K-State's TWO ranked opponents (IN-season rankings are hardly indicative) were ranked #11, and #23.
And given the state of the NCAA this year, the Top 7 are quite a bit better than the middle tier teams.
Comparing the stats "against ranked teams" is hardly apples-to-apples. Add in the fact that Manziel is a Freshman, and his very first game was against Top 5 Florida, and only lost by a FG, I think speaks VERY highly for Manziel's abilities. That defeat hardly counts against him as much as much as NDs three "wins" against Purdue, BYU, and Pitt indict that team... where great luck played a huge part in each shoestring victory against incredibly mediocre opponents. (Yes, I am a Hoosier who thinks ND should not be ranked #1, nor in the title game.)
A&M's only 2 losses were both close, and both to monster Top 5 SEC teams. In each, A&M has the lead with 16 min to go and with 14 min to go.
In A&M's two close-calls, one was to a 9-3 team (and it was the A&M defense giving up 630 yds that made it close... Manziel did his part by scoring 6 TDs). The other was to 6-6 Mississippi, where, after 5 turnovers, A&M was down 10 with 9 min to go. Manziel took control to score two TDs for the win.
A&M also has an historic signature win over #1 Alabama, to go with those two very excellent losses to Top 7 teams.
Spin it any way you want, but no Freshman QB has ever had a season this good against this caliber of opposition. 3 months after High School, he was put in to lead a mediocre A&M team (6-6 in 2011), and turned them into a Top Ten team, despite their first year of being in the SEC Meatgrinder. I say the kid deserves the trophy for those facts alone.
(However, being a strong proponent for underdogs, I'd be more than happy to see Klein kid get it, too. He had a great season (other than that lone 3rd qtr. I was crestfallen when K-State lost to Baylor!!)
Personally, I was rooting for Geno Smith... My luck being what it is, I was just in time to catch him for the first time on TV this year... right when he got exposed by TexasTech. *sigh*)
Manziel is a redshirt freshman. Not three months out of high school.
Plus, he graduted from high school in December of his senior year. He started college immediately after. He did have to deal with a coaching change this past year.
I like to watch him play though I didn’t like watching Bama lose to Texas A&M. It has been fun to read the Tweets of Bama players to JM. They like and respect him.