College Football Awards

The annual College Football Awards show is tonight. Prizes from all over the map are handed out to the finest players across the nation.

In a curious move that I don’t fully understand, ESPN announces some of the winners before the program airs tonight at 6 PM central time. This was the case for Texas A&M’s Von Miller, who won the Butkus Award for best linebacker in the country. For the record, I would have gone with Michigan St LB Greg Jones.

Here are the finalists for each of the awards given away tonight, as well as my pick for who should win.

Lets do it…….

Davey O’Brien (Best Quarterback): Andrew Luck (Stanford), Kellen Moore (Boise St.), Cam Newton (Auburn)

Husker Corner Winner: Cam Newton- I thought long and hard about going with either Luck or Moore. I believe Newton’s numbers are inflated due to a fast break offense, while Luck runs a more traditional offense, and is better built for the NFL. Kellen Moore threw the single best pass of the season, on the second to last play against Nevada a few weeks ago. It may have been that Heisman moment that the press loves so much. However, his field goal kicker (not up for the Groza) blew any chance of that happening. I wanted to give it to one of the other two, but alas, could not. Enjoy your hardware for a year Sir Newton.

Doak Walker (Best Running Back): John Clay (Wisconsin), LaMichael James (Oregon), Kendall Hunter (Oklahoma St)

Husker Corner Winner: LaMichael James- Really the only option here. Clay finished with a modest 936 yards, and I’m not really sure why he’s a finalist. Hunter put up good numbers atleast, but can’t measure up to what James provided for the Quack Attack. Despite his 5’9, 185 pound frame, James surprised me with the heavy loads he took on. I was thinking maybe 20 attempts per game from the little guy. But, the stats tell me James was a workhorse this year, as his fewest number of attempts in a Pac-10 game this season was 20. He also showed up big for the biggest game of the season, tallying 257 yards and 3 TD’s against Stanford.

Biletnikoff (Best Wide Receiver): Justin Blackmon (Oklahoma St), Ryan Broyles (Oklahoma), Alshon Jeffrey (South Carolina)

Husker Corner Winner: Justin Blackmon- Blackmon’s numbers this year are phenomenal. He topped 100 yards and scored a touchdown in every game he played this season (curiously missed a game in the middle of the season- remember kids, don’t drink and drive). I was waiting for Cam Newton to slip up along the way so I could hype Blackmon for the Heisman, but he never did. His numbers are enough to beat out the many receptions of Broyles, and the go-up-and-get-it skills of Jeffrey.

Outland Trophy (Best Interior Lineman): Gabe Carimi (Wisconsin), Rodney Hudson (Florida St), Nate Solder (Colorado)

Husker Corner Winner: If I were better at my job, I would be able to tell you who deserves this award. Well, I’m not. I’m gonna go with the dude from Wisconsin though, because they put up a ton of points without a top-notch QB, which means the line must’ve done a lot of the work.

Jim Thorpe (Best Defensive Back): Prince Amukamara (Nebraska), Tejay Johnson (TCU), Patrick Peterson (LSU)

Husker Corner Winner: Yea, like there’s any question who I’m going with on this one. Patrick Peterson from LSU of course! Look, Amukamara was great this year, but didn’t come up with any interceptions, allowed Blackmon to put up big numbers on him, and then let me down in the Big 12 Championship Game. I was very put off when he went for the strip on an Oklahoma WR, instead of taking him to the ground immediately which would have forced a punt. The extra 7 yards he gave up allowed the Sooners to go for it on 4th and 1, which they converted and eventually led to the game winning field goal. He also gave up the reception on that 4th and 1. Peterson was more impressive to me this year.

Lou Groza (Best Kicker): Dan Bailey (Oklahoma St), Danny Hrapmann (Southern Miss), David Ruffer (Notre Dame)

Husker Corner Winner: Now this one is easy. Alex Henery is not only the best kicker in College Football, he is the best kicker I’ve ever seen. I’d trust him to knock an apple off my head from 60 yards away.

Ray Guy (Best Punter): Drew Butler (Georgia), Ryan Donahue (Iowa), Chas Henry (Florida)

Husker Corner Winner: Chas Henry led the nation in punting average and net punting average. Don’t see how another could win.

Chuck Bednarik (Best Defensive Player): Da’Quan Bowers (Clemson), Nick Fairley (Auburn), Patrick Peterson (LSU)

Husker Corner Winner: Nick Fairley- Fairley is a poor man’s Ndamukong The Great, which is no way an insult. My life would be complete if I was ever mentioned in the same sentence as the Ndominator. Fairley caught my eye every Auburn game, whether it was for a play he was making the backfield, or a personal foul he was getting flagged for. He is simply the most dominant interior defensive lineman College Football has seen since 2009. Most Auburn fans consider him just as valuable as Mr. Cam Newton.

Maxwell (Best Overall Player): Andrew Luck (Stanford), Kellen Moore (Boise St), Cam Newton (Auburn)

Husker Corner Winner: This has got to be Cam Newton. Leading his team back from a 24-0 deficit IN Alabama was the most impressive thing done this season. On top of that, Newton’s Law has the most impressive stat line seen across the nation. While the Best Quarterback distinction may be debatable, this one is not.