit Heisman Straw Poll released on Tuesday.
Winston captured six out of 10 first-place votes from the weekly panel of Heisman voters, and totaled 20 points, down slightly from his 22-point total last week, but still ahead of second-place Johnny Manziel of Texas A&M, who also dropped a couple points (2 first-place votes, 18 points).
The biggest gainer since the last poll was Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty, who seemingly culled support from both Winston and Manziel to move into third with 11 points and a first-place vote.
Oregon’s Marcus Mariota, who led the poll as recently as a couple weeks ago, dropped into fourth place with six points and one first-place vote.
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. This year’s poll is made up of 10 anonymous Heisman voters from across the country. Each week during the season they will pick three players. Tabulations for the preseason poll are tabulated like a real Heisman ballot, with three points awarded for a first-place vote, two points for a second-place vote and one point for a third-place vote.
Each week’s poll is released on Tuesdays throughout the season at HeismanPundit.com.
The HeismanPundit.com Heisman Straw Poll, 11/19/2013
Total Points (with first place votes in parentheses)
1. Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State — 20 (6)
2. Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M — 18 (2)
3. Bryce Petty, QB, Baylor — 11 (1)
4. Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon – 6 (1)
5. (tie) AJ McCarron, QB, Alabama — 2
Jordan Lynch, QB, Northern Illinois — 2
7. Andre Williams, RB, Boston College — 1