Texas A&M freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel heads into the final weekend of the season as the strong favorite to win the 2012 Heisman Trophy, according to the latest HeismanPundit/CBSSports.com Heisman Straw Poll released on Tuesday.

Manziel totaled 27 points and collected eight first-place votes from the 11-member panel of Heisman voters from around the country. It’s the second-straight week he’s been atop the poll and he’s peaking at the right time. Heisman votes are due Monday, and the trophy will be awarded Dec. 8.

“With his season complete, I’m not sure how anyone else is going to catch him,” said one voter. “He’s had an incredible year, and I think he’s more than worthy of the award.”

Coming in a strong second behind Manziel was Notre Dame senior linebacker Manti Te’o with a tally of 20 points and one first-place vote.

“Te’o is the heart and soul of that Notre Dame team,” said a voter.

Te’o has a good chance to claim the highest finish by a pure defensive player since Hugh Green of Pittsburgh finished second in 1980. No pure defender has ever won the award.

After Te’o, there is a huge drop off in support, which lends credence to the notion that one or two invites to New York could still be up for grabs.

Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller is third with five points and one first-place vote, USC receiver Marqise Lee is fourth with four points plus a first-place vote, and Kansas State quarterback Collin Klein is fifth with three points. Klein is the only player in the top five with a game left to play as K-State takes on Texas on Saturday.

A total of 11 players appeared on ballots this week, reflecting the general uncertainty in the race at the moment (except at the top).

Now in its seventh season, the former HeismanPundit.com Heisman Straw Poll has been reborn as the HeismanPundit/CBSSports.com Heisman Straw Poll. It has been the most accurate Heisman poll in the country during the last five seasons, with the final 2011 poll correctly picking the top seven finishers. It is made up of 11 Heisman voters from across the country. They vote for three players each week. Tabulations are made on a 3-2-1 basis (just like a real Heisman ballot) with three points awarded for a first-place vote, two points for a second-place vote and one point for a third-place vote.

Each week’s poll is released on Tuesdays throughout the season at CBSSports.com and at HeismanPundit.com.

The HP/CBSSports.com Heisman Straw Poll, 11-27-2012
Player, total points (first-place votes in parentheses)

1. Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M — 27 (8)

2. Manti Te’o, LB, Notre Dame — 20 (1)

3. Braxton Miller, QB, Ohio State — 5 (1)

4. Marqise Lee, WR, USC — 4 (1)

5. Collin Klein, QB, Kansas State — 3

6. Tavon Austin, WR/RB, West Virginia — 2

7. (tie) Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia — 1

Kenjon Barner, RB, Oregon — 1

Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina — 1

Jordan Lynch, QB, Northern Illinois — 1

Aaron Murray, QB, Georgia — 1

About the Voting Panel

The 11 members of the panel include: Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel, Tom Dienhart of The Big Ten Network, Michael Lev of the Orange County Register, Bruce Feldman and Dennis Dodd of CBSSports.com, Bryan Fischer of the Pac-12 Network, Dick Weiss of the New York Daily News, Lenn Robbins of the New York Post, Jenni Carlson of The Daily Oklahoman and Dave Hackenberg of the Toledo Blade. Chris Huston, CBSSports.com Heisman analyst and publisher of HeismanPundit.com, coordinates and also votes in the weekly poll.

Past 2012 Poll Leaders

Date/Leader
Preseason, Matt Barkley
Sept. 4, Matt Barkley
Sept. 11, Matt Barkley
Sept. 18, Geno Smith
Sept. 25, Geno Smith
Oct. 2, Geno Smith
Oct. 9, Geno Smith
Oct. 16, Geno Smith
Oct. 23, Collin Klein
Oct. 30, Collin Klein
Nov. 6, Collin Klein
Nov. 13, Collin Klein
Nov. 20, Johnny Manziel

The quest for the 2012 Heisman Trophy took another crazy turn last week and, if the latest edition of the HeismanPundit/CBSSports.com Heisman Straw Poll is correct, we’ve got a new leader in the race with just two weeks left to go.

Texas A&M freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel jumped to the top of the pack after Kansas State and its quarterback, former Heisman front runner Collin Klein, got knocked off by Baylor this past Saturday, 52-24. Manziel picked up seven first-place votes and 26 total points from the weekly survey of 11 Heisman voters from around the country after he and his team defeated Sam Houston State.

“He beat the No. 1 team in the FBS and the No. 3 team in the FCS in consecutive weeks,” said one voter. “What’s next, the Cowboys?”

If Manziel hangs on, he’d be the first freshman to win the Heisman in the 78-year history of the award. All votes are due by Dec. 3.

In second place behind Manziel was Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o, who collected two first-place votes and 17 total points. He’s trying to make history, too, as the best-ever finish by a pure defender was a runner-up showing from Pittsburgh’s Hugh Green in 1980.

Klein, who led the poll for the previous four weeks, dropped to third place with nine points. Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller garnered a first-place vote and was fourth with seven points, while USC wide receiver Marqise Lee took fifth with five points, including the panel’s last first-place selection.

Now in its seventh season, the former HeismanPundit.com Heisman Straw Poll has been reborn as the HeismanPundit/CBSSports.com Heisman Straw Poll. It has been the most accurate Heisman poll in the country during the last five seasons, with the final 2011 poll correctly picking the top seven finishers. It is made up of 11 Heisman voters from across the country. They vote for three players each week. Tabulations are made on a 3-2-1 basis (just like a real Heisman ballot) with three points awarded for a first-place vote, two points for a second-place vote and one point for a third-place vote.

Each week’s poll will be released on Tuesday throughout the season at CBSSports.com and at HeismanPundit.com. Check out previous polls for this season here.

The HeismanPundit/CBSSports.com Heisman Straw Poll, 11-20-2012
Player, total points (first-place votes in parentheses)

1. Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M – 26 (7)

2. Manti Te’o, LB, Notre Dame – 17 (2)

3. Collin Klein, QB, Kansas State – 9

4. Braxton Miller, QB, Ohio State – 7 (1)

5. Marqise Lee, WR, USC – 5 (1)

6. (tie) Kenjon Barner, RB, Oregon – 1

Tajh Boyd, QB, Clemson – 1

About the Voting Panel

The 11 members of the panel include: Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel, Tom Dienhart of The Big Ten Network, Michael Lev of the Orange County Register, Bruce Feldman and Dennis Dodd of CBSSports.com, Bryan Fischer of the Pac-12 Network, Dick Weiss of the New York Daily News, Lenn Robbins of the New York Post, Jenni Carlson of The Daily Oklahoman and Dave Hackenberg of the Toledo Blade. Chris Huston, CBSSports.com Heisman analyst and publisher of HeismanPundit.com, coordinates and also votes in the weekly poll.

Past 2012 Poll Leaders

Date/Leader
Preseason, Matt Barkley
Sept. 4, Matt Barkley
Sept. 11, Matt Barkley
Sept. 18, Geno Smith
Sept. 25, Geno Smith
Oct. 2, Geno Smith
Oct. 9, Geno Smith
Oct. 16, Geno Smith
Oct. 23, Collin Klein
Oct. 30, Collin Klein
Nov. 6, Collin Klein
Nov. 13, Collin Klein

Kansas State quarterback Collin Klein remains the Heisman favorite heading into the last three weeks of the season, according to the latest HeismanPundit/CBSSports.com Heisman Straw Poll released on Tuesday.

Klein, a senior, collected six first-place votes from the 11-member panel of Heisman voters for a total of 26 points, putting him atop the weekly survey for the fourth week in a row. He appeared on all 11 mock ballots.

“He showed a lot of grit to come back from injury to lead his team to a solid win over TCU,” said one voter of the Wildcats’ quarterback.

Klein held off freshman phenom Johnny Manziel of Texas A&M, whose performance in his team’s upset of No. 1 Alabama vaulted him into a strong second-place showing in the poll. Manziel appeared on nine of 11 ballots and picked up three first-place votes, totaling 18 points to put him within striking distance of the front-runner.

“He’s had the most impact of any player in college football this season,” noted a voter. “He single-handedly took down the No. 1 team in the country.”

Coming in third was USC wide receiver Marqise Lee, who captured the panel’s other two first-place votes and tallied 10 points overall.

Two players from the Midwest – Ohio State quarteback Braxton Miller and Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o – tied for fourth with four points. Two Oregon Ducks – running back Kenjon Barner and quarterback Marcus Mariota – tied for sixth with two points apiece.

Now in its seventh season, the former HeismanPundit.com Heisman Straw Poll has been reborn as the HeismanPundit/CBSSports.com Heisman Straw Poll. It has been the most accurate Heisman poll in the country during the last five seasons, with the final 2011 poll correctly picking the top seven finishers. It is made up of 11 Heisman voters from across the country. They vote for three players each week. Tabulations are made on a 3-2-1 basis (just like a real Heisman ballot) with three points awarded for a first-place vote, two points for a second-place vote and one point for a third-place vote.

Each week’s poll will be released on Tuesday throughout the season at HeismanPundit.com. Check out previous polls for this season here.

The HP/CBSSports.com Heisman Straw Poll, 11-13-2012
Player, total points (first-place votes in parentheses)

1. Collin Klein, QB, Kansas State – 26 (6)

2. Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M – 18 (3)

3. Marqise Lee, WR, USC – 10 (2)

4. (tie) Braxton Miller, QB, Ohio State – 4

Manti Te’o, LB, Notre Dame – 4

6. (tie) Kenjon Barner, RB, Oregon – 2

Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon – 2

About the Voting Panel

The 11 members of the panel include: Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel, Tom Dienhart of The Big Ten Network, Michael Lev of the Orange County Register, Bruce Feldman and Dennis Dodd of CBSSports.com, Bryan Fischer of the Pac-12 Network, Dick Weiss of the New York Daily News, Lenn Robbins of the New York Post, Jenni Carlson of The Daily Oklahoman and Dave Hackenberg of the Toledo Blade. Chris Huston, CBSSports.com Heisman analyst and publisher of HeismanPundit.com, coordinates and also votes in the weekly poll.

Past 2012 Poll Leaders

Date/Leader
Preseason, Matt Barkley
Sept. 4, Matt Barkley
Sept. 11, Matt Barkley
Sept. 18, Geno Smith
Sept. 25, Geno Smith
Oct. 2, Geno Smith
Oct. 9, Geno Smith
Oct. 16, Geno Smith
Oct. 23, Collin Klein
Oct. 30, Collin Klein
Nov. 6, Collin Klein
Nov. 13, Collin Klein

On a day when you’re likely to see a lot of poll results, this one may be the least controversial.

Kansas State quarterback Collin Klein sits atop the Heismanpundit/CBSSports.com Heisman Straw Poll for the third week in a row and remains the strong favorite to win the 78th Heisman Trophy.

Klein received nine out of 11 first-place votes from the weekly panel of Heisman voters. His 28 total points was down slightly from his 31-point total the last couple weeks, but still well ahead of running back Kenjon Barner of Oregon (13 points, 1 first-place vote), who jumped from seventh place into second after rushing for 321 yards and five touchdowns against USC.

Klein continue to impress voters. He passed for 245 yards and rushed for 64 against Oklahoma State before leaving with an undisclosed injury.

“Klein is still in the driver’s seat, assuming he isn’t hurt,” said one voter.

Barner and USC wide receiver Marqise Lee (10 points, 1 first-place vote), are starting to make strong impressions with the voters, however.

“Lee is the best player in America,” said one voter.

Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron placed fourth in the poll with six points, while Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller and Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o tied for fifth with four points each.

Now in its seventh season, the former HeismanPundit.com Heisman Straw Poll has been reborn as the HeismanPundit/CBSSports.com Heisman Straw Poll. It has been the most accurate Heisman poll in the country during the last five seasons, with the final 2011 poll correctly picking the top seven finishers. It is made up of 11 Heisman voters from across the country. They vote for three players each week. Tabulations are made on a 3-2-1 basis (just like a real Heisman ballot) with three points awarded for a first-place vote, two points for a second-place vote and one point for a third-place vote.

Each week’s poll will be released on Tuesday throughout the season at CBSSports.com and at HeismanPundit.com. Check out previous polls for this season here.

The HP/CBSSports.com Heisman Straw Poll, 11-6-2012
Player, total points (first-place votes in parentheses)

1. Collin Klein, QB, Kansas State – 28 (9)

2. Kenjon Barner, RB, Oregon – 13 (1)

3. Marqise Lee, WR, USC – 10 (1)

4. AJ McCarron, QB, Alabama – 6

5. (tie) Braxton Miller, QB, Ohio State – 4

Manti Te’o, LB, Notre Dame – 4

7. Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M – 1

About the Voting Panel

The 11 members of the panel include: Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel, Tom Dienhart of The Big Ten Network, Michael Lev of the Orange County Register, Bruce Feldman and Dennis Dodd of CBSSports.com, Bryan Fischer of the Pac-12 Network, Dick Weiss of the New York Daily News, Lenn Robbins of the New York Post, Jenni Carlson of The Daily Oklahoman and Dave Hackenberg of the Toledo Blade. Chris Huston, CBSSports.com Heisman analyst and publisher of HeismanPundit.com, coordinates and also votes in the weekly poll.

Kansas State quarterback Collin Klein remains again the overwhelming leader in the race for the 2012 Heisman Trophy, according to the latest Heismanpundit/CBSSports.com Heisman Straw Poll released on Tuesday.

The Wildcats senior totaled four touchdowns in his team’s 55-24 smashing of Texas Tech and, as a result, collected 10 out of a possible 11 first-place votes from the weekly survey of Heisman voters from across the country. He totaled 31 total points for the second week in a row, putting him well out ahead of linebacker Manti Te’o of Notre Dame, who came in second with 13 points after leading the Irish to a win over Oklahoma in Norman.

“Klein just keeps getting better and better each week,” said a voter. “And, more importantly he’s doing it against ranked teams.”

USC wide receiver Marqise Lee jumped into third place on the strength of his 345-yard receiving day against Arizona. Lee collected the panel’s other first-place vote and totaled seven points.

Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller and West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith tied for fourth with four points, while Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron was sixth with three points.

A couple Oregon Ducks running backs–Kenjon Barner and De’Anthony Thomas–tied for seventh with two points.

Now in its seventh season, the former HeismanPundit.com Heisman Straw Poll has been reborn as the HeismanPundit/CBSSports.com Heisman Straw Poll. It has been the most accurate Heisman poll in the country during the last five seasons, with the final 2011 poll correctly picking the top seven finishers. It is made up of 11 Heisman voters from across the country. They vote for three players each week. Tabulations are made on a 3-2-1 basis (just like a real Heisman ballot) with three points awarded for a first-place vote, two points for a second-place vote and one point for a third-place vote.

Each week’s poll will be released on Tuesday throughout the season at CBSSports.com and at HeismanPundit.com.

The HP/CBSSports.com Heisman Straw Poll, 10-30-2012
Player, total points (first-place votes in parentheses)

1. Collin Klein, QB, Kansas State – 31 (10)

2. Manti Te’o, LB, Notre Dame – 13

3. Marqise Lee, WR, USC – 7 (1)

4. (tie) Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia – 4

Braxton Miller, QB, Ohio State – 4

6. AJ McCarron, QB, Alabama – 3

7. (tie) Kenjon Barner, RB, Oregon – 2

De’Anthony Thomas, RB, Oregon – 2

About the Voting Panel

The 11 members of the panel include: Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel, Tom Dienhart of The Big Ten Network, Michael Lev of the Orange County Register, Bruce Feldman and Dennis Dodd of CBSSports.com, Bryan Fischer of the Pac-12 Network, Dick Weiss of the New York Daily News, Lenn Robbins of the New York Post, Jenni Carlson of The Daily Oklahoman and Dave Hackenberg of the Toledo Blade. Chris Huston, CBSSports.com Heisman analyst and publisher of HeismanPundit.com, coordinates and also votes in the weekly poll.

A seven-touchdown performance in a rout of West Virginia has vaulted Kansas State quarterback Collin Klein into a commanding lead in the latest HeismanPundit/CBSSports.com Heisman Straw Poll released Tuesday.

Klein totaled 31 points while capturing 10 of 11 first-place votes from the weekly panel of Heisman voters from around the country. That put him 21 points ahead of his nearest competition, linebacker Manti Te’o of Notre Dame (10 points). The gap between the first- and second-place leaders in this poll is the largest of any of the nine Heismanpundit/CBSSports.com polls released so far this season.

“Klein only had one other scholarship offer — from Colorado State– coming out of high school, but everyone in the offensive-minded Big 12 is salivating over his multi-dimensional offensive talents,” said one voter. “He is playing like the most productive quarterback in the country.”

Te’o's season to date has also impressed voters.

“He is the inspirational linchpin of Notre Dame’s best defense in 20 seasons,” one voter said.

Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron was third in the poll with six points, followed by a trio of players in a tie for fourth — former straw-poll leader Geno Smith of West Virginia, Kenjon Barner of Oregon and Braxton Miller of Ohio State.

USC wide receiver Marqise Lee received the panel’s remaining first-place vote.

Heading into its seventh season, the former HeismanPundit.com Heisman Straw Poll has been reborn as the HeismanPundit/CBSSports.com Heisman Straw Poll. It has been the most accurate Heisman poll in the country during the last five seasons, with the final 2011 poll correctly picking the top seven finishers. It is made up of 11 Heisman voters from across the country. They vote for three players each week. Tabulations are made on a 3-2-1 basis (just like a real Heisman ballot) with three points awarded for a first-place vote, two points for a second-place vote and one point for a third-place vote.

Each week’s poll will be released on Tuesday throughout the season at CBSSports.com and at HeismanPundit.com.

The HP/CBSSports.com Heisman Straw Poll, 10-23-2012
Player, total points (first-place votes in parentheses)

1. Collin Klein, QB, Kansas State — 31 (10)

2. Manti Te’o, LB, Notre Dame — 10

3. AJ McCarron, QB, Alabama — 6

4. (tie) Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia — 4

Braxton Miller, QB, Ohio State — 4

Kenjon Barner, RB, Oregon — 4

7. (tie) Marqise Lee, WR, USC — 3 (1)

Seth Doege, QB, Texas Tech — 3

9. Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M — 1

About the Voting Panel

The 11 members of the panel include: Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel, Tom Dienhart of The Big Ten Network, Michael Lev of the Orange County Register, Bruce Feldman, Dennis Dodd and Bryan Fischer of CBSSports.com, Dick Weiss of the New York Daily News, Lenn Robbins of the New York Post, Jenni Carlson of The Daily Oklahoman and Dave Hackenberg of the Toledo Blade. Chris Huston, CBSSports.com Heisman analyst and publisher of HeismanPundit.com, coordinates and also votes in the weekly poll.