After his record-setting day on Nov. 15 against Nebraska, Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon has had a slim lead at the top of the poll. Would he be able to hold off Oregon’s Marcus Mariota after the Pac-12 star’s performance in the Civil War game? Alabama’s Amari Cooper had a big game in the Iron Bowl, while Jameis Winston and Florida State just keep winning.
Let’s take a look at how this past weekend affected our Heisman Poll, keeping in mind that the top two candidates will play on separate nights this weekend: Marcus Mariota on Friday, Melvin Gordon on Saturday. It’s a rare scenario — and a rare treat — for college football fans and pundits to get to see the top two Heisman candidates on separate nights. It’s going to make it easier to see all of their snaps… which will in turn make the Heisman-flavored drama of the final weekend that much richer,
Here’s our poll:
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What you’ll see each week in the Bloguin Heisman Poll:
* The top five total vote getters, with quotes from the voters 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, with links to their respective blogs and twitter accounts
Here’s the newest Bloguin Heisman Poll:
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1) Marcus Mariota (QB – Oregon): 25 points, 40% of votes, 7 first-place votes
Last week BHP ranking: No. 2
Last week: Beat Oregon State, 47-19
Game stats: 19 of 25 passing (76%) for 367 yards with 4 TD and 0 INT, 39 yards rushing with 2 rushing TD
Season stats: 229 of 334 passing (68.6%) for 3,470 yards with 36 TD and 2 INT, 636 yards rushing, 11 rushing TD, 1 reception
This week: vs No. 11 Arizona (10-2)
COMMENTS
This past weekend, if you were to look at two very close Heisman resumes, Melvin Gordon did nothing wrong… but Marcus Mariota did more than Gordon, effortlessly leading Oregon to a first-half blowout of Oregon State. Yes, the Beavers are nothing special — they won’t make a bowl game. Yet, this was a rivalry game in Corvallis, a place where the Beavers knocked off Arizona State.
It’s a close race, but heading into the final game, Mariota has a slight lead. Don’t get mad, though, Wisconsin fans — Gordon will get his chance, and based on Ohio State’s run defense, he just might hit one out of the park and snatch the trophy from Mariota’s grasp.
– Matt Zemek, The Student Section
The nation’s top-rated passer, Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota continued his domination of the Pac-12 in a 47-19 victory over rival Oregon State. Mariota accounted for six total scores and is enjoying one of the best seasons ever by a college quarterback.
– Mike Ferguson, Noled Out
There is no question in my mind the quarterback who has had the best season is Oregon’s Mariota. He has been solid and effective from start to finish this season and now is one win away from landing the Ducks in the College Football Playoff. Pick up revenge against Arizona, and he will have this locked up.
– Kevin McGuire, The Student Section
Should be a unanimous pick.
– Scott Halasz, Buckeye Battle Cry
Mariota threw up a monster game in the Civil War with 367 yards, 4 TDs and 2 rushing TDs. His season numbers have become so absurd that I had to move him to the top spot. This game was Mariota’s highest ESPN QBR of the season. That’s neat.
– Scott King, Bearcats Blog/The Student Section
2) Melvin Gordon (RB – Wisconsin): 17 points, 28.81% of votes, 1 first-place vote
Last week BHP ranking: No. 1
Last week: Beat Minnesota, 34-24
Game Stats: 29 carries for 151 yards (5.21 ypc) with 1 TD, 2 receptions with 1 receiving TD
Season: 283 rushes for 2,260 yards (7.99 ypc) and 26 rushing TD, 17 receptions, 3 receiving TD
This week: vs No. 6 Ohio State (11-1)
COMMENTS
The fact that this guy is with in striking distance of Barry Sanders’ single-season rushing record is all you need to know. He may or may not get there, but he’ll at least be No. 2 by the time it’s all said and done. Gordon is having one of the best seasons by a running back in our lifetimes. He’s leading the country in total TDs (not by a QB) and averaging just shy of eight yards per carry. He always seems to come up big in the biggest games, too. Just sit back and enjoy the rest of an historic season if you haven’t been already.
– Andrew Coppens – Madtown Badgers
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3) Amari Cooper (WR – Alabama): 9 points, 15.25% of votes, 0 first-place votes
Last week BHP ranking: No. 4
Last week: Beat Auburn, 55-44
Game Stats: 13 receptions for 224 yards with 3 TD
Season: 103 receptions for 1,573 yards and 14 TD
This week: vs No. 17 Missouri (10-2)
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4) Jameis Winston (QB – Florida State): 6 points, 10.17% of votes, 2 first-place votes
Last week BHP ranking: No. 3
Last week: Beat Florida, 24-19
Game stats: 12 of 24 passing for 125 yards with 2 TD and 4 INT
Season: 255 of 392 passing (65.1%) for 3,250 yards, 21 TD vs 17 INT, 3 rushing TD
This week: vs No. 16 Georgia Tech (10-2)
COMMENTS
Despite tossing four picks against Florida on Saturday, he’s still the most outstanding player in the country. There’s no one else in college football I’d want to be at the controls with the game on the line.
– Terry Johnson, The Student Section
Before everyone freaks out with the eye rolls and comments about drinking before noon, note that most every Heisman contender had a game that doesn’t look Heisman-ish. One thing I would offer about Winston though is that his body language wasn’t the typical rowdy, into-it type we’re used to from him against Florida. We’ll have to see what type of game the ACC championship brings.
– Bart Doan, The Student Section
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5) Trevone Boykin (QB – TCU), Tevin Coleman (RB – Indiana); tied with 1 point, 1.69%
Dropped Out: J.T. Barrett (QB – Ohio State)
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Poll Notes:
– As we head into Championship Week, let’s take a look back at who was in first place in the Heisman Poll at this point of the season over the past three years:
2011: Trent Richardson, Alabama
2012: Manti Te’o, Notre Dame
2013: Jameis Winston
– As you can see based on previous years, there is still a big chance for contenders to move up and down the polls… especially this year, as the top four contenders still have one more game to play.
– Marcus Mariota and Oregon get a rare chance to redeem themselves against the only team that beat them in the regular season. Mariota was 20 of 32 for 276 yards passing and 2 TD in the first matchup against Arizona, with only one yard rushing. With some big numbers and an Oregon win, the Heisman could be wrapped up for Mariota.
– Melvin Gordon lost points this week despite a solid performance against a tough Minnesota team. In the Big Ten Championship Game, Gordon will have a final chance to make a big statement. The Buckeyes have struggled at times against the run this year giving up 370 yards to Navy, 218 to Minnesota and 281 to Indiana.
– Amari Cooper passed Jameis Winston on the board with his outstanding performance against Auburn. Cooper and Bama will now face a Missouri team that is sixth in the SEC in passing defense. Cooper would need a super-human performance against the Tigers to vault over Mariota and Gordon, but a combination of a strong performance by him and poor performances by the other two candidates could also get him to the top.
– With his four interceptions, Winston dropped a spot as he still received two first-place votes, but all of the other voters jumped off his bandwagon. Winston has been inconsistent this year, but he has kept his team undefeated and always comes through at the end. Florida State faces an interesting challenge this weekend with Georgia Tech and its triple option. The Jackets are coming off a huge win over rival Georgia and they carry a lot of momentum with them into this game. Tech doesn’t have a great defense (12th in the ACC in total defense), but if the Jackets can keep the FSU offense off the field by controlling the ball with their option attack, they could win this game and make sure Winston doesn’t repeat.
Bloguin Heisman Poll Roll Call
Andrew Coppens – Madtown Badgers (@andyonfootball)
Bart Doan – The Student Section (@TheCoachBart)
Dale Newton – The Duck Stops Here (@DSH_Newton)
Kevin Causey – The Student Section (@CFBZ)
Kevin McGuire – Nittany Lions Den/The Student Section (@kevinoncfb)
Matt Zemek – The Student Section (@SectionMZ)
Mike Ferguson – Noled Out (@Noled_Out)
Scott King – Bearcats Blog/The Student Section (@bearcatsblog)
Scott Halasz – Buckeye Battle Cry (@ohiostatescott)
Terry Johnson – The Student Section (@SectionTPJ)
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For live-tweeting of this weekend’s big games, plus live analysis of Selection Sunday and the announcements of the bowl pairings, follow us on Twitter at @TheStudentSect.
