Davey O'Brien, Doak Walker, Ernie Davis, Roger Staubach, Steve Spurrier, Archie Griffin, Herschel Walker, Barry Sanders. The list of Heisman Trophy winners is prestigious. Recently players like Cam Newton, Robert Griffin III, Mark Ingram, Sam Bradford and Tim Tebow have added their names to the history books.
This season started out with front runners like Matt Barkley, Marcus Lattimore, Denard Robinson and Montee Ball. For one reason or another those fantastic players have found themselves out of the race. West Virginia's Geno Smith was the early clubhouse leader as the Mountaineers burst onto the scene in the Big 12 and looked like a legit contender to the Big 12 crown. After the fall of the Mountaineers, Kansas State's Collin Klein rose up as the leader and held onto that spot for four weeks until the Wildcats finally fell in defeat.
Klein remains a top contender and has been joined by upstart freshman phenom Johnny "Football" Manziel of Texas A&M and the hard-nosed linebacker Manti Te'o of the undefeated Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. This years Heisman Trophy looks like it could be historical as we have a great chance to either have a freshman or a defensive player walk away with the trophy .
What you'll see each week in the Bloguin Heisman Poll:
*The top vote getters and quotes from bloggers in support of their candidates.
*A list of all players who receive votes in the Bloguin Heisman Poll
*The BHP Roll Call of voters, the links to their respective blogs and their twitter accounts.
Without any further adieu, the Bloguin Heisman Poll…
1) Johnny Manziel (QB-Texas A&M) – 24 Points, 36.36%, 5 1st Place Votes
Last Week BHP Ranking = 2
Season: 273 of 400 for 3419 yds passing, 24 TD, 8 INT, 68.3% completions, 1181 yards rushing, 19 rushing TD
* Johnny Manziel: I've gone back and forth on the Manziel vs. Te'o debate for some time, and what it comes down to me is this: The Heisman Trophy is supposed to go to the most "outstanding player in college football." Te'o may have been the most consistent, but the most "outstanding" in my eyes had to be Manziel. That's not a knock on Manti, just a testament to how good Manziel was.
– Aaron Torres, Aaron Torres Sports
* The Heisman voters have a very difficult choice to make. Do you pick the best overall player in the country even though he plays defense or do you stay on the offensive side of the ball and pick a freshman. Either way, both will result in a one for the ages. I like you Klein, but you are primarily Tim Tebow-esque window dressing at this two horse photo finish. Ultimately, the late season hype that pushed RG3 last year into the trophy will do the same for Johnny Football.
– Hamilton Riley, Lambeth Field
2) Manti Te'o (LB-Notre Dame) – 19 Points, 28.79%, 4 1st Place Votes
Last Week BHP Ranking = 1
Season: 103 total tackles, 7 INT, 1 fumble recovery, 1.5 sacks, 5.5 TFL, 4 PBU, 4 QB Hurries, 10.3 points allowed per game by Irish defense
*I tend to view the Heisman as a most valuable player award. That means the one guy who had the biggest impact on his team's fortunes. As such, the player's performance has to be viewed through the prism of his team's season as well. Save the stats. No single player did more to elevate his team this season than the bedrock of Notre Dame's defense. Te'o consistently made big plays for the Fighting Irish D, which carried the team to an undefeated record and national championship appearance. Te'o is the most deserving Heisman candidate this year.
– Allen Kenney, Blatant Homerism
*Best player on the best team regardless of position. He's not only a phenomenal linebacker but also the driving force behind the team too. Overall no one in America has a bigger effect on his team's success than Te'o.
– Andrew Coppens, Madtown Badgers
3) Collin Klein (QB-Kansas State) – 15 Points, 22.73%, 2 1st Place Votes
Last Week BHP Ranking = 3
Season: 180/272 for 2495 yds passing, 15 passing TD, 7 INT, 66.2% completions, 895 yds rushing, 22 rushing TD
*I don't think there is a player in college football that has done more with less than Collin Klein. He isn't flashy and style points will definitely cost him when you put him up against Manziel and Te'o but I don't know of a player that means more to his team and has less to work with on his team then Klein does. Collin Klein is the MVP of college football this season.
– Kevin Causey, College Football Zealots
Also Receiving Votes: Braxton Miller (QB- Ohio State) 7 pts, Marquis Lee (WR-USC) 1 pt
Dropped Out: Jordan Lynch (QB- NIU)
Bloguin Heisman Poll Roll Call
Aaron Torres Sports– Aaron Torres (@aaron_torres)
Bearcats Blog– Scott (@Bearcats Blog)
Blatant Homerism– Allen Kenney (@blatanthomerism)
College Football Zealots– Kevin Causey (@CFBZ)
College Football Zealots– Pete Sonski (@29Sonski)
Eye and Eer– Tom Perry (@eyeandeer)
Lambeth Field– Hamilton Riley (@lambethfield)
Leftover Hot Dog– Ritch (@LOHDgamecocks)
Madtown Badgers– Andrew Coppens (@andycoppens)
Nittany Lions Den– Marty Valania (@TheNLD)
Saturday Night Slant– Kris Brauner (@snslant)
SoxandDawgs– Ian Bethune (@soxanddawgs)
The Duck Stops Here– Dale Newton (@Dale_Newton)
The Little Brother Blog– Mike Wilson (@spartansordie)
