Heisman Watch (Final)

The Heisman Presentation is only days away, players have been invited, and now we are going to find out who is going to with the 78th Heisman Trophy.  How will I do this year?  So far I've successfully predicted the top 3 of the Heisman four years running.  Will this be the 5th?  Lets find how where everybody is projected to fall.

1.  Johnny Manziel QB Texas A&M
Season Stats:   3,419 yards passing 24 TDs 8 INTs, 1181 yards rushing 19 TDs
Comments:  The winner of the 2012 Heisman Trophy will go to Johnny Manziel.  Manziel winning the award will make history as he will be the first freshman to win the award.  Manziel caught every body's attention with his dynamic play leading A&M's potent offense against some of the best defenses in the nation.  But it was after he lead A&M in an upset of then #1 Alabama which propelled him from a Heisman contender to leading the way.  Manzeil didn't play like a freshman, showing poise and leadership.  That was what helped the Aggies win 10 games in their first season in the SEC.  Also doesn't hurt that Manziel set the SEC record for most yards in a single season.  He should win going away.

2.  Manti Te'o LB Notre Dame

Season Stats:   101 tackles, 2 sacks, 7 INTs
Comments:  It looks like Te'o is going to finish 2nd in the voting, but I don't get it.  Te'o had a good year and is a great story.  But he still doesn't deserve to finish in the top 5.  There are players that were much more dominant or had better seasons.  What makes matters worse the arguments I see for Te'o focus on that he's the captain of the #1 team in the nation.  That their defense is one of the best, so because he's getting some first place votes.  If I'm not mistaken the Heisman is suppose to be going to the best player in college football.  Let's not go back to giving it to the best player on the best team.  Heck Luke Kuechly had a better year than Te'o, but because Boston College was horrible last year, he didn't sniff any Heisman talk.  Te'o is a stud, but he shouldn't be in this spot.

3.  Collin Klein QB Kansas State
Season Stats:   2,490 yards passing 15 TDs 7 INTs, 890 yards rushing 22 TDs
Comments:  I'm glad to see that Klein got invited to New York, but I still don't understand how Klein went from leading the race for most of the year, to having one bad game and now have him third on the list.  Do we forget that Klein was KState's offense.  He carried this team on his back and leading the Wildcats to an 11-1 record and even a #1 ranking at one point.  But that lost to Baylor was just too much to overcome.  It's too bad because the season that Klein had doesn't happen very often.

4.  Marqise Lee WR USC

Season Stats:   1,680 yards receiving 14 TDs
Comments:  Lee wasn't invited to the ceremony, but he'll still going to finish within the top 5 in voting.  Everybody knew that Lee was talented, but felt that teammate Robert Woods would be the star of this offense.  Instead it was Lee that dominated the competition on route to 1,680 yards which was second most in the nation.  That's quite the feat for a wide receiver in a pro style offense and with defenses schemed to stop him.  Lee also had 14 TDs on the season which was third most in the nation.  This is also the highest a wide receiver has finished in years.

5.  Braxton Miller QB Ohio State
Season Stats:   2,039 yards passing 15 TDs 6 INTs, 1,271 yards rushing 13 TDs
Comments:  Miller may finish in fifth place this year, but he should be a favorite to win the award one of the next two years.  Miller is the perfect quarterback for Urban Meyer's spread option system and it showed this year.  Miller was a dual threat for the Buckeye's offense that didn't have many play makers.  Miller was dangerous running the ball and often was able to change the momentum of a game with his long TD runs.  But him missing time in games due to injury and Ohio State not being able to play in the Big 10 Title Game hurt his chances of making a bigger impression on voters.

Heisman Watch (Week 13)

1.  Johnny Manziel QB Texas A&M
Last Week:   372 yards passing 3 TDs 1 INT, 67 yards rushing 2 TDs vs Missouri (59-29)  Next Game:  Bowl Game
Comments:  Remember a couple of years ago when Cam Newton ran wild in the SEC and broke the SEC single game yardage record?  Remember he won the Heisman running away?  Well with this recent game, Johnny Manziel just broke Newton's single season yardage record.  Pretty amazing for anybody, let alone a freshman.  With his 439 yard output against Missouri it could have cemented his candidacy for the Heisman Trophy.  A&M not playing this week does hurt him a little, but with nobody else on this list besides Klein playing next week.  It shouldn't hurt him too much.  We could have another anti climatic Heisman Race.

2.  Collin Klein QB Kansas State
Last Week:  Bye  Next Week: vs Texas
Comments:  Losing against Baylor and then having a bye week right after it can't help Klein's chances at winning the award.  Especially since Johnny Maziel has just taken off.  That's too bad because Klein has had an outstanding year and helped carry the Wildcats to the verge of the National Championship game.  But unlike the rest of the guys in the Heisman Race, Klein is the only one with a game left on the schedule and if he has a huge game against Texas, he could make giving out this award a lot tougher on voters.

3.  Manti Te'o LB Notre Dame

Last Week: 5 tackles 1 INT at USC (22-13)
Next Game:  BCS Championship Game

Comments:  Te'o has been a force for the Notre Dame defense all season long.  Te'o's 5 tackles put him over 100 tackles on the season (and for the third straight season).  Te'o also registered his 7th INT for the seasons which is quite the feat for a linebacker.  He also benefit's from Notre Dame being #1 and going to the BCS National Championship.  Something that only he can claim. 

4.  Braxton Miller QB Ohio State
Last Week:  189 yards passing 1 TD, 57 yards rushing vs Michigan (26-21)  Next Game:  Season Completed
Comments:  Braxton Miller didn't have a huge game against rival Michigan in his final game of the season, but he did help the Buckeye's get the win and finish with a perfect 12-0 record.  But even with the average game, it's hard to ignore the impact he has had on this undefeated team.  On a team that didn't have many impact players, it was Miller who carried the load game in and game out.  He used both his arm and feet to rack up the yards and get points on the board.

5.  Marqise Lee WR USC

Last Week:  5 receptions for 75 yards O TDs vs Notre Dame (13-22)  Next Game:  Bowl Game
Comments:  Marquise Lee didn't have a big game against Notre Dame's elite defense, but Lee also was dealing with a backup QB and not Matt Barkley.  Still with constant double teams and added focus against him, Lee was able to get 75 yards and make an impact.  It's also hard to ignore the season that Lee has had.  He's totaled up 1,680 yard receiving and 14 TDs.  Pretty amazing no matter the situation.  Lee won't win the Heisman, but he is clearly one of the top 5 players this year and should be in New York for the Heisman Ceremony.

Heisman Watch (Week 12)

1.  Collin Klein QB Kansas State
Last Week:  286 yards passing 2 TDs 3 INTs, 39 yards rushing 1 TD at Baylor (24-52)  Next Week: Bye
Comments:  It was an all around bad day for everybody involved with the KState football program.  Not only did their perfect season and shot at a National Title hopes go up in flames, but Collin Klein had a clunker of a game.  Now he didn't lose his lead in the race, and is still the favorite to win the award.  But the gap between him and the rest of the field is a lot narrower now.  Luckily for him there really isn't anybody knocking at the door.  But he'll need to finish the season strong or somebody could find their way into the discussion for the award.

2.  Johnny Manziel QB Texas A&M
Last Week:   267 yards passing 3 TDs 1 INT, 100 yards rushing 2 TDs vs Sam Houston State (47-28)  Next Week:  vs Missouri Comments:  Another quality game for Manziel and the Aggies as they trounced FCS Sam Houston State.  Manziel was his normal having 367 combined yards and 4 TDs.  This was a great showing especially with KState QB Collin Klein struggles against Baylor.  This performance closes the gap between the two, but is it enough to get him some votes?  Not being able to play in the conference championship game hurts.  But you also have to wonder if him being a freshman will hurt his chances too?  Remember when Tim Tebow got the award as a sophomore and people having a problem with it?  Who knows, but it's hard not to argue with Manziel's season and impact.

3.  Kenjon Barner RB Oregon
Last Week:  66 yards rushing 0 TDs, 13 yards receiving 0 TDs vs Stanford (14-17)  Next Week:  at Oregon State
Comments:  This is two straight weeks of clunkers for Barner.  After an impressive 321 yard rushing day against USC, he's kinda fallin off.  He only had 63 yards against Cal and now in their loss to Stanford, Barner was unable to do anything and finished with only 79 total yards of offense.  Ouch!  His Heisman chances were remote, but it's beginning to look like he's out of the running.  But you could say that about anybody besides Collin Klein and Johnny Manziel.  Barner just has to hope that he has two monster games left and Klein and Manziel have a couple of clunkers.  But that doesn't look likely.  But he should still get an invite to New York.

4.  Manti Te'o LB Notre Dame

Last Week:  6 tackles vs Wake Forrest (38-0)
Next Week:  at USC

Comments:  It wasn't a spectucular game against Wake Forrest, but that was expected as Notre Dame was clearly the better team.  Te'o finished with 6 tackles but didn't play much into the 4th quarter.  Te'o's final game to impress is this upcoming weekend agaisnt USC.  But with USC being down a big game won't have the same impact it did a couple of weeks ago.  Te'o's chances of winning the Heisman are slim at best, even with being on the #1 ranked team in the BCS.  But as a defender and not having a "dominant" season it was going to be hard to get enough votes.  Even in this down year.

5.  Braxton Miller QB Ohio State
Last Week:  97 yards passing 0 TDs, 48 yards 0 TDs at Wisconsin (21-14) Next Week: vs Michigan
Comments:  Much like the guys ahead of him, Miller didn't have an impressive Saturday.  Against a good Wisconsin team, Miller only had 145 total yards and 0 TDs.  Not what we are use to seeing out of Miller this year.  But the Buckeyes got the win and that's all that matters.  Now Miller looks to the Michigan game to end the season.  Much like Barner and Te'o, Miller's chances of winng the award is long gone, but a good showing aganist the Wolverines and Miller should find himself in New York for the ceremony.  This could also give him some momentum for next year as he should be one of the favorites.

Heisman Watch (Week 11)

1.  Collin Klein QB Kansas State
Last Week:  145 yards passing 0 TDs 1 INT, 50 yards rushing 2 TDs at TCU (23-10)  Next Week: vs at Baylor
Comments:  It wasn't a huge statistical game, but the most important thing was that Klein stayed healthy and the Wildcats got out with the win.  Klein can afford to have a game or two like this as long as they continue to win.  Add in that Klein was coming off a concussion the week before and we can live with these numbers.  They don't take anything away from the season he's having and carrying his team to an undefeated record.  Now Klein just needs to get wins over Baylor and Texas and we should see him hoisting the trophy.

2.  Kenjon Barner RB Oregon
Last Week:  65 yards rushing 0 TDs, 35 yards receiving 0 TDs vs California (59-17)  Next Week:  vs Stanford
Comments:  What he can't go for 300 plus yards every week?  Coming off a 321 yard rushing night against USC, the Oregon runner had a quiet night against Cal.  He only 100 total yards and 0 TDs, but that's ok considering that he'll have games against Stanford and Oregon State to showcase his talents again.  There was an injury scare where Barner left the game in the first half, but came back in the 2nd and finished the game.  Look for Barner to have a huge game against Stanford next week to help the Ducks stay unbeaten and in the hunt for the National Title.

3.  Manti Te'o LB Notre Dame

Last Week:  5 tackles, 1 INT vs Boston College (21-6)
Next Week:  vs Wake Forrest

Comments:  Another week another win for the Irish.  Against Boston College Manti Te'o and the rest of the defense did what they needed to get the win.  They held the Eagles to 0 TDs and only gave up the two field goals.  Te'o added his sixth INT of the season which sets a record for a Notre Dame linebacker.  Next up for Te'o is a Wake Forrest team that isn't very good.  Look for him to put up some big tackle numbers before their huge showdown with USC to end the season.  Te'o needs to finish strong in their remaining games if he wants to finish high in the final standings.

4.  Johnny Manziel QB Texas A&M
Last Week:   253 yards passing 2 TDs, 92 yards rushing 0 TDs at Alabama (29-24)  Next Week:  vs Texas A&M

Comments:  Welcome Johnny Football to the Heisman Watch!  The redshirt freshman has been on the cusp of the Watch for the past few weeks, but their win over #1 Alabama thrusts him into the mix.  Manziel has simply been amazing this year.  Against one of the best defenses in the nation he had 345 total yards and made the plays he needed to get the big upset.  He's been great all year and even in their two losses Manziel was still dynamic.  A freshman has never won the award, but if A&M can somehow sneak into the SEC Title Game, anything can happen.  But we should be seeing this young player in New York as a finalist.

5.  Braxton Miller QB Ohio State
Last Week:  Bye Week  Next Week: at Wisconsin
Comments:  Having a week off is a good thing for Braxton Miller because it allows him to rest up before their final two games against Wisconsin and Michigan.  If they win those two games they'll finish undefeated.  But the bad thing about having a bye week this late is that Miller's Heisman hype is started to fade and not playing this week doesn't help out.  Despite having a great season leading the unbeaten Buckeyes, nobody is talking about Miller.  If he wants to make it to New York, he'll need to be not only dynamic in his final two games, he'll need to dominate.

Heisman Watch (Week 10)

1.  Collin Klein QB Kansas State
Last Week:  245 yards passing 0 TDs, 64 yards rushing 1 TD vs Oklahoma State (44-30)  Next Week: vs at TCU
Comments:  Klein was off to his typical big game, he had 310 total yards and a TD midway through the 3rd quarter.  However Klein took an awkward hit and never returned to the game.  It didn't look bad, but KState doesn't disclose injuries so it's up in the air how bad the injury is and if Klein is going to miss next weeks game.  However Klein was observed on the sideline laughing and not showing any ill affects.  So maybe they took him out just to prevent anything worse happening.  Because if Klein can't go, neither will this team.

2.  Kenjon Barner RB Oregon
Last Week:  38 carries for 321 yards rushing 5 TD vs USC (62-51)  Next Week:  at California
Comments:  If you didn't know Kenjon Barner before this week, you sure know him now.  In Oregon's route over USC Barner set a Oregon single game record with 321 yards rushing.  He also did it on 8 yards per carry.  That's impressive on it's own.  While teammate De'Anthony Thomas has gotten a lot more Heisman hype, it's been Barner who has been the one who has stood out game in and game out.  Barner had 1,295 yards rushing so far this season and 19 TDs.  With games against Stanford, Oregon State, and likely USC again look for Barner to have some more highlights when the spotlight is on.

3.  Manti Te'o LB Notre Dame

Last Week:  7 tackles, 1 pass breakup, 1 sack vs Pittsburgh (29-26)
Next Week:  at Boston College 

Comments: It wasn't the best games for Te'o and the Golden Domer's, but they escaped the Pitt game with a with and that's what really counts.  Te'o didn't have a huge impact statically with only 7 tackles and a sack.  But Te'o was always in the mix and helped the Fighting Irish buckle down in the second half and overtime to give their offense a chance to come back.  This next weekend they'll travel to Boston College where Te'o probably won't be on the field too much because BC isn't very good.  If Te'o wants to be the first defensive player to win the Heisman, he'll need a couple huge games coming up.  

4.  AJ McCarron QB Alabama
Last Week:   165 yards passing 1 TD, 1 rushing TD at LSU (21-17)  Next Week:  vs Texas A&M

Comments:  This wasn't McCarron's best game of the year, but when Alabama needed him to step up, he did so.  Down three with in the final minutes McCarron lead the Crimson Tide down the field before finding RB TJ Yeldon on a 28 yard pass to win the game.  The win allows Alabama to stay undefeated and keep their chances of an undefeated season alive.  McCarron although statstically wasn't good, keeps his slim Heisman chances alive.  Without that last TD drive, McCarron would have been out of the race.  But other former SEC Heisman Winners have won the award in the final weeks.  Can McCarron do that too?

5.  Braxton Miller QB Ohio State
Last Week:  226 yards passing 2 TDs, 73 yards rushing 1 TD vs Illinois (52-22)  Next Week: Bye
Comments:  Not a whole lot to say about this Miller this week.  The Buckeyes faced an Illinois team that has quit on the season.  Miller did what he needed to do and got out without getting injuried.  He had 299 combined yards and 3 TDs.  Miller continues to play at a high level, but there really isn't a whole lot of talk about it.  Having a bye next week doesn't help out either.  But there game against Michigan coming up could really do wonders for his Heisman chances.

Others to Watch

7.  Johnny Manziel QB Texas A&M
8.  Teddy Bridgewater QB Louisville