Heisman Watch Week 5

1.  Geno Smith QB West Virginia

Last Week:  45/51 656 yards 8 TDs vs Baylor (70-63)  Next Week:  at Texas
Comments:  In what might have been the craziest game of the weekend, Geno Smith fully cemented himself as the leader in the Heisman Race.  We all knew that Smith was going to put up huge numbers against a sub par Baylor defense, but what amazed me is how good Smith was knowing that to win this game Smith was going to have to score on every drive.  And that was true seeing they won 70-63.  Smith had huge numbers, throwing for 656 and 8 TDs, but what was the most telling of how good he was the completion percentage.  88% when you throw 51 times is flat out awesome.  But I'll be very interested to see how Smith will do against Texas this next week.  They'll pose a lot more of a challenge than Baylor did.

2.  Collin Klein QB Kansas State
Last Week: Bye  Next Week: vs Kansas
Comments:  Bye weeks can go one of two ways.  The big thing is that you don't play and if guys ahead of you stumble you are in a great spot.  But you could also encounter a situation like this weekend where the guy ahead of you just flat out goes off and you don't have anything to show for it.  Collin Klein is coming off a big win against Oklahoma, but with the game that Geno Smith had without Klein playing really puts some distance between the two.  However Klein will get back into the mix next week against in state rival Kansas. Plus Klein still has an opportunity to go head to head with Smith.  That could be a fun one to watch.

3.  EJ Manuel QB Florida State
Last Week:  19/26 242 yards 1 TD at South Florida (30-17)  Next Week:  at North Carolina State
Comments:  It wasn't anything spectacular  but Florida State survived a scare in their first road game of the season and pulled out the win.  Manuel threw for 242 yards but he didn't make many mistakes and most importantly got the win.  I'm not seeing Manuel having much of a chance to win the Heisman Trophy, but as long as he keeps the Seminoles winning and puts up some good numbers he'll be a finalist.



4.  Aaron Murray QB Georgia
Last Week:  19/25 278 yards 2 TDs 1 INT vs Tennessee (51-44)  Next Week: at South Carolina
Comments:  If it wasn't for the play of Aaron Murray we could be talking about how Tennessee is still a contender for the SEC West Title.  But we aren't because Murray was huge for the Bulldogs in their win.  Murray threw for 278 yards which isn't Geno Smith esq, but it was what Georgia needed to stay perfect on the season.  Georgia has some talent with two true freshman RBs, but they don't have anymore AJ Green type WRs anymore.  That doesn't matter to Murray who distributes the ball to a lot of different receivers.  This is crucial for their success.  Right now Murray is just one of several players that are in the race, but not quite.  If Murray wants to move up into the top of this group he'll need a big game against the Gamecocks.  But a bad game and a loss could really hurt his chances.

5.  Matt Barkley QB USC

Last Week:  Bye  Next Week:  at Utah
Comments:  It's safe to say that Matt Barkley hasn't lived up to the high expectations he had going into this season.  Barkley hasn't been awful, but many people thought he'd have an Andrew Luck type of year.  Instead Barkley has been meh.  Against Stanford he really made some big mistakes towards the end of the game, while against inferior competition he was just average.  What has Barkley still in this race is the fact that other than Geno Smith and Collin Kelin there really hasn't been anybody that has put themselves into the discussion.  Add that and the fact that USC still has big games against Oregon, Notre Dame, and UCLA that with big games could really shoot his stock in the right direction.

Others to Watch

6. Braxton Miller QB Ohio State
7.  De'Anthony Thomas RB/WR Oregon
8.  Manti Te'o LB Notre Dame

Heisman Watch (Week 4)

1.  Geno Smith QB West Virginia

Last Week:  30/43 338 3 TDs vs Maryland (31-21)  Next Week:  vs Baylor
Comments: It wasn't the video game numbers that Geno Smith has been putting up lately, but Smith was still spectacular in West Virginia's win over Maryland.  His 338 yards helped shred the Terrapin defense and help the Mountaineers improve their record to 3-0.  Smith continues to play at a high level and is clearly the front runner to win the award.  Right now there really isn't a close #2.  But it won't get any easier for West Virginia.  Big 12 conference play starts this weekend and Smith won't have to face any elite defenses, but they are still a lot better than anything he has seen so far.  But if he keeps up this pace he'll be fine.

2.  Collin Klein QB Kansas State
Last Week: 13/21 149 0 TDs, 79 yards rushing 1 TD vs O (24-19)  Next Week: vs Kansas
Comments:  In typical Collin Klein fashion, it wasn't pretty but the Wildcats and Klein got the job done.  Klein's stats where not amazing, but he did have a combined 228 yards, but the big thing was getting the victory over top 10 rated Oklahoma.  The win vaults KState up the rankings and showcases Klein to the national stage.  The win also avenges the Wildcats 41 point loss to the Sooners last year.  Things do get easier for Klein and the Wildcats this week as they face off against in state rival Kansas.  The Jayhawks are awful this year and should allow Klein to put up some gaudy numbers.

3.  Le'Veon Bell RB Michigan State
Last Week:  36 carries 253 yards 1 TD vs Eastern Michigan (23-7) Next Week:  vs Ohio State

Comments:  The Spartans struggled against lowly MAC Eastern Michigan, but it wasn't at any fault to Le'Veon Bell.  Despite an inability to put Eastern Michigan out of the game early, Bell was at his best rushing for 253 yards and a touchdown.  This performance is just what Bell needed to stay in the hunt for the Heisman.  He has a long ways to go to get back to being one of the favorites, but their game against Ohio State this week could give him that national boost that he needs.  And the way Ohio State's defense has been playing, Bell has as good of a chance as anybody.



4.  EJ Manuel QB Florida State
Last Week:  27/35 380 2 TDs vs Clemson (49-37)  Next Week:  at South Florida
Comments:   With Florida State needing to seize the opportunity against Clemson, the senior QB stepped up.  Manuel threw for 380 yards and rushed for 102.  The Seminoles needed every bit of those yards to out score the Tigers high flying offense.  Not only did Manuel throw for a bunch of yards, but he was just as lethal with his feet.  Manuel was a dark horse candidate to win the award, but after the Seminoles big victory over Clemson and Manuel's performance, he is now thrust into contention.  Especially with the race so wide open.  Florida State has an easy schedule ahead of them with only Virginia Tech and Florida being possible ranked teams.  If the Seminoles can get through the season unscathed, Manuel has a great opportunity to make some noise in the Heisman Race.

5.  Matt Barkley QB USC

Last Week:  22/34 192 2 TDs 2 INTs, 102 yards rushing vs California (27-9)  Next Week:  at Utah
Comments:  Looking to bounce back from their big loss to Stanford, Barkley was able to lead the Trojans to victory, but he didn't look good doing so.  With the emphasis put on the run game it came at the cost of Matt Barkley.  Not only did Barkley throw for less than 200 yards, but he threw 2 picks also.  Those aren't terrible numbers, but it's not like he was very efficient.  Barkley still has an outside shot at winning the Heisman Trophy, but his national perception isn't the greatest.  He'll have to clean his game up and elevate his passing numbers.

Others to Watch

6.  Jonathan Franklin RB UCLA
7.  De'Anthony Thomas RB/WR Oregon
8.  Braxton Miller QB Ohio State