Heisman Watch 2012: Previewing the Top Contenders' Matchups

It’s boiling down to the last two weeks of the college football season as the Heisman watch begins to narrow.

Last week, quarterback Johnny Manziel boosted his Heisman stock after a historic 29-24 victory over top-ranked Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

With just two games remaining for each candidate, the Heisman is still up for grabs as top contenders look to gain ground on their colleagues.

Here are previews for each of the top Heisman contenders’ matchups on Saturday.

Collin Klein

With Johnny Manziel stepping on his heels, Kansas State quarterback Collin Klein needs to have a signature performance this weekend against the 4-5 Baylor.

Klein went 12-for-21 with 145 yards passing and 50 yards rushing, scoring two TDs on the ground and throwing a pick in last week’s win at TCU.

This week, Klein will have to utilize his running game against a Baylor rush defense that allows just under 200 rush yards per game.

Klein has thrown for over 300 yards in just one of the 10 Kansas State wins this year. With Baylor only averaging around a sack a game this season, Klein will have plenty of time in the pocket to pick apart this Baylor secondary.

Look for Klein to have a season defining performance on Saturday with multiple TDs rushing and passing.

Johnny Manziel

“Johnny Football” put up quite the performance in Tuscaloosa last Saturday with 345 total yards and two TDs against college football’s top defense.

This week, Manziel and the Aggies of Texas A&M get the division 1-AA Bearkats of Sam Houston State

The 8-2 Sam Houston State is holding opponents to just 16.2 points per game, respectable numbers. But when the toughest teams on the schedule consist of Baylor, Central Arkansas and Southeastern Louisiana, Manziel should have no problem padding his stats against this team.

In fact, this weekend’s throwaway game will give the freshman quarterback a real chance to surpass Klein in the Heisman polls with a solid performance.

Look for Manziel to throw for over 350 yards with three to four TDs.

Kenjon Barner

Kenjon Barner worked his way up the Heisman polls after his just ridiculous performance at USC, Nov. 3, where he scored five TDs and ran for 321 yards.

The Oregon running back struggled last week at California, rushing for 65 yards on 20 carries with no TDs.

This Saturday, Barner finally comes home to Eugene, but faces a just plain nasty Stanford rush defense.

Stanford is holding opponents to 58.6 yards rushing per game, and has 42 sacks on the season.

Oregon will rely primarily on the passing game of Marcus Mariota on Saturday. Chip Kelly will likely regulate Barner’s carries and rotate some backs to try and throw off the Stanford D-line.

Look for Barner to mirror last week’s numbers, rushing for around 60 to 70 yards with a TD.

Manti Te’o

Manti Te’o is licking his chops as the Demon Deacons of Wake Forest roll into South Bend to face the Fighting Irish.

Te’o is coming off a relatively down week at Boston College for defensive Heisman standards, where he had five tackles and an interception.

This week against a very mediocre Wake Forest, Te’o has a chance to really get to the quarterback and boost his Heisman standing with a few sacks.

Opponents have sacked Wake quarterback Tanner Price 23 times on the season, and number bound to increase against one of the top tier defenses in the country.

Wake’s positive turnover margin won’t make much of a difference against Te’o and this Irish defense.

Look for Te’o to have 10-plus tackles with a sack.

Braxton Miller

Sophomore quarterback Braxton Miller has recently dropped in the Heisman polls, even in the wake of some solid performances of late.

Undefeated Ohio State will face the 7-3 Wisconsin Badgers in Madison on Saturday in what’s sure to be a great game.

Wisconsin’s 12th-ranked defense is pretty balanced when it comes to defending the run and the pass.

Even though Ohio State will likely come out of Madison with a win, Miller’s dual-threat attack will be subdued against a defense that knows how to defend against it.

Look for Miller to have around 150 yards passing, 60 yards rushing and a TD.