The Heisman Trophy is the most prestigious award in college football and the race has yet to be decided as the season enters its final week.
USC quarterback Matt Barkley came into the season as the presumptive front-runner, but the disappointing season for the Trojans knocked him out of the race.
Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel is the front-runner, but no freshman has ever won the award before. If it weren't for his age, Manziel would be the clear-cut winner.
Notre Dame is undefeated, but doesn't have a standout offensive player that will vie for the trophy. Linebacker Manti Te'o has had a great season, but the trophy does not usually go to defensive players.
Amid all the uncertainty, there are still a few players who have games this weekend that will have a chance to distinguish themselves from the pack, including Kansas State's Collin Klein and Oklahoma's Landry Jones.
With a wide-open race, it could be a historic year for the Heisman. Here are some of the players who may be invited to New York and where they stand as the college football season draws down.
FRONTRUNNERS
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 on 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, Klein 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 two weeks ago. Since then, Notre Dame has clinched a national title spot, while the SEC has virtually locked up the other, with Alabama and Georgia facing each other in the conference title game.
The Wildcats are on the outside looking in for the national championship hunt, but Klein is in the fortunate position to give one last audition for Heisman voters, as Kansas State has one final game on Saturday against No. 18-ranked Texas.
Some would say Klein is in an unfortunate position, because he could have a bad game and play himself out of the race, but it is likely he will add to his already substantial numbers.
Klein has been just as explosive as Manziel this year, throwing for 2,306 yards and fourteen touchdowns and rushing for 787 yards and a team-leading 20 touchdowns. He is completing over 66 percent of his passes and is averaging 8.94 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 excellent chance to make the trip to New York.
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.
LONGSHOTS
AJ McCarron, Senior, Quarterback, Alabama Crimson Tide
AJ McCarron could win the award based on his career resume, but that's not what the Heisman is about.
McCarron is the quarterback for the defending champions, but his numbers pale in comparison to players like Manziel and Klein. He has thrown for 2,057 yards and 25 touchdowns with only two interceptions.
McCarron's efficiency could help him in the race, including his 67.2 completion percentage, but the other quarterbacks appear to have him beat. One thing that the other players do not have though, is a conference championship game against a top-ranked opponent.
If he has an exceptional performance in the SEC title game against No. 3-ranked Georgia on Saturday, McCarron could vault himself into top contention. The Bulldogs are ranked 16th in points against with 17.7 per game and are in the top half of the SEC in passing defense.
McCarron has proved he can win this season against tough teams and has shown he can play his best under pressure. He rallied the Crimson Tide from a fourth quarter deficit to beat LSU 21-17 on Nov. 3 and also had over 300 yards passing in the loss to Texas A&M.
The best game for McCarron this season came in Alabama's 44-13 win against Tennessee. He passed for 306 yards and four touchdowns and completed over 77 percent of his passes.
Another impressive stat for McCarron: he threw two interceptions Alabama's only loss to Texas A&M. The other 11 games: zero interceptions.
Landry Jones, Senior, Quarterback, Oklahoma Sooners
Landry Jones was discussed at the beginning of the season as a contender for the Heisman, but he got played out of the conversation a bit after Oklahoma lost to Kansas State in the third week of the season.
But with a strong finish to the season, Jones has played himself back into the race, albeit at long odds.
One mark in Jones's favor is that Oklahoma still has one more game left to play against TCU on Saturday. If he has an exceptional performance and the Sooners win, Jones could earn himself a trip to New York.
Jones has thrown for 3,745 yards and 29 touchdowns this season with only nine interceptions. He is completing over 66 percent of his passes and has a huge game last Saturday against Oklahoma State, throwing for 500 yards and three touchdowns in Oklahoma's 51-48-overtime win.
In the past two weeks, Jones has thrown for 1,054 yards and nine touchdowns with only two interceptions.
Other Possible finalists:
Kenjon Barner, Oregon Ducks, Running Back, Senior
Season Stats: 1,624 rushing yards, 21 rushing touchdowns, 19 receptions, 232 receiving yards
Braxton Miller, Ohio State, Quarterback, Sophomore
Season Stats: 2,039 passing yards, 15 passing touchdowns, six interceptions, 58.3 completion percentage,
Stepfan Taylor, Running Back, Stanford, Senior
Season Stats: 1,364 rushing yards, 11 rushing touchdowns, 32 receptions, 215 receiving yards, two receiving touchdowns
HERE is the full schedule of college bowl games for the 2012 season.
