(Associated Press)Johnny Manziel has been tested by a great defense already this season.

Back on Sept. 8 the Texas A&M freshman quarterback faced Florida. The results weren't bad, but he made very few of his trademark big plays. His longest pass was 28 yards. Manziel has completed a longer pass in every other game this year. His longest run was 16 yards. He has had a run of at least 38 yards in every other game. He averaged 3.5 yards per run against the Gators -- 6.5 is his second-lowest average in a game.

That game seems so long ago, however. Manziel has emerged from a promising freshman making his college debut against the Gators to a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate.

[Related: Texas A&M's next big SEC test]

(Associated Press)Jerry Kill seems uneasy speaking about his epileptic seizures, but a particularly heartless email caused him to give an impassioned speech on his medical situation.

The Minnesota coach's epileptic seizures became a topic again after he had one in the locker room after Minnesota lost to Northwestern last week. He had a well-publicized seizure on the sideline during a game against New Mexico State last season.

He said this week that he wouldn't quit coaching because of the seizures, according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press. He is always in danger of having another one, saying "I'm going to have them for the rest of my life. I could have one today." And you root for him, unless you're the miserable person that reportedly emailed Kill this week calling him a freak.

Kill responded in a way that makes you root for him even more.

(US Presswire)

When a team is winning 43-7 in the second quarter, there isn't much more to say about the game itself.

Oregon blew out Arizona State, a 5-1 team that was playing at home. Had Chip Kelly held a grudge against the Sun Devils and wanted to run it up, Oregon might have gotten to 80. Or 90. Or more. Oregon's 43rd point came with a little less than 12 minutes left in the first half. The Ducks laid off and cruised to a 43-21 win.

The blowout allowed fans to go off on a tangent on social media, and the topic moved to how Oregon would do in the SEC, or how Oregon will do against the SEC in the BCS Championship Game (and after Thursday night, that seems to be where we're headed this season).

(Associated Press)

Vanderbilt wanted to get out of a game at Ohio State in 2013, and that's not too unusual. Scheduling contracts get broken all the time.

But usually that news isn't broken when an athletic director sorts through his daily mail.

(KPTV.com)

This is a pretty nice troll job by Oregon fans.

Or, rather, we expect this to be the work of Oregon fans. Who else would go through the trouble of painting the Arizona State "A" on Tempe Butte a bright shade of green?

(US Presswire)

For as long as football is played, there will be coaches who try to talk up a bad opponent to make sure their team doesn't overlook them.

That said, we haven't heard many motivational ploys as odd as what Lane Kiffin is apparently doing with his USC team this week.

(US Presswire)The first half of the season is over, which means the best half is yet to come.

The second half of the season will take many crazy twists and turns, just like the first half when a quarterback from West Virginia put up numbers that didn't seem possible, a linebacker from Notre Dame overcame tragedy and led the Irish back to an elite spot in college football, and a freshman quarterback nicknamed "Johnny Football" broke some records with his eyes on some more longstanding marks.

It feels like the college football season is just getting revved up, and here are the 10 players to watch as things get really crazy:

(Associated Press)The story of Auburn's season is Gene Chizik and his future as Tigers head coach. After a 1-5 start, there's really no way around that.

Chizik is one of the more unique cases in college football. When he was hired, critics worried about Chizik's 5-19 record at Iowa State (and one famously booed AD Jay Jacobs at the airport). Chizik then won a national title. Two seasons later the critics are back, wondering if Chizik was just along for the ride while quarterback Cam Newton and then-offensive coordinator Guz Malzahn carried Auburn to that title.

So heading into a game at Vanderbilt this Saturday, Auburn is off to its worst start since 1998, doesn't have a conference win and Chizik is under fire less than 24 months after winning a national championship.