Manti Te’o, LB, Notre Dame

The Buzz: Te’o appears to be the only challenger to Manziel’s bid for Heisman. The Notre Damelinebacker has been the heart and soul of his team, helping lead the Irish to their first BCSNational Championship Gameappearance. His performance against USClast week all but sealed his chances to join Johnny Football as a finalist in NewYork. His only challenge will be convincing voters a defensive player deserves as muchconsideration as an offensive player.

Braxton Miller, QB, Ohio State

The Buzz: It’s been a magical sophomore season for Miller, whois credited with helping lead the Buckeyes to their sixth undefeated season in the school’s 123-year history. He set career marks in passing yards (2,039), rushing yards (1,271) and total touchdowns (28). If the Big Ten had been better this season, Miller might have gotten a bigger push in the Heisman race. Instead, he will most likely finish behind Manziel and Te’o. Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel would be the first freshman to win the Heisman.

Collin Klein, QB, Kansas State

The Buzz: After a bye week, Kansas State and Klein are getting ready to take on Texas for what essentially is the Big12 championship. The senior has been the main catalyst for the Wildcats’ success this season, producing more than 65 percent of the team’s offense. Hehas 3,093 total yards of offense with 34 total touchdowns. While a big gameagainst the Longhorns will help, it probably won’t be enough to overtake Manziel.

Kenjon Barner, RB, Oregon

The Buzz: Oregon’s loss to Stanford not only knocked the Ducks out of the national championship race, it also knocked them out of a conference title. Barner finished up the regular season with198 yards on 28 carries with two touchdowns during Oregon’s 48-24 win over in-state rival Oregon State. It’s not a significant consolation prize, but it helped ease the sting a bit. He became the school’s15th player to rush for at least 1,000 yards in a season (1,624).