The 2012 Heisman trophy ceremony in New York City features just three finalist this year, and they are Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel, Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o and Kansas State quarterback Collin Klein. The start time for the event is 8:00 pm (Eastern) and it will be televised live on ESPN. Manziel is at 1/10 on the latest Heisman Trophy odds atBOVADA , putting him well ahead of his fellow finalists on that list -
Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel wasn't even on the radar of the Heisman Trophy betting odds earlier this season, but a stellar campaign highlighted by an upset win over then-No. 1 Alabama has Johnny Football as the favorite to win that trophy. Johnny Football threw for 3,419 yards for Texas A&M this season with 24 touchdown strikes and eight interceptions. Manziel also rushed for a team-high 1,181 yards and 19 more touchdowns. His quarterback rating for the season sits at 155.8. The one big thing going for Manziel is that he had a big game in upsetting then-No. 1 Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala. However, against Florida and LSU, Manziel had just one total touchdown.
Manti Te'o helped the Fighting Irish's defense allow a nation-low 10.3 points per game this season. Working in Te'o's favor are nine takeaways (seven picks, two fumble recoveries), which are tied for the national lead, along with 103 tackles and the label of best player on the nation's No. 1 and only bowl-eligible undefeated team. Notre Dame's seven Heisman winners are tied with Ohio State for most of all time. Te'o also has the character element, an often-overlooked part of the Heisman Trust mission statement, and something he has embodied in overcoming the deaths of his grandmother and his girlfriend within hours of each other earlier this season.
Collin Klein has posted a QB rating of 156.1 this season for Kansas State with 2,490 passing yards, 15 touchdown strikes, and seven interceptions. Klein also ran for 890 yards and 22 more TDs. The only issue with Klein winning the Heisman is that he does not have a big time win late in the season. His best win was a 25-19 victory over Oklahoma in late September, and in that game, Klein did not perform like a Heisman trophy candidate. Klein threw for just 154 yards, rushed for 85 yards and had one touchdown. Klein did have big games in wins over West Virginia and Texas Tech, two teams that were ranked in the top 15 at the time, but they faltered at the end of the season and are no longer ranked. The biggest downfall for Klein may have been his loss at Baylor in which he did not perform well vs one of the worst defenses in the Nation.
The 2012 finalists are a bit of a different group as their is a redshirt freshman, a linebacker and a more traditional senior quarterback. The Heisman has never been awarded to a pure defensive player or to a freshman.
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