Johnny ‘Football’ To Johnny Heisman: Manziel Wins Heisman Trophy

He’s Johnny Heisman now. There is a lot to like about Johnny Manziel, and our universe has been infatuated with everything he’s done in his breakthrough season. His last name rhymes with iconic actor Denzel Washington, he was a backup quarterback and a YouTube sensation at one point.

It finally was a moment when Manziel arrived at Texas A&M, where he made a statement and cemented his Heisman status with a signature win over Alabama that swept over the nation, as it created enough buzz in college football. From there on out, he was mentioned in Heisman conversations, credited for leading the Aggies to an unthinkable victory. Unnoticed as a redshirt freshman, as people in Aggieland mispronounced his last name, Manziel ultimately revealed that he’s the finest quarterback in the nation.

The quarterback position is, without question, the toughest position of this more popular sport, which benefited in Manziel’s favor. But not to take anything away from Manziel, he was definitely well deserving of the prestigious award and had been presumed the frontrunner since the highlighted win over Alabama. It’s not all that difficult for the country to realize that he’s compiled Heisman-like numbers, it’s not all that difficult for the nation to discern that he’s the catalyst for lifting an accomplished program out of mediocrity.

The stiff-armed trophy, rightfully so, went to Manziel, a high-school hero, a household name at Texas A&M. The Heisman winner of 2012 must be a role model to a slew of kids in Texas, as well, after a high school student in Kerrville was sent home a few weeks ago for a haircut of the freshman phenom, and Manziel’s “Johnny Football” nickname with the Texas A&M logo shaved into scalp.

When Manziel was named the winner of the 78th Heisman trophy, on a historic night for college football, his mouth was agape, he was stunned and he was grinning. A night of emotion and jubilance illustrated that he’s indeed the nation’s top quarterback, and by winning an honorable prize that a bevy of players never had an opportunity to win or take the stage, he rose to national limelight. After his humble speech, he raised the trophy and kissed it, he refused to let it go. He cradled the trophy, smiling and speaking eloquently, as his father, Paul, was in tears.

A few days removed from his 20th birthday, Manziel spent Saturday night in New York and celebrated proudly with his family. What’s most important to Manziel, however, is winning games, but as gifted and sound as he was this season, he was worthy of individual accolades as well. He’s proven to the world that he’s the best athlete in college football and he’s marveled by many, specifically to those at College Station, where folks gave him the generic nickname Johnny “Football,” which he’s grown attached to over a period of time. But he is exactly what college sports should embody, and is what the game needs amid an age of greed and financial robbery that has sabotaged the significance of college athletics.

He grew up in Texas, hurling passes to his father, working hard each day to emerge into a high school star and an eventual star quarterback at a university, where he’s transcended to greatness as a freshman sensation. The hard work and imitation of idol Doug Flutie has paid off, a clear understanding to the effort he’s put in to reach a pinnacle in his lustrous career. The story of the season is Manziel, and ever since Texas A&M upset No. 1 Alabama on Nov. 10, he’s been the candidate for Heisman, captivating voters’ eyes following a victory that determined the welfare of his candidacy.

The national chatter came when he pleaded his case for the award, becoming a primary factor for the Aggies’ impressive season, in a year when it might have been the toughest decision. Heisman winners are commonplace at the quarterback position, so it’s not surprising that he won the trophy. It’s not the first time we’ve been embroiled in Heisman controversy, and certainly not the first time a quarterback has been bestowed the award. If we’ve seen Carson Palmer hoist the stiff-armed prize, Matt Leinart raise the bronze statuette, Tim Tebow lift the piece of hardware, Sam Bradford hold up the trophy, Cam Newton and Robert Griffin III take indelible pictures while holding football’s most monumental award, we now can see Manziel with the trophy as well.

He’s the kind of guy everybody wants on their team and in their conference, and Manziel represents the ethics of the SEC, a conference with arguably the top players in the country. And realistically, after throwing for 24 touchdowns and running for 19, he was the most outstanding player in the nation, regardless of Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o finishing the season ranked second in the country with seven interceptions, and regardless of him leading the unbeaten Irish in tackles (103), passes broken up (11) and fumble recoveries (2). My guy all along, because he was most important to Notre Dame’s monstrous defensive front, was no one other than Te’o.

It could be we simply felt for him, a man who overcame so much adversity with faith and a spiritual background. Te’o helped direct the Irish to the BCS national title game on Jan. 7, while playing with a heavy heart due to the loss of his grandmother and girlfriend to illnesses on the same day. But by the same token, we saw one of the most dramatic seasons, including a mammoth upset that centered Manziel, which makes perfect sense as to why he won the Heisman by a landslide. Even though some felt Te’o would take the stiff-armed trophy home easily, Manziel was anointed and appreciated all over the college football world.

We know it’s true because he has been by virtue a team leader for a Texas A&M program that has returned to prominence, and he piloted the year’s biggest, massive upset, maybe one of the best in ages. Granted, he’s on pace to become the game’s most dangerous dual-threat quarterback ever, throwing for 3,419 yards and 24 touchdowns while rushing for 1,181 yards and 19 touchdowns. The numbers speak volumes, he’s a humble kid, very mature for his age, very charismatic and conducts himself as a well-behaved man who is passionate and finesse. He’s versatile, knowledgeable and fun to watch, bringing excitement and intensity to the game, with fans all over alarmed and hypnotized by the star of football these days.

The truth is, he had the best chance of winning the Heisman than Te’o and Kansas State quarterback Collin Klein. One can argue that Manziel was good enough to win and lock up the Heisman when the Aggies defeated the Crimson Tide. The truth is, college football is an offensive-driven sport, and with a dual-threat repertoire, it was a no-brainer that he was worthy of stepping onto the stage to accept an award for such success this season. In his role as quarterback, he was consistently spectacular and unstoppable. Dominating in the SEC, where every football program rules and builds a legitimate powerhouse to likely contend for a national title, was primarily another reason he prevailed on the biggest night of his life.

When he showed he could stand his ground against SEC competition, with magnificent numbers he tallied, Manziel right then and there proved to everyone that he was the nation’s frontrunner for the Heisman. Its no wonder the last-minute talk surrounded Manziel. Impressing everyone largely at Texas A&M, a school that has its hopes high for football each season, was Manziel’s keys to the trophy. As a freshman, with the presence of A&M coach Kevin Sumlin who is all about philosophies and tremendous effort, Manziel excelled with a new coach, a new system.

There’s plenty of potential, plenty of promise for Manziel. Nobody saw it coming. It’s not every day we witness a freshman master greatness, especially when he’s still adjusting to a new system, especially when he’s making the transition from high school to college. But something different transpired in football this year. These days, great athletes grow fast and emerge over night, just like Johnny, becoming the first freshman and fifth player ever to record a 3,000-yard passing and 1,000-yard rushing season.

More impressively, Manziel amassed 4,600 of the Aggies’ 6,628 yards of total offense — to be more specific 69.4 percent. He’s had more of a stronger impact on the game than Te’o. There’s no doubt in our minds that he is the paradigm of the modern-era, versatile quarterback. He can run, he can throw, he’s mobile and fearless, a typical quarterback in today’s game. All season long, he was durable and potent in Sumlin’s high-octane offense. All season long, he was a surefire Heisman winner, when nobody ever came close to snatching it away. He was not, however, perfect early in the season, and like everybody else he struggled against Florida and LSU elite defenses, which were understandable when the Gators led the nation in pass efficiency defense and when the Tigers ranked in the Top 10.

That still wasn’t stopping Manziel from becoming the first freshman to win the Heisman, not when he manhandled and steamrolled No. 1 ‘Bama for 345 yards of offense and threw two touchdowns with no interceptions, in what was the best game of his football career. For the record, he received 474 first-place votes, 153 more than Te’o. As for the Notre Dame senior, he finished runner up.

Johnny Football was remarkable. He was at the top of my Heisman Trophy ballot. If he weren’t the best story of college football this season, then I don’t know what was the feel-good story.

Aggies' Non-Invite Isn't Such a Bad Idea

There has been much dialogue all week in regards of Texas A&M potentially moving to the SEC that has added to the everlasting rumors of realignment in college sports. As this convoluted turmoil of disoriented mergers possibly materialize, rather than realizing the trouble the Aggies could encounter in a tougher conference, we are often stuck in a confused state of mind when college football teeters on the fringe of tumult.

But in this realm of upheaval, where it has become a rite in college football and where the people are accustomed to the nonsense of the conference commissioners playing musical chairs, many believe this merger could spell trouble for the Aggies. For now, anyway, the SEC has chosen not to invite Texas A&M into the conference, and fortunately for Aggies' fans, the conference is remaining at 12 teams.

After a meeting of SEC presidents and chancellors, Florida President Bernie Machen, the chair of the SEC presidents, said the league confirmed its gratification with its current 12-team alignment.

“We recognize, however, that future conditions may make it advantageous to expand the number of institutions in the league,” the statement said. “We discussed criteria and process associated with expansion. No action was taken with respect to any institution, including Texas A&M.”

The easiest path is for Texas A&M to stay in the Big 12 with all the pressure in the Southeastern Conference, a conference that arguably have the deepest football programs in the nation and claims the national spotlight. It appears that Texas A&M, a program which is unhappy by Texas' Longhorn Network, is staying home in the Big 12 conference and won't be leaving for another conference at this very moment.

The people in the Lone Star State really don't want the Aggies to leave for the SEC, though the program can rise into the national spotlight but also fade within the conference of much talent and where the deepest competition exist in the sphere of college football.

For all the hyperbole by the Southeastern Conference official who announced Sunday that the SEC will remain a 12-team conference and that they have no intentions of inviting the Aggies to join the conference -- at least as it stands for now -- in what inarguably is the biggest chaotic debate ever with the likings of Utah and Colorado among them -- the realignment is a hassle with too much chaos.

It's not such a bad suggestion that the Aggies were snubbed, in fact, it's truly good judgment for A&M to remain in the Big 12. This is the age when college football isn't as amusing as the NFL, deprived of a legitimate eight-game playoff system or even a commissioner to oversee an association in tremendous disarray.

Nor does the NCAA care to institute an eight-game playoff system, but realign conferences to bring more excitement and balance the welfare of competition for bowl games? If the Southeastern Conference dares to venture in the Big 12 and lure a few elite teams from other conferences, then it seems like too much of a struggle to attempt such an anarchic changeover.

Few were actually content with the possibility of Texas A&M joining the SEC and, at one point as earlier of last week, it appeared rational and greater than ever. And so it ends -- let’s only hope -- the flip-flopping of teams, the befuddling and tiring rumors of potential realignment in a sport that really doesn't have to move teams around but needs to focus all its attention on a moderate playoff system.

As much as the Aggies could hate anything of the Longhorns, disgruntled of the notion that the Texas Longhorns have their own network, the university feel the network is a violation of NCAA rules. The aspect of the Longhorns Network broadcasting coverage of two live football games, as one of those games are expected to be a conference showdown, had never been talked about among the Big 12 athletic directors.

Yet the NCAA, as we all know by now, is so chaotic and largely corrupted by all the scandals of improper benefits and the lack of fair punishments handed down to universities for violating NCAA rules. So now, again, we are left to wonder if the restrictive rules of any collegiate representative contacts will ever play a role in why Texas A&M is fine by the move, if the change ever happens.

This probably won't happen real soon when the Aggies are members of the Big 12 as of Sunday, which could be unlawful for the SEC to invite the Aggies at this time. If they ever desired to have the Aggies join, the proper time would have been Sunday as the parties negotiated.

It's almost believable to assume that the SEC is just waiting for A&M to request admission to the SEC, but it all seems implausible. The truth, however, is as clear as those cadets at the Corps of Cadets program at Texas A&M. That could mean the Aggies may not be moving to the SEC, still representing the conference of pointless tension under the guise of college football.

The criticism was even fairly kindly -- Southern hospitality, if you will -- when all the talk circled Texas A&M being sick and tired of Texas, an archrival in Austin, Texas. What swirls around A&M is abnormal and, if the Aggies move to the SEC, it would absolutely be an awful move -- a regrettable decision in truth.

For those who believe it already, with all evidence of course, the Aggies are so tired of Texas, the university no longer wishes to be in the Longhorns' presence, insulting and fighting the University of Hook'em Horns. They are very furious with their biggest rival -- never mind that Texas is the superior university and should be drawing other schools to its prominent conference, but in the meantime, the Longhorns are outlandishly pushing their rivals away from the Big 12.

This is what happens when a preeminent university becomes shamefully egotistic and self-serving, encouraging its foes to leave elsewhere to avoid the nonsense of greediness and aversion. And Texas A&M's flirtation with the SEC is prompted by Texas, an archenemy upsetting the mind of Aggies' fans and even the trustees.

The investment of time and money by joining with ESPN, spending over $300 million to broadcast its own television network, tells us Texas wants to have its cake and eat it, too. The worshippers of college football believe Texas A&M wants to emotionally leave for a change of scenery, and more importantly, move far away as possible from the Longhorns. For a long time, the Aggies have deliberated this move -- a new direction that seems impossible and more like an illusion.

The cameras, if the Aggies are ever welcomed to the SEC, will flash often and the pressure could raise and alter the Aggies' personality in one of the toughest conferences where they'll be thrashed by stronger and deeper opponents in the Southeastern Conference.

This is essentially the Aggies asking for trouble and seemingly the university doesn't qualify for the Southeastern Conference and they haven't found their football identity in the Big 12, merely accounting for one conference championship and one BCS bowl game 13 years ago. Even in this new culture of football the Aggies haven't dominated, winning only three division titles in 16 years, prevailing once in 1998 when the school one a division championship.

Sorry, but the Aggies wouldn't survive in the SEC and were better off staying the Big 12. So now, I guess Texas A&M can engage in a battle with the archrivals and take it out on the Longhorns.