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A&M's Manziel on Heisman map

NO MOMENT is too big for him. That's what first-year Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin, proving he's no Mike Sherman, had to say about his redshirt freshman quarterback, Johnny Manziel, a worthy successor to Ryan Tannehill.

Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel (2) celebrates after a review
proves an Aggie touchdown during the first half of their first SEC
meeting against and Alabama in an NCAA college football game,
Saturday, Nov. 10, 2012, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. No. 15 Texas A&M defeated
No. 1 Alabama 29-24.  (AP Photo/The Decatur Daily, Gary Cosby Jr.)
Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel (2) celebrates after a review proves an Aggie touchdown during the first half of their first SEC meeting against and Alabama in an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 10, 2012, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. No. 15 Texas A&M defeated No. 1 Alabama 29-24. (AP Photo/The Decatur Daily, Gary Cosby Jr.)Read more

NO MOMENT is too big for him. That's what first-year Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin, proving he's no Mike Sherman, had to say about his redshirt freshman quarterback, Johnny Manziel, a worthy successor to Ryan Tannehill.

"He gives our players a sense that anything can happen," Sumlin said. "It's a contagious feeling."

Ask Alabama. Manziel has put himself in the Heisman Trophy conversation. Maybe even right behind Kansas State senior QB Collin Klein.

Who figured? But that's what happens if you beat the top-ranked, reigning champions at their place. The Aggies (8-2) have already won more games than they did a year ago in the Big 12, when they were picked to finish second and ended up one game above .500, losing three double-digit halftime leads. This year they were picked fifth in the SEC West.

Maybe two new faces can make that much difference. Or even one.

Manziel has been described as a faster, slightly taller version of Doug Flutie. Yet Rivals.com only listed him as a three-star recruit. ESPN said he was the 78th-best QB in his class.

In June he was arrested following an early morning altercation on charges of disorderly conduct, failure to identify and presenting false identification, all misdemeanors. Then he beat out sophomore Jameil Showers for the starting gig.

He has thrown for 2,780 yards and 18 TDs, and run for 1,014 and 15, for a team that has the second-highest strength of schedule in FCS (its losses were at home against Florida and LSU, by a total of eight, both in games it led). He leads the SEC in rushing. When Tim Tebow won the Heisman as a soph in 2007 he accounted for 4,181 yards and 55 TDs on a 9-4 team. Just saying.

No freshman has ever won the Heisman. Three finished third: Georgia Tech's Clint Castleberry (1942), Georgia's Herschel Walker (1980) and Virginia Tech's Michael Vick (1999).

Oklahoma's Adrian Peterson (2004) was a runner-up.

But Manziel isn't the only first-year guy having an impact. At Oregon, Marcus Mariota just threw for a career-high 377 yards and tied a school record with six touchdown passes. OK, it was against Cal. But he does lead the nation in passing efficiency (180 rating). In the last two games he has as many TDs as incompletions (10). And Notre Dame's Everett Golson certainly has had his moments.

Since freshman eligibility was restored in 1972, only one QB has taken a team to a national title: Oklahoma's Jamelle Holieway in 1985, after he became the starter when sophomore Troy Aikman, in his first season as the starter, broke a leg in the fourth game against Miami, the team's only loss. Aikman transferred to UCLA, and seemed to do OK for himself.

Trivial pursuit

The last time Kansas State was 10-0, who was its quarterback. Hint: He finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting, three spots ahead of Syracuse's Donovan McNabb. See Answer man.

Under the radar

Louisiana Tech's Colby Cameron is the only major-college QB who hasn't thrown an interception. He has 27 TD passes.

The 19th-ranked Bulldogs (9-1), whose loss was 59-57 to visiting Texas A & M, are 2 1/2-point underdogs at home against Utah State (8-2), in the game that could settle the WAC. Utah State lost by two at Wisconsin and three at BYU. It won by 22 at San Jose State (8-2), which hosts Tech next week.

Terry Bradshaw's alma mater is also 20th in the BCS standings. To get an automatic spot in a BCS bowl it has to finish in the top 16 and finish ahead of the champ from a BCS league. Right now the lowest is Louisville at 19 (or, just in case, 22nd Rutgers).

Have you noticed? * 

Two of the three times that Nick Saban has won a national title, his team lost once (LSU 2003, Alabama last year). For the first time since 2007, his first year in Tuscaloosa, the Tide has given up 400 yards in back-to-back games.

* Southern Mississippi (0-10) is the last winless FBS team. The Golden Eagles haven't had a losing season since 1993, and have gone bowling each of the last 11 years. The reigning Conference USA champs were picked to finish second in the East Division. Ellis Johnson is the new coach, having succeeded Larry Fedora, now at North Carolina. They have UTEP at home and Memphis on the road left. Both are 2-8.

Answer man

Michael Bishop in 1998.

Just wondering

How the Big East "won" by going from one of the six conferences whose champion currently has an automatic spot in one of the five BCS bowl games to the only one of those six that won't have an automatic bid when the seven-game, four-team playoff format goes into effect in the 2014-15 season. Instead, it'll have to compete against the champs of the MAC, Mountain West, C-USA and Sun Belt for one shared automatic berth.

Can't wait to see how they're going to determine the "best" representative from that group.

Spotlight on ... Ohio State

TIME TO LET your mind wander for a moment.

Let's say Oregon, Kansas State and Notre Dame all lose before the season's over. And the winner of the SEC title game (presumably Alabama or Georgia) loses in the BCS final. And let's say Urban Meyer's Buckeyes win out.

What then?

And if you don't think there's at least a possibility that each of those things could fall into place, you haven't been paying attention. In this BCS era, late insanity has been no stranger to the equation.

So, under those circumstances could OSU finish No. 1 in the Associated Press (media) poll even though it's on NCAA probation and ineligible for the coach's (USA Today) title?

Well, in 1993 an Auburn team that was on probation went 11-0 under first-year coach Terry Bowden. It finished fourth, behind Florida State, Notre Dame and Nebraska, all of which had one loss. That was the season ND beat FSU late, then lost at home to Boston College and FSU beat Nebraska in the Orange Bowl.

The Buckeyes still have to deal with Wisconsin (7-3) this week on the road, where they're slight underdogs, and then Michigan (7-3) at the Horseshoe. But if they do, at worst it could create some debate. The Big Ten isn't exactly the SEC. Or even the Pac-10 or Big 12. Still, 12-0 has to be worth something. Would it be enough to trump a 12-1 or 13-1? We might find out.

Wouldn't that be special? Just what we need. One more monkey wrench.

Sidelines

MAC Me Up

* Kent State (9-1), at No. 25, is ranked for the first time since Nov. 5, 1973, when it was 19th and the poll only went to 20. Two other MAC teams were ranked, Ohio for the first time since 1968 and Toledo for the first time since 2001. Both lost the following week. Kent is at Bowling Green (7-3).

COUCH POTATO GUIDE

THURSDAY

7:30 North Carolina at Virginia, ESPN

FRIDAY

8 Florida International at Florida Atlantic, ESPNU

9:30 Hawaii at Air Force, ESPN2

SATURDAY

Noon Rutgers at Cincinnati, 6ABC

Noon Towson at New Hampshire, CSN

Noon Iowa at Michigan, ESPN

Noon Northwestern at Michigan State, ESPN2

Noon Florida State at Maryland, ESPNU

Noon Houston at Marshall, TCN

Noon Indiana at Penn State, BTN

Noon UCF at Tulsa, FCS

Noon Yale at Harvard, NBCSN

Noon Temple at Army, CBSSN

Noon Western Carolina at Alabama, WMCN-44.2

12:30 Virginia Tech at Boston College, CW57

1:30 Washington at Colorado, FX

2 Florida A&M vs. Bethune-Cookman, ESPNC

3 USC at UCLA, FOX29

3 Washington at Arizona State, Pac-12

3:30 Mississippi at LSU, CBS3

3:30 Ohio State at Wisconsin, 6ABC

3:30 N.C. State at Clemson, ESPN2

3:30 Duke at Georgia Tech, ESPNU

3:30 Wake Forest at Notre Dame, NBC10

3:30 Villanova at Delaware, TCN

3:30 Minnesota at Nebraska, BTN

3:30 Texas Tech at Oklahoma State, FCS

3:30 Colorado State at Boise State, NBCSN

3:30 Texas State at Navy, CBSSN

3:30 Texas Tech at Oklahoma State, WMCN-44.1

7 Oklahoma at West Virginia, FOX29

7 Syracuse at Missouri, ESPNU

7 Tennessee at Vanderbilt, ESPN2

7 Iowa State at Kansas, FCS

7 Old Dominion at James Madison, NBCSN

8 Stanford at Oregon, 6ABC

8 Kansas State at Baylor, ESPN

8 UTEP at So. Mississippi, CBSSN

10:30 BYU at San Jose State, ESPN2

10:30 Arizona at Utah, ESPNU

10:30 California at Oregon State, Pac-12