Marcus Mariota's Historic 2014 Season Will Lead to Dominant Heisman Win

Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota is likely in the final stages of his collegiate career, assuming he goes to the NFL after the Ducks' season is over. He's been among the best players in the country for three years and deserves to be rewarded with the Heisman Trophy in a landslide. 

Arguably the most prestigious individual honor in all of sports, the Heisman has become a de facto way to honor the best quarterback in the country, with the last four winners and 12 of the last 14 playing the position. 

Naturally, this can lead to some position bias. There are 22 players on a football field at any given time, and it takes a team effort to create a Heisman winner. After all, would Mariota be here if Oregon had an extra loss or two on its resume?

There's also the competition Mariota is going up against. Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon had his own Heisman moment with 408 rushing yards against Nebraska, which was a record for one week before Oklahoma's Samaje Perine broke it with 427 yards against Kansas. 

Upon winning the Doak Walker Award as the nation's best running back, SportsCenter tweeted out that Gordon led FBS running backs with nearly 180 rushing yards per game:

Unfortunately, the last image voters have of Gordon was his worst game of the season, with 76 yards in a 59-0 loss against Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game. 

The other contender is Alabama wide receiver Amari Cooper, who made history playing in what is widely considered the best conference in the country, per College GameDay:

Cooper had seven games with at least 100 receiving yards and three with at least 200, including 224 with three touchdowns against Auburn in the Iron Bowl. Two of those touchdown catches put the Crimson Tide ahead in the third quarter. 

You can craft a legitimate Heisman campaign for Cooper, who was arguably the biggest reason for Alabama's success this season as Blake Sims was developing at quarterback. His 1,656 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns were nearly half of the team's 3,653 passing yards and 30 touchdowns. 

However, when you break down Mariota's season, the only question is if voters will make this one of the most lopsided Heisman wins in history. He finished the regular season with 3,783 passing yards, a completion percentage of 68.3, quarterback rating of 186.3 and 52 total touchdowns with two interceptions. 

Making Mariota's season more impressive is how he came into the season with as much hype as any quarterback and delivered. He told Chris Johnson of Sports Illustrated that his goals this year were all team-oriented, despite the individual accolades coming his way:

“I was more concerned with achieving team goals, and more focused on that,” Mariota said. “Outside pressure is stuff that other people make, and we weren’t focused on that at all.”

Per ESPN Stats & Info, Mariota's QBR this season stacks up well with past Heisman winners and a few current NFL starters who led college football in that category:

Pat Forde of Yahoo Sports also highlighted what makes Mariota the leading Heisman contender, though he added the (*wink*) caveat (*wink*) in which his official vote had to remain a secret until after the ceremony:

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Only five quarterbacks in the last seven years averaged more than his 10.2 yards per attempt. Mariota has thrown 38 touchdowns and two interceptions, a 19-to-1 ratio bettered by only one QB in the last seven seasons (South Carolina’s Connor Shaw was 24-1 last year). His 9.1 yards per play running and passing is third-highest among all quarterbacks in the last seven seasons.

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When you add all of the numbers together, then combine them with Oregon's 12-1 record and spot in the College Football Playoff, Mariota becomes the overwhelming favorite to be named the 2014 Heisman Trophy winner. 

Even if there is backlash against quarterbacks always winning this award, no one can deny Mariota's value to Oregon this season. His worst game of the year, against Arizona on October 2, the junior had 276 passing yards and two touchdowns. 

Numbers can be skewed to say anything, but there's no way to downplay Mariota's season. He should win the Heisman and do so in a landslide. 

If you want to talk sports, hit me up on Twitter: @adamwells1985.