It will be interesting. Manziel is incredible, but I suspect voters will not give it to a freshman. Te’o would be a great pick for the Heisman, but it is seldom they do defense..last I recall was Charles Woodson who also was an all time special teams great. Additionally, for every voter who is anti-SEC or anti-south, there may be two who are anti-Notre Dame.
If not either of them, I have no clue. Maybe we will see a surprise leader after these games this weekend.
Another factor involving Johnny Manziel, and I'm unsure whether it's a pro or con, was the fact that he didn't speak publicly until last night. This may have added to an aura of mystery and fascination about "Johnny Football". I think he did conduct himself quite well when the media was finally able to hear him, demonstrating a balance between confidence and humility.
Manti Te'o is very well spoken and gave a terrific postgame interview after the win over USC. Since he's a senior and was such an integral part of the Irish's remarkable season, he does have a strong case, even for a defensive player. There could be strong sentiment for Te'o this year along with Notre Dame being a nationally-recognized program.