It wouldn’t have been strange to think that a USC quarterback would have a lot to do with the Heisman race, but most people would have guessed Matt Barkley would be in that equation.
Barkley is out for the regular-season finale, and freshman Max Wittek has control over a good deal of the events that will affect the final Heisman votes. Wittek is going to surprise many fans in the nation with his performance on Saturday.
He’ll lead the Trojans to a victory over Manti Te’o and the vaunted Notre Dame defense. Losing and leading a defense that gives up 25-plus points to a freshman quarterback will kill Te’o's hopes.
Johnny Manziel has had a huge season, but he is a freshman. No freshman has ever won the award, and that bias will be an impediment Manziel must overcome. Although I’m not in agreement with that practice, the history doesn’t lie.
Manziel also had a pretty poor game in a crucial situation in Texas A&M’s season.
He threw three interceptions and no touchdowns against LSU on October 20. His fourth-quarter pick sealed the Aggies’ fate, and that loss is the reason the Aggies aren’t headed to play in the SEC title game.
If they had won that game, they would have as good a shot as any team in the country to play for the BCS title.
Continue reading at Bleacher Report – Big Ten Football
