Oklahoma State Standing In The Way Of Collin Klein And His Heisman Trophy

The No. 2 Kansas State Wildcats quarterback Collin Klein took the Heisman trophy poll-position away from Geno Smith a few weeks ago, but now the No. 24 Oklahoma State Cowboys stand in between Klein and his hardware.

Klein and the Wildcats will host the Cowboys this Saturday night, and everything rides on these last four games for Kansas State.  The Wildcats finish their season with games against the TCU Horned Frogs, Baylor Bears, and No. 23 Texas Longhorns.

With the No. 3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish and No. 4 Oregon Ducks breathing down their neck in the BCS rankings, Klein must not only lead his team to victories – he has to win games in style.  It’s something he is fully capable of doing – just ask Geno Smith.

The 6’5, 225 pound senior has 12 passing touchdowns and 16 rushing touchdowns this season.  His performance against the West Virginia Mountaineers included seven total touchdowns.  He actually prefers to smash teams.

However, while many think Klein’s lead in the Heisman race is significant, Notre Dame line-backer Manti Te’o is also strengthening his case every week.  With five interceptions already, Te’o continues to make big plays in his quest to become the second defensive player to win the award.  The first was Michigan Wolverines defensive-back, Charles Woodson back in 1997.

If the Wildcats lose this game, I would expect Te’o to become the new front-runner.  Leading your team to the promised land weighs greatly in my Heisman rubric, and reaching the promised land requires a flawless record.

Although Kansas State has impressive road wins over the Oklahoma Sooners and West Virginia, many think an undefeated Notre Dame squad would surely get a spot in the National Championship game.

With there being no Big 12 Championship game this year due to the conference only having ten teams, an undefeated season may not be good enough to get head coach Bill Snyder‘s Wildcats into the big dance.  However, an unscathed regular season will win Collin Klein the Heisman.

 

Paul Bentley is a contributor to Rant Sports.  Follow Bentley on Twitter at @KKingBentley and read more of his work right here!