Love Him or Hate Him, Jameis Winston May Still Be the Best Player in the Country

Jameis Winston is as polarizing as they come. 

There are times when he is easy to root for. There are times when doing so would be impossible. But when he's on, as he was in the second half of Florida State's manic 31-27 win over Notre Dame, there is no denying Winston for what he is:

One of the best college football players we have ever seen.

And maybe still the best player in the country.

By beating the Irish on Saturday, Winston led the Seminoles to their 23rd consecutive win, 21 of which have come since his first start as a redshirt freshman last season. He advanced to 20-0 as a starter (having missed this year's Clemson game with a suspension) and 18-0 in the regular season, and he did it against a foil, Everett Golson, who had also never lost a regular-season game.

The phrasing of "Winston led…" in the above paragraph is important. His team did not just win this game; Winston willed his team to win this game. After struggling to move the ball in the first two quarters, he played a near-perfect second half, marching FSU down the field for three touchdowns on its first four possessions.

Notre Dame led by five different scores on the evening: 7-0, 14-7, 17-10, 24-17 and 27-24. Notice any trends in that progression? 

Every time the first number goes up, so does the second.

Not once did the Irish score consecutively against the Seminoles. Every time Golson landed a punch, Winston landed a counter. In the end, Golson came up just one counterpunch short.

Winston won the Heisman Trophy last season but entered this week the No. 7 favorite to repeat, per Odds Shark.

That valuation seems fair—or at least it did before Saturday's game—because of the politicking that goes into the Heisman-voting process. Winston's off-field problems will cost him votes. So will the fact that he won the award last season. Chris Huston of Heisman Pundit wrote that Winston would not repeat all the way back in August.

But a valuation of Winston as the seventh-best player in college football—politicking and award considerations aside?

Poppycock.

Earlier this month, I ranked the top 10 players in the country, slotting Winston in at No. 3 behind Georgia running back Todd Gurley and Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota.

With Gurley suspended for allegedly selling autographs, Winston and Mariota are the two best active players and the only two viable candidates for the title of "best player in America."

When I wrote that piece, putting Mariota ahead of Winston was easy. Winston is great, but Mariota does more with less protection. He makes more things happen. He doesn't cause a headache for his teammates.

But now? You might as well just leave it to a coin flip. Mariota lost his fourth game as a starter against Arizona two weeks ago. Winston still has that goose egg going strong.

We can cherry-pick stats until the cows come home, but ultimately, isn't winning what matters the most?

"These kids know how to win," Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher said of his team after the game, per Matt Hayes of Sporting News. "It’s not what we do, it’s who we are."

But the "we" in this case is an extension of an "I." Rather, an extension of a "QB." Winston knows how to win better than any other player in the country. There's a reason he keeps on doing it.

And provided he can stay on the field this season, there's a reason you shouldn't bet on him to stop.

Follow Brian Leigh on Twitter: @BLeighDAT