Jameis Winston wins Heisman Trophy

Jameis Winston apparently left voters with no choice but to give him the Heisman Trophy.

The Florida State University quarterback on Saturday night became the second-straight freshmen to win the Heisman, earning college football's most prestigious individual award with a performance so spectacular and dominant that even a criminal investigation couldn't derail his candidacy.

The 19-year-old was investigated last month for a year-old sexual assault, but no charges were filed and the case was closed four days before Heisman votes were due.

Winston received 668 first-place votes for the award and 2,205 points to finish 1,501 points ahead of University of Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron for the seventh-largest margin of victory in Heisman history. Winston was left off 115 ballots altogether.

Northern Illinois quarterback Jordan Lynch finished third, followed by Boston College's Andre Williams, Texas A&M's Johnny Manziel and Auburn's Tre Mason.

Manziel was the first freshman to win the Heisman, and Winston made it two in the 79-year history of the award. Winston is also the youngest winner, at 23 days short of age 20.

Winston is the nation's top-rated passer, and led the top-ranked Seminoles to the BCS championship game against No. 2 Auburn on his birthday, Jan. 6.

The Associated Press