One man’s vote: It’s Te’o time

By MIKE KERN, Philadelphia Daily News

THE POPULAR wisdom seems to be that Johnny Manziel — “Johnny Football” — is going to make history. He certainly put up the numbers, in the country’s premier conference. Better numbers than Tim Tebow or Cam Newton. Maybe that alone should be sufficient. Manziel also has the nickname, and he had his Heisman moment in that late-season win at Alabama.

But, for whatever it’s worth, his stats weren’t all that in the Aggies’ two losses, both at home, against Florida in early September and LSU in mid-October. Just saying.

Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o was the poster boy for most everything Notre Dame accomplished this season. And that carries a ton of weight. We’ll soon find out exactly how much.

For better or worse, the Heisman doesn’t always go to the so-called best player. Because that isn’t always easy to define. It could be a cornerback in the Pac-12, or a guard at Vanderbilt. That’s for the NFL draft to decide. The Heisman has basically become a popularity contest. It usually goes to the highest-profile skill players, on the highest-profile teams. Simple as that.

Manziel might not finish first-team on at least some All-America teams. That’s just the way it is. I don’t think he shouldn’t win just because he’s a freshman. That shouldn’t have anything to do with it. Nor do I think Te’o should win just because he played for the team that did something no other Notre Dame team has done in a quarter-century. The bottom line is, voting for either Te’o or Kansas State QB Collin Klein is almost like voting for an MVP. And that might be OK, too.

I’m one of about 1,000 folks who have a say in this. I have been for a couple of years now. And I try to take it very, very seriously, because it matters. I really favored Klein, to be honest. But in the end, I went with Te’o. I could have made a case for all of them and not been wrong. I put Manziel third. I’m probably in the minority. But that’s my story and there’s no going back.

Manziel proves the best by far

By CEDRIC GOLDEN, Austin American-Statesman

JOHNNY MANZIEL will make history tonight when he wins the Heisman Trophy.

For the second straight year, a kid from Texas will hoist the trophy, and for the first time, a freshman will stand as the best player in college football.

At least for the first time in the eyes of Heisman voters. There was a time when those eyes were trained on older players, but I’m hopeful that Manziel’s ascension will change those outdated perceptions.

Manziel did not play like someone without game experience. He embraced the obstacle that was his inexperience, and he did not shy from big challenges.

When I consider which player should win the Heisman, I look at three areas: numbers, impact and the eye test. Manziel has the numbers, with an SEC-record 4,600 yards of total offense. His impact can be summed up in A&M’s 10-2 record and its program-changing upset of defending national champion Alabama, along with the most popular nickname in college football. As for the eye test, few players leaped off the screen like Manziel did this year. It took me back to Michael Vick’s days at Virginia Tech. You just couldn’t wait to see what he would do with the ball.

Nowhere in my criteria did I mention class, because Manziel shouldn’t be labeled or restricted by how many snaps he’s taken in college football. If anything, his winning the Heisman Trophy would remove the freshman stigma from future Heisman campaigns. Herschel Walker (1980), Michael Vick (1999) and Adrian Peterson (2004) turned in tremendous debuts, but all lost to upperclassmen. The timing couldn’t be better, and it’s about time a freshman with Manziel’s credentials be considered the favorite.

The freshman argument is a silly one. Manziel’s in his second year on campus — a sophomore in the classroom.