NEW ORLEANS ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢' ¬" Baylor junior quarterback Seth Russell was one of 10 signal callers added to the 2015 Manning Award Watch List, the Allstate Sugar Bowl announced Wednesday.

In his first season as the starter, Russell has piloted the Baylor offense to historic totals through five games.

The Bears lead the NCAA with 725.0 yards of offense per game and 64.2 points per contest. BU is the only team in the country averaging over nine yards per play, gaining 9.09 yards a snap. Overall, Baylor's 321 points through five games are the most by any school since major classification began in 1937.

Individually, Russell leads the FBS in passing efficiency (210.7), passing TDs (22), passing yards per completion (18.40), points responsible for per game (31.2) and passing yards per attempt (11.75). The junior from Garland, Texas, is 15th in passing yards per game (305.4) and his total offensive output of 341.0 yards per game is ninth-best nationally.

Russell has also helped Baylor rise to a program-best ranking of No. 2 in both the AP Top 25 and the Amway Coaches Poll. With Russell at the helm, the Bears are 5-0 for the third-straight year ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢' ¬" a program first ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢' ¬" and 2-0 in conference play for a third-straight year as well.

The Manning Award was created by the Allstate Sugar Bowl in honor of the college football accomplishments of Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning. It is the only quarterback award that includes the candidates' bowl performances in its balloting.

After announcing 30 quarterbacks to watch during the preseason, the Manning Award opted to increase its focus players based on the many outstanding performances during the first half of the year. While these players have been added to the Watch List, every quarterback in the nation remains eligible to win the honor.

The additions to the Watch List come from six different conferences with the Big 12 leading the way with three quarterbacks.

Ten finalists will be determined by a selected panel of national media covering college football, as well as each of the Mannings. That list will be released on Wednesday, Dec. 2 and the winner is scheduled to be announced following the College Football Playoff National Championship game on Monday, Jan. 11.

BU will now host West Virginia at McLane Stadium at 11 a.m. Saturday. That game will be nationally televised by FOX.

For the latest news on the Baylor football team follow its official Twitter account: @BUFootball.