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Entering the final week of college football's regular season, there's one player, Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Johnny Manziel, who's the clear front runner to have his named called, Dec. 8, as the Heisman Trophy winner at the Best Buy Theater in New York.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish linebacker Manti Te'o may receive some first-place votes - he was the catalyst in helping the Irish finish the regular season with a No. 1 ranking for the first time since 1988; but like Manziel he can't improve his resume in the final week because his team isn't playing.
(The same can be said about Ohio St. Buckeyes quarterback Braxton Miller, USC Trojans wide receiver Marqise Lee and Oregon Ducks running back Kenjon Barner.)
Instead, the only way T'eo could make up ground on Manziel was to go on the campaign trail, which he did Friday by being a guest on The Dan Patrick Show.
"I deserve the Heisman Trophy because, I think, my team deserves the Heisman Trophy," T'eo told Patrick. "Without my team I wouldn't be a candidate for the Heisman Trophy."
Unfortunately, Manziel did the same thing and he seemed to come out as the better candidate.
So, Saturday will not be filled with a lot of Heisman intrigue. The only big game to watch, according to HeismanPundit.com, will be the Big 12 Championship game between the Kansas St. Wildcats and Texas Longhorns, which will feature a former front runner in K-State quarterback Collin Klein.
Though, Klein will not be playing for the Heisman Trophy just a trip to New York.
I can’t foresee any likely circumstance by which Klein can use this game to vault over Manziel in the final voting calculus. It might require that Klein produce 300-plus passing yards and a combined seven touchdowns, with the final one being a dramatic last-second game winner, for voters to be shaken from their Johnny Football-induced stupor.
The scenario will play out in the SEC Championship game where Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Aaron Murray, who's out of the running, can't surpass Manziel with a strong performance against the No. 2-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide, but, could secure a trip to New York.