Day 6 of the 12 Days of BCS: Best Players, Offense/Defense

It's no surprise that Te'o is the BCS' best defensive player, but the best offensive player? Well, that might surprise you.

The 12 Days of BCS will provide you with everything you need to know for the five BCS games starting on New Year's Day. Each day will be a different subject finishing on New Year's Eve. 

Best Defensive Player: 
Manti Te'o, Notre Dame
Really there's no one in Te'o's stratosphere in terms of BCS defensive players, except for maybe C.J. Mosley. But what makes Te'o better than Mosley is his playmaking abilities. The Hawaiian sensation had seven INTs, most of which came in big situations in tight games. For a linebacker he had an amazing knack for making the play of the game, something usually reserved for offensive players and especially not middle linebackers.

Te'o's biggest asset, however, is his leadership. He led arguably the best defense in the nation and he was by far its best player. His all-around play was not only exciting and dominating, but inspiring to his teammates on both sides of the ball. Te'o was robbed of the Heisman trophy because the award is about stats, not as much the eye test. Yes, Manziel was exciting, but Te'o was overwhelming and was the cog behind the resurgent Fighting Irish. Anytime you can lift such a storied, but struggling, program in the way he did, you should be considered the best player in the land.

Best Offensive Player:
Marcus Mariota, Oregon
Yes, I do hope this is a surprise for you because I'm sure you were thinking about Collin Klein here because of his Heisman candidate stature. Yet, Mariota also should have been a Heisman candidate as well; I guess he need to rack up a few more TDs.

Mariota is a freshman, but he plays with the composure and IQ of a senior. Many of Mariota's accomplishments (34 total TDs and a 165.4 QB rating) were overshadowed because of the exhilarating skill duo of Kenjon Barner and D'Anthony Thomas, but that doesn't mean he shouldn't have gotten some recognition for Heisman. Sure, he wasn't Manziel and he didn't put up silly stats but he played with that same swagger as Johnny Football and shouldn't be overlooked.

Klein's really a glorified running back, who completes many of his passes quite easily because team's are threatened by his powerful running abilities. Mariota is only a freshman and yet his passing skills far outweigh Klein's all while sitll being a solid threat at running back. If someone is going to get Oregon over that National Championship hump, Mariota is definitely my frontrunner.