The Heisman finalists were announced on ESPN live on Sportscenter on Monday night and include freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel from Texas A&M, Kansas State senior quarterback Collin Klein and Notre Dame senior linebacker Manti Te'o.

Here is a rundown of each player and some statistics that show why they got the invites to New York City.

Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M Aggies, Quarterback

Johnny Manziel has been the most explosive player in all of college football and has a signature Heisman moment after ending Alabama's perfect season a few weeks ago. His numbers are staggering. The only thing holding him back will be his age.

Manziel has passed for 3,419 yards and 24 touchdowns with only eight interceptions, while completing over 68 percent of his passes. His arm is dangerous, but it is his running ability that may bring him the trophy. Manziel has rushed for 1,181 yards and 19 touchdowns this season and is averaging 6.4 yards per carry.

Many voters are old school and will not want to give the award to freshman, but Manziel could be the one player to break the mold. He was unbelievable against Alabama on Nov. 10, passing for 253 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for 92 more in the Aggies 29-24 win.

Manziel has had a number of impressive games this season, but his best performance may be the game he had against Louisiana Tech on Oct. 13. Texas A&M won the game 59-57, largely because Manziel accounted for over 500 yards of offense, passing for 395 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for 181 yards and three more touchdowns.

One thing that could tip the scales in his favor is a strong finish, which he had against Missouri last Saturday. Manziel passed for 373 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 67 yards and two touchdowns in the 59-29 win.

According to ESPN.com, Manziel is now "the SEC's single-season total-yardage record holder, eclipsing Cam Newton's mark from two years ago."

Collin Klein, Kansas State Wildcats, Quarterback

Collin Klein had the Heisman trophy all but locked up a few weeks ago.

The Kansas State Wildcats were undefeated with a 10-0 record and were the No. 1-ranked team in the BCS. Two more wins and the team would play for the national championship in Miami.

Then came Baylor. The Bears ran wild against Kansas State, taking a 28-7 lead in the first half and leaving the Wildcats completely shocked. Klein had his worst game of the year, throwing three interceptions, and Kansas State lost the game 52-24.

That was three weeks ago. Since then, Notre Dame has clinched a national title spot, while the SEC has locked up the other with Alabama defeating Georgia on Saturday

Klein has been just as explosive as Manziel this year, throwing for 2,490 yards and 15 touchdowns and rushing for 890 yards and a team-leading 22 touchdowns. He is completing over 66 percent of his passes and is averaging 9.2 yards per attempt.

Apart from the loss against Baylor, Klein only threw three interceptions this season and went on a stretch of six-straight games without a turnover. In a 55-14 win against West Virginia, Klein passed for 323 yards and three touchdowns and also rushed for 41 yards and four touchdowns.

During a two-game stretch against Kansas and Iowa State, Klein rushed for 221 yards and five touchdowns and also passed for two more scores. The fact that Klein is a senior and has one more game over Manziel to show off his skills to voters gives him an edge.

In his final game against Texas, Klein passed for only 184 yards but threw for one touchdown and rushed for 103 yards and two more scores.

Manti Te'o, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Linebacker

Manti Te'o is the most intriguing player in the race because he plays on the defensive side of the ball.

Notre Dame is undefeated, which only can help Te'o, but voters are reluctant to give the award to defensive players, especially when an offensive player has put up exceptional numbers like Manziel has. But since this is a strange year, and since Notre Dame is playing for its first championship since 1988, it could be Te'o's for the taking.

The human-interest factor is there too--the linebacker lost his grandmother and girlfriend this past season--but so is the exceptional play.

The senior has made his presence felt in every game this season and has recorded 101 tackles, including 46 solo, to go along with two sacks and seven interceptions. In the final win against USC, Te'o had five tackles, including three solo, and one interception. He notched his third 100-tackle season in his Notre Dame career in the win.

Te'o has recorded double-digit tackles in half of Notre Dame's games this year and had two interceptions in the 13-6 win against Michigan on Sept. 22.

The winner will be announced next Saturday live from New York City in Manhattan.