Now that we are in conference play, there are a few players that are starting to pull away from the rest of the crowd, and these are my prediction for Heisman candidates.
West Virginia’s senior quarterback Geno Smith is leading the race by leaps and bounds. Smith has posted unreal numbers throughout his first four games this season while leading the No. 8 Mountaineers to a 4-0 record, completing 83.4 percent of his passes for 1,728 yards, 20 touchdowns and a staggering zero interceptions.
Last week against No. 25 Baylor University, Smith went 45-51 for 656 yards and eight touchdown passes. However, questions have lingered about Smith due to the fact that he has not played against a team with a strong defense this season. He will get a chance to silence critics this weekend, however, as the Mountaineers go to the University of Texas to take on the No. 11 Longhorns.
Someone who was not even listed on ESPN’s top-10 Heisman board coming into the season, K-State’s senior quarterback Collin Klein has jumped up to the No. 3 spot. Klein has the No. 7 Wildcats off to a 4-0 start for the second year in a row, including a win over then-ranked No. 6 University of Oklahoma.
Klein has accumulated over 1,000 yards of total offense and 10 total touchdowns. Klein is also doing something that not a lot of people expected to see out of him this year, completing 70 percent of his passes, a big step up from 57.3 percent, which he finished with last year.
Senior quarterback EJ Manuel has fans of No. 3 Florida State thinking of a national championship berth this year. The Seminoles are off to 5-0 start, which included a big win over Clemson University. Florida State does have one of the best defenses in college football, but Manuel has helped lead the high-powered offense. With nearly 1,200 passing yards and nine touchdown passes, the Seminoles have been averaging 51 points per game, which ranks sixth in the nation.
Despite being banned from a bowl game and having new coach Urban Meyer in his first season at the helm, the No. 12 Ohio State Buckeyes are still being recognized as one of the top teams in the country. Much of this has to do with the offensive juggernaut that is quarterback Braxton Miller. In only his sophomore season, Miller is proving to be one of, if not the best, dual-threat quarterback in the country. With 933 passing yards, 577 rushing yards and 15 total touchdowns, Miller is tormenting defenses in every way he sees fit.