Improving Manziel deserves to be Heisman favorite

If you were the best player a year ago and have only gotten better, doesn't it stand to reason you're still the best today?

That has to be the question Johnny Manziel supporters are asking these days.

Last season, Johnny Football was the belle of the ball, the most exciting and talked-about college football player in America, on a meteoric rise to becoming the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy.

But 10 months later, Manziel seems to be a Heisman afterthought, day-old bread in a bakery full of fresh muffins. Oregon's Macus Mariota, Louisville's Teddy Bridgewater, Clemson's Tajh Boyd, along with some outliers like Alabama's AJ McCarron appear to be gobbling up all the attention and interest, even as Manziel is arguably enjoying his greatest college campaign.

Look at last week's road outing against Ole Miss:

Trailing 38-31 midway through the fourth quarter, Manziel engineered the sort of 75-yard touchdown drive that should have been the talk of the Heisman-balloting fraternity on Monday, completing 79.5 percent of his passes for 346 yards and rushing for another 124.

That's 470 yards of total offense from one guy, including two rushing touchdowns and a 24-yard scamper on 3rd and 24.

As usual, Manziel was a human-highlight reel, a reason for everyone with a passing interest in college football to stop and watch, even if they had no rooting interest. Yet, on Monday morning, Manziel's Heisman chances were apparently diminished by throwing one interception (his fifth of the year) and losing one fumble.

This is a sophomore quarterback with 2,273 total yards (1,835 passing) in six games. He is also averaging 6.5 yards per carry, while accounting for 19 touchdowns — 14 with his arm. That's 413 more yards than Cam Newton had during the first six games of his Heisman season (2010). And, for those who are wondering, Newton had five interceptions in his first six games.

It would be different if Manziel were piling up massive numbers against Ohio University, Florida International, Eastern Kentucky and Temple (Bridgewater’s schedule at Louisville), but Texas A&M has played Alabama, SMU, Arkansas and Ole Miss. And against the nation's No. 1 team on Sept. 14, Manziel led the Aggies to 628 total yards of offense — the most yards surrendered by a Crimson Tide defense in 121 years of organized football.

There's also the subjective question asked of every Heisman candidate: How good would your team be without you?

In the case of Alabama, the Tide might not be No. 1 without McCarron, but most believe coach Nick Saban would still field a great team with the Next Man Up taking snaps.

This isn't the case with the Aggies. Manziel has his team ranked No. 7, without the assistance of a top-40 defense. The A&M quarterbacks has the highest yard-per-carry average of any back on the team, while arguably accounting for more extraordinary plays than anyone in college football.

Let's face it: The only reason Manziel isn't the hands-down leader in the Heisman race is his off-season antics. He drank when he was underage, went to parties that he shouldn’t have attended and behaved disrespectfully to his elders. If those were disqualifiers, Tim Tebow would be awfully lonely at Heisman alumni gatherings.

The Heisman is not the Oral Roberts Citizenship Award.  O.J. Simpson, Ricky Williams and Reggie Bush have each claimed the award — although Bush has since been expelled from the club. It's supposed to be awarded to the best college football player in the country. If Manziel was the best last year, there is little questioning he's the best in 2013, as well.

Archie Griffin remains the only two-time Heisman winner. But Archie's senior-year statistics (1,450 rushing yards, four TDs) could not match his junior season (1,695 yards rushing, 12 TDs).

That probably won’t be the base with Johnny Football. And even if he does throw another three or four interceptions — barring injury or an upset to an also-ran like UTEP — Manziel should continue to make history by winning another Heisman.

Anything less would be an insult to the trophy itself.