Mike Huguenin has spent more than 29 years in sports journalism, many of them closely associated with college football. As a longtime Heisman Trophy voter and one who will cast his ballot again at the end of this season, Huguenin takes a weekly look at the Heisman race.
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The guy atop our Heisman watch last week, Louisville QB Teddy Bridgewater, remains atop the Heisman watch this week. But that could change quickly next week with this season's "Game of the Century" on tap. Alabama visits Texas A&M in a rematch from last year when Johnny Manziel became a household name and his Heisman campaign took off in full stride.
Manziel's travails will be a much-talked-about backdrop to the big game this week -- get ready for about, oh, 700,000 references to "Johnny Football" in the next six days -- and his Heisman hopes could be determined by how well he plays against the Crimson Tide.
Here are this week's top 10 contenders, as this Heisman voter sees them:
10. QB Derek Carr (senior), Fresno State: Carr threw for 205 yards and three touchdowns as the Bulldogs beat FCS member Cal Poly. He has eight TD passes in two games. Last week's rank: 10
9. QB Brett Hundley (redshirt sophomore), UCLA: Hundley and the Bruins were off. They play at Nebraska next week, and the Huskers' secondary is highly questionable. Last week's rank: 9
8. QB Jameis Winston (redshirt freshman), Florida State: Winston was 25-of-27 for 356 yards and four touchdowns two weeks ago in a Labor Day night rout of Pitt. He also rushed for a score. Last week's rank: Unranked
7. QB Braxton Miller (junior), Ohio State: Miller was injured early in the first quarter of the Buckeyes' win over San Diego State. Coach Urban Meyer said Miller could have returned but that the coaches didn't want to risk it. Meyer said Miller should be back for next week's game against Cal. Last week rank: 3
6. TB Lache Seastrunk (junior), Baylor: Seastrunk ran for 150 yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries in the Bears' mauling of Buffalo. It's his sixth consecutive 100-yard game dating to last season. Last week's rank: 8
5. QB Johnny Manziel (redshirt sophomore), Texas A&M: Manziel threw for 403 yards and three touchdowns, and also rushed for a score in a romp over FCS program Sam Houston State. It was the second 400-yard outing of his career. Last week's rank: 6
4. TB Todd Gurley (sophomore), Georgia: Gurley ran for 134 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries in the Bulldogs' victory over South Carolina. He also caught a TD pass. Last week's rank: 5
3. QB Marcus Mariota (redshirt sophomore), Oregon: Mariota threw for 199 yards and ran for a score as the Ducks crushed Virginia. He gained 122 yards on just four carries, and his TD run covered 71 yards. Last week's rank: 4
2. QB Tajh Boyd (senior), Clemson: Boyd played less than two quarters in Clemson's easy win over South Carolina State. He threw for 169 yards, and scored on a 1-yard run. Last week's rank: 2
1. QB Teddy Bridgewater (junior), Louisville: Bridgewater threw for 397 yards and four touchdowns as Louisville routed Eastern Kentucky. He has nine TD passes in two games. Last week's rank: 1
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
