Heisman Watch

Dec. 8

Chris Huston is a national college football blogger and Heisman expert for CBSSports.com. He was the creator and publisher of Heismanpundit.com, a site dedicated to analysis of the Heisman Trophy and college football. Huston coordinates the Heismanpundit/CBSSports.com Heisman Straw Poll, a weekly survey of Heisman voter sentiment that comes out every Tuesday here at CBSSports.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @Heismanpundit

Straw Poll: 12-3-12
Player, School	Pts (FPV)
1. Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M	27 (8)
2. Manti Te'o, Notre Dame	18 (1)
3. Collin Klein, Kansas State	10
4t. Braxton Miller, Ohio State	5 (1)
4t. Marqise Lee, USC	5 (1)
Receiving votes: Kenjon Barner, Oregon -- 1

The 11 members of the panel include: Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel, Tom Dienhart of The Big Ten Network, Michael Lev of the Orange County Register, Bruce Feldman, Dennis Dodd and Bryan Fischer of CBSSports.com, Dick Weiss of the New York Daily News, Lenn Robbins of the New York Post, Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman and Dave Hackenberg of The Toledo Blade. Chris Huston, CBSSports.com Heisman analyst and publisher of HeismanPundit.com, coordinates and also votes in the weekly poll.

Inspired by his first up-close exposure to the Heisman process in 2002, Chris formulated The 10 Heismandments, a set of unspoken, unofficial guidelines that govern how the Heisman winner is selected. From these rules sprang the idea for Heismanpundit.com -– and the rest is history.

Texas A&M's Johnny Manziel rode a record-breaking season all the way to a history-making finish in the Heisman Trophy race.

Heisman Voting
Player, School	1st	2nd	3rd	Tot.
Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M	474	252	103	2,029
Manti Te'o, Notre Dame	321	309	125	1,706
Collin Klein, Kansas St.	60	197	320	894

The dual-threat quarterback from Kerrville, Texas, became the first freshman winner in the 78-year history of the prestigious trophy on Saturday night.

Manziel tallied 474 first-place votes and 2,029 total points, comfortably ahead of runner-up Manti Te'o, the linebacker from Notre Dame, who tallied 1,706 points. Kansas State quarterback Collin Klein was third with 894 points.

The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Manziel was fantastic in his first year as a starter, compiling an SEC-record 4,600 yards of total offense -- including 43 total touchdowns -- while leading the Aggies to a 10-2 record in their first year in the league. It was A&M's best season since 1998. Manziel became just the fifth player in FBS history -- and the first freshman-- to throw for more than 3,000 yards and rush for more than 1,000.

Below is a list of the candidates with the best chance to win the Heisman Trophy:

1. Johnny Manziel   Position: QB School: Texas A&M Class: Freshman Ht: 6-1 Wt: 200 Comment: He's about to become the first freshman to win the Heisman, a truly remarkable accomplishment. His 4,600 yards of total offense and 43 touchdowns, combined with his landmark upset of Alabama, a whirling-dervish style of play and A&M's best record since 1998 are what put him over the top. Passing Rushing   Comp Att Yds TD INT Car Yds Avg TD vs. Missouri 32 44 372 3 1 12 67 5.6 2 2012 273 400 3419 24 8 184 1181 6.4 19

2. Manti Te'o   Position: LB School: Notre Dame Class: Senior Ht: 6-2 Wt: 255 Comment: He made a good run at it, but Te'o is set to join Hugh Green of Pittsburgh in 1980 as the highest-finishing pure defender in Heisman history. His 103 tackles and seven interceptions are impressive but not enough to overcome the record-setting numbers put up by Manziel.

3. Collin Klein   Position: QB School: Kansas State Class: Senior Ht: 6-5 Wt: 226 Comment: If not for the debacle against Baylor, he'd be entering the ceremony as the favorite. Kansas State needed every one of his 2,490 passing yards, 890 rushing yards and combined 37 touchdowns to win the Big 12 title for the first time since 2003. Passing Rushing   Comp Att Yds TD INT Car Yds Avg TD vs. Texas 8 14 184 1 1 23 103 4.5 2 2012 180 272 2490 15 7 194 890 4.6 22

4. Braxton Miller   Position: QB School: Ohio State Class: Sophomore Ht: 6-2 Wt: 210 Comment: He led the Buckeyes to an undefeated season, setting himself up to perhaps be the Heisman front-runner for 2013. If Ohio State was not on probation, he might've been able to make more of a case for himself by playing in the Big Ten title game. Passing Rushing   Comp Att Yds TD INT Car Yds Avg TD vs. Michigan 14 18 189 1 0 20 57 2.9 0 2012 148 254 2039 15 6 227 1271 5.6 13

Others to watch (listed alphabetically) Player Class Pos School Key statistics Kenjon Barner Senior RB Oregon 248 carries, 1,624 yards rushing (6.5 avg), 21 TDs Marqise Lee Sophomore WR Southern California 112 receptions, 1,680 yards receiving (15.0 avg), 14 TDs Jordan Lynch Junior QB Northern Illinois 222-of-353 passing (62.9 pct), 2,962 yards, 24 TDs, 5 INTs, 271 carries, 1,771 yards rushing (6.5 avg), 19 TDs AJ McCarron Junior QB Alabama 191-of-286 passing (66.8 pct), 2,669 yards, 26 TDs, 3 INTs