Football
20 Questions You were Dying to Have Answered About the Major Awards
By Tony GerdemanWith National Championship aspirations and expectations for this year's Ohio State football team, it should be no surprise that there are plenty of candidates for individual awards. So, in the vein of the whole "20" theme we have going on, here's a breakdown of twenty college football awards, and how the Buckeyes and the Big Ten stack up.
The Sammy Baugh Trophy - Given to the nation's top passer (presented by the Touchdown Club of Columbus.)
Essentially all quarterback awards will have the same Buckeye talked about, so feel free to revert back to this breakdown when the time comes. Todd Boeckman was a Heisman candidate until the last couple of games last season, so he opens the season well-known. However, because of his lackluster finish, he also opens the season with doubts. The Touchdown Club of Columbus traditionally prefers statistical heavyweights, so that immediately puts Boeckman at a disadvantage. In the last six seasons, a Texas Tech quarterback has won the award three times. Graham Harrell won the award last year for the Red Raiders and would make a likely pick to win it again this season. However, there has been a repeat winner only once, and that was Don Trull from Baylor in 1962 and 1963. But I think Harrell is every bit the quarterback that Trull was (I had never heard of Trull until just now), so I have no problem picking a repeat winner here. The most likely Big Ten candidate for this award would be Purdue's Curtis Painter, because he'll put up the most passing yards.
Chuck Bednarik Award - Given to the nation's top defensive player (preferably one from Penn State).
This award has only been around for thirteen years, but it is already one of the most coveted awards in college football. Seven times, this award has been won by a Big Ten player, with the last three being won by Penn State linebackers--as one would expect. This year for the Buckeyes, linebacker James Laurinaitis is the clear favorite to win the award. And since Penn State's Sean Lee tore his ACL in the spring, it's actually available for anybody to win! Unless, of course, Lee's replacement Chris Colasanti has a decent year. But I'm going to go with Laurinaitis to win it after all of the Nittany dust settles.
Fred Biletnikoff Award - Given to the nation’s top pass receiver.
Ohio State wide receiver Brian Robiskie is the most likely Big Ten player to win this award, but nobody is going to touch Texas Tech's Michael Crabtree. After the 2008 season, Crabtree will leave college football as the only two-time winner of the Biletnikoff Award. There really isn't even any more reason to talk about this one.
Butkus Award - Given to the nation’s top linebacker.
Buckeye linebacker James Laurinaitis is the reigning winner of the Butkus Award, so that makes him the odds-on favorite to win it again in 2008. However, only once has there been a repeat winner, and that was in 1985 and 1986 when the first ever winner of the award--Brian Bosworth--repeated. Obviously, Laurinaitis is the most likely Buckeye or Big Ten winner, but given that he is going to have plenty of help on defense this year, I think somebody else is going to win it. I picked USC's Rey Maualuga last year and he let me down, so I'm going to steer clear of Maualuga this season--which is actually pretty sound advice for everyday living. I'll take Tennessee's Rico McCoy to win it this year boosted by a 20-tackle effort against the Gators on September 20.
Walter Camp Player of the Year - Given to the nation’s top player.
Over the past twenty years, a non-quarterback has won this award thirteen times, so Chris Wells should have a very good shot at this award. And definitely a better shot to win it than anybody else in the Big Ten. Wells would be the third Buckeye to win the award, following two-time winner Archie Griffin and Eddie George. However, even though Darren McFadden won it last year, he was the only finalist who wasn't a quarterback. So, with that insignificant fact polluting my thought process, I have to believe a quarterback is going to win this award in 2008. And, since Tim Tebow is the greatest quarterback to ever take scissors to denim, I'm going to have to go with him to win this one.
Lou Groza Award - Given to the nation’s top place-kicker.
Last season, Indiana's Austin Starr was nearly perfect on the season, going 48-48 on PATs and 21-23 on field goals. He is the Big Ten's most likely winner, though he would be greatly helped by having quarterback Kellen Lewis back on the team. For the Buckeyes, Ryan Pretorious is obviously the most likely candidate for this award--provided he can hold off Aaron Pettrey. In the end, however, I see Arizona State's Thomas Weber repeating. Weber won the award last season as a redshirt freshman.
Ray Guy Award - Given to the nation’s top punter.
The Buckeyes have a history of being robbed of this eight-year old award, so I'm not going to get my hopes up waiting for an A.J. Trapasso victory here. Penn State's Jeremy Boone has the Big Ten's best shot at this award. Last season, Boone put 25 of his 59 punts inside the opponent's 20-yard line. However, I'm going way off the radar here and choosing Notre Dame's Eric Maust. Maust came over from the baseball team last season and split time at punter, averaging 42.1 yards per punt and putting nine of his 21 kicks inside the 20-yard line. Plus, no punter will get more television time than Maust, so voters will be well-acquainted with him.
Ted Hendricks Award - Given to the nation’s top defensive end.
The nation's top two sack leaders from 2007 return for this season in Indiana's Greg Middleton and USF's George Selvie, so you could probably put those two guys high on the watch list. However, Middleton's team won't allow him to truly compete for this award. Selvie only has to play in the Big East, so he'll be a candidate all season long. Penn State's Maurice Evans is the Big Ten player most likely to win this award. Last season he had 12.5 sacks as a sophomore, so more will be expected of him this season. Buckeye Lawrence Wilson will be returning from injury, so while he has never put up big numbers in his time at Ohio State, he will be the Buckeyes' best shot at winning the Hendricks Award. In the end however (get it?), I'll take Selvie to win.
Lombardi Award - Given to the outstanding college lineman of the year.
A Buckeye has won the Lombardi Award six times, which is more than any other school. This is good news for linebacker James Laurinaitis' chances. Orlando Pace is the only player to win this award twice, and he would have won it three times had he played his senior season. Laurinaitis is probably the most likely player from the Big Ten to win this award, although left tackle and teammate Alex Boone may have something to say about that. With so many positions eligible to win this award, there are plenty of players to choose from for my prediction. However, I'm just going to go ahead and pick the mathematically likeliest player--James Laurinaitis. If I'm wrong, don't blame me, blame math.
Ronnie Lott Trophy - Given to the nation’s outstanding defensive player, while also taking into account the player’s character and life outside of football.
Well, Penn State's Sean Lee would be a terrific candidate, especially if they just focused on life outside of football. (Too soon?) As you would expect, James Laurinaitis is also the best Big Ten bet for the Lott Trophy. However, in the four-year existence of the award, an SEC player has won it three times. The only time a non-SEC player won the award was 2006 when Cal's Daymeion Hughes won it. So apparently, you either have to play in the SEC or in California to be eligible to win this award. Given that character is also taken into account, we can take USC's Rey Maualuga off the list, since he has publicly declared that he "owns the police"--and not in a good way like how Jerry Jones owns the Dallas Cowboys (if you consider that "good"), but in a bad way like how Joe Paterno owns the Centre County District Attorney*. I'll go off of the board here and take Tennessee safety Eric Berry to win it. He's the type of player that Lott loves, and he has yet to take any proprietary stance on the law enforcement in Knoxville.
John Mackey Award - Given to the nation’s top tight end.
If we just look at the Big Ten, Wisconsin's Travis Beckum is the overwhelming favorite to win this award. Iowa's Tony Moeaki would be a lesser likely Big Ten candidate. There is no Buckeye who is a viable candidate to win this award simply because the folks at the Mackey Award only value statistics and do not even look at things like tackle-like blocking ability and decoy skills. I'll go with Beckum to win it over Oklahoma's Jermaine Gresham, who despite just half the number of catches as Beckum, nearly doubled his touchdown output.
Maxwell Award - Given to the nation’s outstanding college football player.
Last season, Florida's Tim Tebow won the Maxwell Award, and this year he looks to become just the second player to ever win this award twice. I'm sure everybody already knows this, but the only two-time winner is Notre Dame's John Lattner back in 1952 and 1953. And, of course, whenever Lattner is mentioned, it's as "The Only Two-Time Maxwell Award Winner John Lattner". However, Tebow will have a battle on his hands to join the most exclusive of clubs. As with most national awards, Ohio State's Chris Wells is going to be one of the favorites, and this is no exception. Over the last twenty years, quarterbacks have won the award thirteen times, so the odds are stacked against Wells. However, of those seven non-quarterbacks to have won the award, five have come from the Big Ten. Chris Wells will make it six.
Bronco Nagurski Award - Given to the nation’s top defensive player.
Buckeye linebacker James Laurinaitis won this award in 2006 and will try to become the first player to win the award in two non-consecutive terms when he takes the field this season. Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald is the only two-time winner, winning the award back in 1995 and 1996, so his back-to-back record is safe for another season, as LSU's Glenn Dorsey won the award last season. As a former winner, Laurinaitis is the Big Ten's likeliest pick, and probably the overall favorite. But I'm going to go with USC linebacker Rey Maualuga simply because I haven't picked him to win anything yet and he's too good to get shut out this year.
Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award - Given to the nation’s outstanding quarterback.
Last season, Tim Tebow snapped a six-year stretch of either a Big XII or Big Ten quarterback winning this award. If Tebow wins the award again this season, he will become the second Gator to repeat, following Danny Wuerffel in 1995 and 1996. Todd Boeckman and Purdue's Curtis Painter are the best candidates in the Big Ten to keep the award out of Tebow's hands, but they are at a severe disadvantage. There are also plenty of quarterbacks in the Big XII to challenge Tebow, led by Missouri's Chase Daniel, Texas Tech's Graham Harrell and Oklahoma's Sam Bradford. However, as has been mandated from ESPN's Worldwide Headquarters, 2008 is the "Year of Tebow", so hopefully they'll get him some type of tote bag to carry all of his awards, including this one.
Outland Trophy - Given to the nation’s outstanding interior lineman.
No school has more Outland Trophies than Nebraska's eight. Fortunately, we don't have to worry about Nebraska upping that number anytime soon. In fact, with the Buckeyes sitting at four Outland Trophies, I'd say they'll probably get to nine before Nebraska. Ohio State left tackle Alex Boone has the best shot in the Big Ten at this award, although Penn State defensive end Maurice Evans could put up a showing as well. But I'll go with Alabama tackle Andre Smith to win it. Just a junior, Smith has started every single game in his career at Alabama and this looks to be his last season with the Tide. He'll leave Alabama with All-American accolades and the Outland Trophy.
Rimington Trophy - Given to the nation’s top center.
Well, if you want to go based off of last season, Penn State's A.Q. Shipley and Illinois' Ryan McDonald would be the most likely candidates from the Big Ten as they were on the First and Second Team All Big Ten teams. You have to assume Shipley will continue to make moves as the Nittany offense should be much better this year based on the fact that they won't be playing a quarterback at quarterback, which has suited them well in the past. Jim Cordle is obviously the Buckeye candidate, and he's a legitimate candidate--as much as Shipley and McDonald are. This is a complete guess (all other guesses were just partial guesses), but I'll go with Shipley to win it.
Jim Thorpe Award - Given to the nation’s best defensive back.
From 1997 to 2000, a player from the Big Ten won this award each season, so there is a history here. Cornerback Malcolm Jenkins is the most likely Buckeye to do it this year. The second-team All American is on virtually every preseason All American team this season, so his name is definitely known. However, that may not be enough to make him the best bet from the Big Ten. Illinois cornerback Vontae Davis isn't as well-known outside of the Big Ten, but that should change this season. Last season, most of the Illini defenders were outshined by linebacker J Leman. But with Leman gone, this defense will become super-reliant upon Davis. However, the Big Ten isn't the only conference with a history of winning this award. The Big XII has won the Thorpe Award in five of the last seven seasons, and they'll make it six of eight this year with Missouri safety William Moore winning the award this season. Moore missed the spring due to shoulder surgery on a torn labrum, so this is a bit of a gamble pick. However, if Missouri is as good as it’s supposed to be and Moore can repeat his numbers from last season (117 tackles, 7 TFL, 8 INT), he could very well get it done.
Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award - Given to the nation’s top senior quarterback.
There are a slew of quality candidates for this award, and the Buckeyes' Todd Boeckman is a realistic candidate. As the quarterback on one of the nation's best teams, Boeckman will have plenty of attention focused on him, so if he plays as well as he's capable of, don't be surprised if he makes the late-season cut to semi-finalist. However, being the Buckeyes' best candidate doesn't necessarily make him the Big Ten's best candidate. Purdue's Curtis Painter would have as much a claim to that accolade as Boeckman, however, Purdue's record may not allow Painter to be as serious a candidate as Boeckman. None of it will matter in the end, however, as Missouri's Chase Daniel will win the award.
Doak Walker Award - Given to the nation’s top running back.
Despite what you may hear from "The South", or from Bristol, Chris Wells is the best running back in the nation and the most likely winner of this award. Now I'm not going to take anything away from Georgia's Knowshon Moreno, because he is set for a tremendous season this year. Just a sophomore, Moreno will be the veteran leader of the Bulldog running game, and he will be relied upon heavily. And back-to-back games at LSU and against Florida in the second half of the season could launch Moreno to the top of the award charts. Poor performances in those games, however, could also remove him from those same charts. I really think this is a two-man race, and unfortunately for Moreno, SEC Speed won't be enough to win it. I'll go with Wells here.
The Heisman Trophy - Given to the nation’s best college player.
Chris Wells is the Big Ten's best bet for the Heisman this year, and it isn't really even close. I've said in the past that I think Georgia's Knowshon Moreno and Florida's Tim Tebow and Percy Harvin will split the votes in the South, which may very well negate all three of them. I still think that's the most likely scenario, unless Moreno has a sophomore slump. Of course there will be others in play here, but I'll take Wells over the likes of Chase Daniel, Sam Bradford, West Virginia's Pat White and anybody else that wants to get involved. And Wells isn't just trying to win the award for himself, he's also trying to keep it away from Tim Tebow. (The latter being more important than the former.)
*That was a joke. Relax. I'm guessing Joe Paterno doesn't even know who the Centre County District Attorney is.
Return to the-OZone Front Page
(c) 2008 The O-Zone, O-Zone
Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, rebroadcast,rewritten, or redistributed.