2013 College Football Predictions: Ranking the Heisman Trophy Finalist: This weekend, the most exclusive fraternity in college football will get a new member when the 2013 Heisman Trophy winner is announced. With the college football season in the books except for the bowl games, the resumes of the candidates are complete. In fact, the six finalists for this year’s Heisman Trophy were recently announced, and four quarterbacks and two running backs will head to New York to vie for the award. With that in mind, here is a look at how I expect the voting to shake out this Saturday.
- Jameis Winston, Quarterback, Florida State Seminoles
After leading the Seminoles to an ACC title and a spot in the BCS title game and setting freshman records for passing yards and touchdowns in the process, Winston is going to win the Heisman Trophy. Not only did he set a new standard for freshmen QBs, but Winston finished second in the country in passing touchdowns and led the nation in QB rating. The only real question left is whether or not Winston will set a record for the most lopsided win in the history of the Heisman Trophy.
- Tre Mason, Running Back, Auburn Tigers
He is a late-comer to the Heisman party, but Mason’s monstrous performance in the SEC title game helped the Tigers grab a spot in the BCS title game and will likely land him plenty of love from the Heisman voters. In addition to his four touchdowns and 304 yards in the conference title game, Mason ranked fourth in the country with 1,621 yards and third with 22 touchdowns. A big performance on a big stage moves him up the ladder just in time for the Saturday’s presentation.
- Johnny Manziel, Quarterback, Texas A&M Aggies
With three losses and a couple of dud performances down the stretch, Manziel isn’t going to repeat. However, he should still finish high in the final voting thanks in part to his great numbers and the failures of some of the other top candidates. Manziel actually threw for more yards and touchdowns this year than last, and while his rushing stats dipped, his final totals of 41 scores and more than 4,400 yards from scrimmage are still pretty gaudy.
- A.J. McCarron, Quarterback, Alabama Crimson Tide
Although McCarron actually played well in Alabama’s only loss this year, the strength of his resume was in being a winner. Granted, a career resume that includes just three losses and two national titles is still great, but it doesn’t have the same ring to it as two losses and three straight appearances in the BCS title game. McCarron will get some love for what has been an amazing career, but he won’t win the Heisman.
- Jordan Lynch, Quarterback, Northern Illinois Huskies
Lynch had a shot to finish as high as second in the voting, but an average performance in the MAC title game cost the Huskies a spot in a BCS bowl and no doubt cost him plenty of votes. On the plus side, Lynch set a single-game record for rushing yards by a QB, he became just the fifth QB with 20-plus rushing and passing touchdowns in the same season, and he finished second in the country in rushing with more than 1,800 yards. However, Lynch also needed Northern Illinois to finish undefeated for his Heisman campaign to have any real legs.
- Andre Williams, Running Back, Boston College Eagles
He became the first back since 2008 to top 2,000 yards, and while he led the country in rushing, an injury against Syracuse crushed his Heisman momentum just as it was gaining steam. Still, his stretch of five straight games of more than 160 yards, including three of more than 260 was something special.
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