Heisman survey: Can Collin Klein rush to the top?
The Heisman Trophy race, like the college football season itself, is not a sprint but a marathon.
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To see how that clichéd but accurate point has been driven home, one need look no further than Morgantown, W.Va.
Just two short weeks ago, West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith was the runaway leader. There was another big performance Saturday in Morgantown, but it was the visitor from Kansas State putting up the big numbers.
Wildcats quarterback Collin Klein now holds the top spot in the USA TODAY Sports Media Group survey of its 35 official Heisman voters, named first on 32 ballots and second on the remaining three for 102 total points.
| Rank | Player | 2012 statistics | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Total |
| 1 | CollinKlein, Kansas State | 1,397passing yards, 10 TDs; 551 rushing yards, 14 TDs | 32 | 3 | 102 | |
| 2 | MantiTe'o, Notre Dame | 69tackles, 4 interceptions | 11 | 8 | 30 | |
| 3 | BraxtonMiller, Ohio State | 1,384passing yards, 11 TDs; 959 rushing yards, 10 TDs | 1 | 8 | 5 | 24 |
| 4 | GenoSmith, West Virginia | 2,414passing yards, 26 TDs | 1 | 5 | 10 | 23 |
| 5 | MattBarkley, USC | 1,773passing yards, 22TDs | 1 | 4 | 4 | 15 |
| 6 | AJMcCarron, Alabama | 1,476passing yards, 16 TDs | 2 | 2 | 6 | |
| Also receiving votes: Kenjon Barner(Oregon) 2, Tajh Boyd (Clemson) 2, Seth Doege (Texas Tech) 2,De'Athony Thomas (Oregon) 2, Tavon Austin (West Virginia) 1, MarqiseLee (USC) 1. | ||||||
Third in the balloting last week, Klein outshone previous front-runner Smith in their head-to-head meeting at West Virginia, augmenting his near-flawless 19-for-21 passing day for 323 yards and three scoring throws with four more touchdowns on the ground.
Klein has now accounted for 24 touchdowns this season and leads the offense-heavy Big 12 in passing efficiency. Smith is still getting consideration, but he has fallen to fourth place with 23 points after his second rough week in succession, in which he threw his first two interceptions of the year.
Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o moved up to second place in this week's survey with 30 points. Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller — who had to leave the Buckeyes' overtime win against Purdue in the third quarter after a neck injury that coach Urban Meyer said Monday was akin to whiplash — slipped to third with 24 points. Meyer said he expects Miller to be able to practice Tuesday.
Back on the radar is Southern California quarterback Matt Barkley, the preseason favorite who fell off the map when the Trojans were outplayed at Stanford. Barkley checks in in fifth place this week with 15 points, including a first-place vote.
But with a lot of games left, there are plenty of standouts from national title contenders getting votes that bear watching. Those include Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron and Oregon running backs Kenjon Barner and DeAnthony Thomas.