The Heisman Race (Where the Candidates Stand)

We are just a few weeks away from the presentation of the Heisman award to the best player in college football in 2012. What at first seemed like a runaway win for Geno Smith quickly turned into a one man race with Collin Klein well in the lead. Then K State lost and Klein had a poor game and now it's anyones race. Here are the rankings of those in the running:

1) Collin Klein (Kansas State)- Although he was not able to deliver the signature Heisman moment that most past winners have been able to, which is leading his team to a comeback win on the road, Klein still has to be considered the favorite. One more poor game will surely knock him out of the race as Manti Te'o and Johnny Manziel are quickly rising up the ranks. Klein must beat Texas next week to have any shot at the hardware.

2) Johnny Manziel (Texas A&M)- Johnny football is here, his journey to stardom has finished and he is the brightest spot on the surprising Aggies. Manziel is a freshman and all he has done is lead the Aggies to a top 10 ranking in their first year in the SEC, beat Alabama on the road, and play nearly flawless football. He has accounted for nearly 40 touchdowns and has 3,407 passing yards to go with 1,114 rushing yards. Also, Manziel only has 7 interceptions on the year. The defining moment of his Heisman campaign came last weekend against Alabama when he led the Aggies to a stunning win. Johnny football will need a strong finish to his season next weekend, but surely expect him to be in New York in December.

3) Manti Te'o (Notre Dame)- The last time a defensive player won the Heisman was 1997, and that was the only time a primarily defensive player won the award. That player was Charles Woodson and he was simply dominant that entire year. Manti Te'o has been just as dominant this year and is the clear cut leader and voice of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Get this stat, Te'o is second in the country in interceptions. Te'o is also a linebacker, a linebacker who has 6 interceptions! If Te'o can put together a dominant performance next weekend in the season finale at USC his stock will soar.

4) Kenjon Barner (Oregon)- Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Barner was a frontrunner in this years race just a week or two ago, now he is really on the outside looking in. A subpar performance last night against Stanford and their stingy defense was detrimental to his chances. Barner still has had an amazing season capped off by his 321 yard 5 touchdown performance against USC. However, last night he was only able to run for 66 yards on 21 attempts and as a result the Ducks lost. 

5) Braxton Miller (Ohio State)- It's a real shame that Ohio State has such harsh sanctions imposed on them this year because they likely would be heading to Miami for the BCS title game otherwise. They've looked nothing short of dominant thus far and they boast an undefeated record as a testament to it. Miller has been great this season and really been a catalyst for this Buckeye team. Although he had a quiet game yesterday against Wisconsin, he was still able to lead Ohio State to an overtime win.