Pittsburgh’s James Conner Wins ACC Player Of The Year Over Jameis Winston

In what can only be described as a surprise, Pittsburgh running back James Conner beat out Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston for Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year honors.

Conspiracy theorists unite! Have we got one for you coming out of the ACC, where a player on a 6-6 team beat out the reigning Heisman Trophy winner and a player who has yet to lose a game as a starting quarterback.

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Let the smoking guns commence now that Pittsburgh sophomore running back James Conner was selected as the ACC Player of the Year over Florida State sophomore quarterback Jameis Winston despite the fact the Panthers only became bowl-eligible with last weekend’s win over Miami (Fla.).

Conner received 16 votes to the 13 who voted for Winston, who has led the Seminoles to an undefeated record and a trip to this weekend’s conference championship game against Georgia Tech.

Surely, there’s a long list of reasons to suggest why Winston lost out, yet make no mistake about it: Conner had a heck of a season, as he is fourth in rushing in the FBS with 1,675 yards while adding 24 touchdowns, which also placed him fourth in the nation. The 6’2, 250-pounder from Erie, Pa. had three games of over 200 yards rushing and recorded multiple touchdowns in seven contests.

Winston’s numbers weren’t on par with his Heisman Trophy campaign of 2013, but he won all 11 of his starts while leading Florida State from second half deficits seven times. He goes into the weekend with 3,250 yards, 21 touchdowns and 17 interceptions while adding three rushing scores.

It may be safe to say that had Winston not become one of the most despised athletes in the nation that the voting would have gone differently, yet let’s not take away from Conner’s impressive totals.

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