Johnny Manziel: Texas A&M QB Is a Stone Cold Lock to Win Heisman Trophy

The Heisman Trophy ceremony is on Saturday night, but Texas A&M QB Johnny Manziel could have started celebrating and busting out his Heisman pose last Saturday.

There is no question that Manziel, a redshirt freshman, is an absolute lock to win the award in 2012. He’s practically taken over college football in his first year of playing, and his stats are absolutely mind blowing.

Over the course of the 12-game season, Johnny Football completed 273 of 400 passes for 3,419 yards, 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He also dominated on the ground, rushing 184 times for 1,181 yards and 19 touchdowns.

Last year’s Heisman winner, Robert Griffin III, finished his amazing campaign by completing 291 of 402 passes for 4,293 yards, 37 touchdowns and six interceptions. He also ran 173 times for 846 yards and 13 touchdowns.

While RGIII’s numbers are a bit better, he played in a more up-tempo Baylor offense and against lesser Big 12 defenses. Manziel’s figures come against the vaunted SEC defenders, widely regarded as the best in the nation.

Johnny Football is also a proven winner, leading the Aggies to a 10-2 record in their first SEC season, with a massive upset over then No. 1-ranked Alabama—a team that hadn’t been beaten since LSU pulled off an upset a year prior.

If you need further proof that Manziel is a lock to win the Heisman, just look at his odds to win, according to online sportsbook Bovada.lv.

They currently have the TAMU signal-caller at ridiculous 1/15 odds to win the coveted award, with Manti Te’o—Notre Dame’s standout linebacker—in a distant second at 4/1.

You can forget about Kansas State’s Collin Klein, the QB who was the favorite for much of the regular season, who's now out in left field with 25/1 odds.

We could easily make a case for Te’o, who had some decent stats and turned the Irish defense into one of the top-ranked units in the nation. He also led them to an undefeated record and a BCS Championship Game appearance, but the Heisman ultimately recognizes individual excellence.

There was simply no better player in 2012 than Manziel, and he will be rewarded for his efforts on Saturday when he joins the exclusive Heisman fraternity.