Heisman Trophy 2012: Week 8's Best and Worst Showings in Heisman Hunt

In Week 8 of the 2012-2013 college football campaign, several Heisman contenders switched places in the rankings based on their performances.

West Virginia's Geno Smith took another step back, while Kansas State's Collin Klein continues to impress.

Of course, those aren't the only players gunning for college football's best individual award. A quarterback from an elite SEC program jumped up the rankings, while it's getting harder to ignore a running back not named De'Anthony Thomas in Oregon.

Here's a look at the best and worst performances from the top Heisman contenders this season, complete with my rankings through Week 8 at the end.

Best: Collin Klein, QB, Kansas State

Sure, Collin Klein was facing a porous West Virginia defense, but you still can't ignore his performance.

Klein went 19-of-21 for 323 yards and three touchdowns against the Mountaineers in Week 8, while rushing for 43 yards and four touchdowns. He accounted for all seven of Kansas State's touchdowns in the 55-14 onslaught.

For the season, Klein has completed 70 percent of his passes for 10.05 yards per attempt while tossing 10 touchdowns to two interceptions.

He's also rushed for 551 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Klein was ranked No. 21 at his position by Rivals.com in the 2008 recruiting class. 

Kansas State is now ranked No. 3 in the nation with a 7-0 record.

Worst: Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia

Geno Smith did complete 66 percent of his passes while tossing a touchdown against Kansas State, but he also averaged 4.5 yards per attempt and was picked off twice.

Smith, who dominated in his first five games, has slowed down against the defenses of Kansas State and Texas Tech the past two weeks, and he no longer has distance on Klein.

Best: A.J. McCarron, QB, Alabama

It's about time we stopped calling A.J. McCarron a simple "game manager" and started calling him "a pretty good quarterback."

In the SEC clash against Tennessee in Week 8, McCarron went 17-of-22 for 306 yards and four touchdowns. 

For the season, the junior has completed 69 percent of his passes for 9.6 yards per attempt (fourth in the FBS) while tossing 16 touchdowns to zero interceptions.

McCarron has three straight games against ranked opponents coming up. That is where his Heisman candidacy will be determined.

Worst: Braxton Miller, QB, Ohio State

After what Michigan's Denard Robinson did to Purdue in Week 6, I figured Braxton Miller would explode against the Boilermakers in Week 8.

But Miller didn't come to play on Saturday, going 9-of-20 for 113 yards and an interception while averaging 3.9 yards per carry (one rushing touchdown).

After he got injured, it was junior Kenny Guiton who led the Buckeyes to a 29-22 overtime victory.

Best: Kenjon Barner, RB, Oregon

A lot of people were more excited about De'Anthony Thomas to start the season (and for good reason), but not only is Kenjon Barner getting more of a workload, he's also been very efficient.

Barner exploded for 143 rushing yards and three touchdowns at Arizona State in Week 8. He now has rushed for 870 yards and 12 touchdowns on 6.6 yards per carry while tallying 111 yards and a touchdown as a receiver.

Sure, he hasn't faced a great run defense yet, but you can't hold that against him, either.

Worst: Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M

It's hard to fault any quarterback for struggling against No. 6 LSU, but freshman Johnny Manziel's inexperience clearly showed in Week 8.

The dual-threat signal-caller averaged 4.9 yards per pass attempt against the Tigers while throwing three interceptions and rushing for only 27 yards on 17 carries. The result was a 24-19 loss in a pivotal matchup for Texas A&M.

Manziel has now thrown six interceptions in his last three games after throwing zero picks in his first four games.

Best: Manti Te'o, LB, Notre Dame

Manti Te'o has become a prime Heisman contender.

The senior inside linebacker tallied 10 tackles (0.5 tackles for loss), a QB hurry and his fourth interception of the season against BYU. 

The Fighting Irish needed every bit of it, as they went on to win a nail-biter, 17-14.

For the season, Te'o has registered 67 tackles and he's a big reason why Notre Dame is No. 5 in the BCS standings with a 7-0 record.

Best: Matt Barkley, QB, USC

After struggling throughout the season, Matt Barkley exploded against Colorado in Week 8, going 19-of-20 for 298 yards and six touchdowns in the 50-6 romp.

Barkley still has some work to do to get back to the top—and he was facing an awful Colorado defense—but there is still hope for him with the Trojans currently No. 9 in the BCS standings.

Barkley's games against No. 4 Oregon and No. 5 Notre Dame down the road will be critical for his Heisman candidacy.

Heisman Rankings

1. Collin Klein, QB, Kansas State

A big win over West Virginia helps Klein leap-frog Geno Smith. Kansas State faces No. 14 Texas Tech next, which just dropped 56 points on TCU in a triple-overtime victory.

2. Manti Te'o, LB, Notre Dame

After tough games for Geno Smith, Braxton Miller and Johnny Manziel, Manti Te'o has skyrocketed up the rankings. Notre Dame plays No. 8 Oklahoma next, which is averaging 44.7 points per game this season (fifth in the nation).

3. A.J. McCarron, QB, Alabama

A.J. McCarron doesn't have gaudy numbers, but he has yet to throw an interception and his yardage per pass attempt tells the story for me. The Crimson Tide have a true leader under center. Alabama plays No. 11 Mississippi State next.

4. Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia

How the mighty have fallen. Smith has had a rough couple of games and has consequently dropped down the rankings. His performance against No. 8 Oklahoma on Nov. 17 will be a huge game for him. The Mountaineers play TCU next.

5. Braxton Miller, QB, Ohio State

The game against Purdue was startling given Miller's performance throughout the season and the Boilermakers' propensity to give up big yardage on the ground. The Buckeyes play Penn State next.

6. Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M

A rough outing against an elite LSU defense drops the freshman. A&M faces Auburn next before meeting Mississippi State and Alabama.

7. Kenjon Barner, RB, Oregon

Barner is making people take notice of him, despite being alongside the explosive De'Anthony Thomas. He deserves credit for what he's done so far. No. 3 Oregon faces Colorado next.

8. Matt Barkley, QB, USC

A big performance against Colorado pushes Barkley up a spot from last week. USC faces Arizona next.

9. Montee Ball, RB, Wisconsin

Montee Ball has been much better in the past three weeks, exploding against Illinois, Purdue and Minnesota. Wisconsin faces Michigan State next.

10. De'Anthony Thomas, RB, Oregon

The problem for De'Anthony Thomas is that he has to be out of this world with every touch he gets this season because Barner is stealing some of his touches. He only had 29 total yards against Arizona State.