Jordan Lynch an ‘overwhelming #2’ in Heisman Straw Poll from HeismanPundit.com
By Peter Smith
Heismanpundit.com run by Chris Huston has been one of the most accurate predictors of the Heisman Trophy over the past several years. They came out with their penultimate straw poll and came out with some extremely decisive results. The top two candidates are Jameis Winston of Florida State and Jordan Lynch of Northern Illinois with the rest of the field dramatically far behind, suggesting this is a two-horse race heading into the last weekend before ballots are due.
Some voters are holding out until the last minute, both with each quarterback having their conference championship this weekend but also with the investigation going around Winston in regards to a possible sexual assault charge stemming from late in 2012. There is an element of character involved with the Heisman, so some voters may hold that against him and are hoping for some last second clarity before casting their final vote.
As a result, this weekend still leaves potential for Lynch to come in and take the Heisman trophy after what has been an incredible season in De Kalb. Lynch was able to make a big statement this past week on national television by running for a record 321 yards by a quarterback in one game as they finished off an undefeated regular season. Lynch has a chance to finish the highest in the voting for a player from the MAC with a chance to be the first to win the award.
Winston has not really had the opportunity to shine on the field too much as the Seminoles defeated a vastly overpowered Idaho to little fanfare. The Seminoles do take on the Duke Blue Devils in the ACC Championship as Winston could make his final arguments to the voters.
It remains to be seen how much of the vote is still to be determined by what is done on the field as opposed to off of it, but it should make for an interesting presentation.