Florida State redshirt freshman quarterback Jameis Winston retained the top spot in the HeismanPundit.com Heisman Straw Poll but lost a bit of support in the wake of news he was involved in a sexual-assault investigation.
Texas A&M sophomore quarterback Johnny Manziel remained second, and Baylor junior quarterback Bryce Petty moved to third, up one spot from last week.
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Each week, HeismanPundit.com polls 10 Heisman voters -- who remain anonymous -- from across the country. Each voter selects three players, first place through third, and points are tabulated like a real Heisman ballot (three points for a first-place vote, two points for a second-place vote and one point for a third-place vote).
Seven players -- six quarterbacks and a running back -- received votes this week.
This week, Winston has 20 points, four fewer than last week. Manziel has 18, two fewer than last week. Petty climbed from five points to 11. Oregon sophomore quarterback Marcus Mariota follows with six points. Mariota has dropped from first to third to fourth in a span of three weeks. Rounding out the list are Alabama senior quarterback A.J. McCarron and Northern Illinois senior quarterback Jordan Lynch (two points each) and Boston College senior tailback Andre Williams (one).
Winston had six first-place votes, Manziel two and Mariota and Petty one each.
Manziel is attempting to become just the second player to win the Heisman more than once, joining former Ohio State tailback Archie Griffin (1974-75).
The HeismanPundit.com poll has been the most accurate Heisman gauge in the past seven seasons, with the final 2012 poll correctly picking the top five finishers and the final 2011 poll picking the top seven.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
