2013 Heisman Trophy coverage: Jameis Winston the runaway winner

Fisher’s recruiting has brought pallets of talent to Tallahassee, and his offense, with its many deep routes, rewards a thrower who can make risky plays pay off. Winston is that, more than any Fisher QB before him, even if his eyes are sometimes too big for his stomach. Winston stepped into an ideal situation; FSU got its ideal match in Winston.

It didn’t hurt that the rest of Florida State’s 2013 schedule set up well for a Pasadena pilgrimage. The ACC is still a conference with one great team and a couple very good ones. Clemson was buried early by the ‘Noles, while Miami, still on a long rebuild, couldn’t keep up late. No other team, save Boston College, threatened FSU in ACC play, and Virginia Tech, which tried to play 2013 without an offense, never got to match its front four against FSU.

Winston finished the season averaging 10.9 yards per attempt and completing more than two-thirds of his passes for 38 touchdowns against 10 interceptions. The freshman also ran for four more touchdowns, leading the Seminoles to a perfect 12-0 season, a conference championship and a berth in the national title game.

Hustle Belt pointed out the historical nature of Lynch’s high finish, as the quarterback from Northern Illinois is in elite MAC company.

Jameis Winston made Heisman history on Saturday evening, becoming the youngest winner in the history of the award and the second consecutive redshirt freshman to receive college football’s most coveted honor.

Behind him, though, were five other candidates -- Andre Williams, A.J. McCarron, Johnny Manziel, Jordan Lynch and Tre Mason. The full voting results and details of their finish:

His season was clouded with off-field controversy, as a Tallahassee woman accused him of sexual assault in 2012. However, Florida’s state attorney announced weeks ago that no charges would be filed.

Winston is the first Heisman winner from Florida State since Chris Weinke, who won in 2000. He’s the second-ever redshirt freshman, after Manziel last year.

Also, below this list, let’s take a look at how Jameis Winston compares to other quarterbacks who’ve won the trophy recently. He has a lot in common, but his win will also continue some interesting recent dynamics.

A few recent trends Winston’s victory will carry on:

With no clear-cut option this year, voting could be split around the country. Winston appeared to be head and shoulders above the rest a month ago, but a messy investigation complicated the balloting. Since Winston wasn’t charged with any crime, he’ll almost certainly emerge as the winner Saturday night (8 p.m. ET, ESPN).

Here’s a quick look at each of the finalists.

Sadly, when Heisman time rolls around, it inevitably signals the fact that another college season has passed, with bowl games a month of mere formality. Since 1935, the Heisman Trophy has been awarded to recognize “the outstanding college football player whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity,” and this year will be no different in that regard, with several finalists invited to the actual ceremony in New York.

The winner will be determined by 870 members of the media -- 145 each from six predetermined regions -- and 57 former Heisman winners who are all eligible to vote on the award. Fans who vote online through a Nissan-sponsored promotion are also worth one vote, bringing the total of voters to 928. Their ballots allow for a maximum of three votes, with three points being awarded to a first-place selection, two points awarded to a second-place selection and one point awarded to third place.

Last Week: 19-for-32, 330 passing yards, three TDs, two INTs; 59 rushing yards, one TD; defeated Duke, 45-7

2013 Season: 237-for-349, 3,820 passing yards, 38 TDs, 10 INTs; 193 rushing yards, four TDs

Jameis Winston is going to win the 2013 Heisman Trophy. This doesn’t need any qualifiers, or any “if ... then” hypotheticals: Florida State’s quarterback has had the potential criminal charges against him fall away, and thus the moral hazard of voting for him is diminished. And his competition for the award has fallen off.

Winston was typically great against Duke on Saturday, too, carving up the Blue Devils in primetime after starting the game 1-for-5. He put up almost exactly the same stat line as a thrower against Duke that he did against Florida (19-for-31, 327 yards, three TDs, one INT), and added 59 yards and a score on the ground. FSU controlled that game from the second quarter onward, despite Winston’s two picks.

That’s also a lot of finalists.

Here was some of the reaction.

As accomplished as all of these finalists are, there shouldn’t be much drama about the winner. This is Winston’s trophy, and when he wins, he’ll become the second consecutive freshman to take home the award. Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel won as a freshman last year.

Like Manziel, Winston became a dominant figure in the college football landscape very quickly. Considering the numbers he put up during the regular season, not to mention No. 1 FSU’s undefeated run, it’s easy to see why. Winston completed 67.9 percent of his throws while averaging an incredible 10.9 yards per attempt. He leads the country in passer rating, and only Fresno State’s Derek Carr has more touchdown passes.