We are basically at midseason in college football with most teams putting in a solid 6 games. Right now it looks like a one man race (West Virginia's Geno Smith) but injuries happen and teams do collapse. Here are my top 5 Heisman candidates.
1. Geno Smith - Right now it's Geno's hardware to lose. Geno led another spirited win last week in Austin with 4 TD and zero point zero INTs to bring his season total to a whopping 24 TDs to 0 INTs. I don't know about you but that is kind of impressive. He also has a 81.4% completion percentage and a NCAA record 202.4 QB rating. By far the leading candidate Geno could lose a couple of games in Morgantown and still take home the Heisman in my opinion. It helps to play in the Big 12 also where defenses go to die.
2. Braxton Miller - Miller Time has the Buckeyes off to a 6-0 start and is putting up Cam Newton-like numbers. The sophomore hasn't quite polished his throws but is still over 60% with a 9 TD-to-3 INT ratio. His legs have been devastating with 763 yards rushing along with 8 TDs. Too bad Ohio State is ineligible for a postseason appearance or Miller would have a legitimate chance of at least competing with Geno right now.
3. Manti Te'o - Yes, a defensive player is in my top 3 candidates. Te'o is the face of the undefeated Fighting Irish and is the best linebacker in the game. He has been huge in big television games vs Navy, Michigan State, Michigan, and Miami. College GameDay has put the spotlight on him already with the loss of his girlfriend and grandmother which has pulled the heartstrings of America including myself. The team leader will get the chance to showcase himself on the big stage this week vs Stanford as well as future road games vs Oklahoma and USC. If ND keeps winning Te'o will at least get an invite to New York.
4. Collin Klein - I've never been fully convinced Optimus Klein is that good but he is proving me wrong this season. He has K State undefeated with huge wins over Miami and Oklahoma on his resume. His numbers are not nearly as outstanding as Smith but next week he will get his chance to go up against him as they travel to Morgantown. Win that game and Klein might have a chance to overtake Geno.
5. Marcus Lattimore - I still think Lattimore is the best runningback in the nation and if South Carolina keeps winning especially like they did last week vs Georgia he has a shot at an invite to New York. Unfortunately for him I'm not convinced he is even the best player on his team (hello Jadeveon Clowney) and I'm not sure how well he can hold up the next two weeks in games on the road at LSU and Florida. Both of those teams have defenses that will try to punish Lattimore.
Barely outside looking in: Jadeveon Clowney, Jarvis Jones, De'Anthony Thomas, Johnny Manziel, Marquise Lee
