Stay tuned here for notes on each of the winners of 2011's college football awards, which will be announced on a show airing 9 p.m. ET Thursday night on ESPN. As with bowl game pairings, sometimes these sorts of things make themselves known before they're announced on TV.
All 11 awards are rendered completely worthless by the Ray Guy Award's omission of LSU Tigers punter Brad Wing, but this is the sort of very important thing that will get us one day closer to bowl season, so let's all try to get through it.
Rule of thumb: it's just like watching the Grammys. If a rap album is nominated for Album of the Year, it's probably gonna win Rap Album of the Year.
The list of nominees for each award:
| AWARD | PRESENTER | FINALISTS |
|
Chuck Bednarik Award College Defensive Player of the Year |
Matt Millen Penn State, ESPN College Football Analyst |
Dont'a Hightower, Alabama Tyrann Mathieu. LSU Devon Still, Penn State |
|
Biletnikoff Award Nation's Most Outstanding Receiver |
Fred Biletnikoff Florida State, Pro Football Hall of Fame |
Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State Ryan Broyles, Oklahoma Robert Woods, USC |
|
Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award Nation's Most Outstanding Placekicker |
Judd Groza Ohio State, Son of Lou Groza |
Randy Bullock, Texas A&M Dustin Hopkins, Florida State Caleb Sturgis, Florida |
|
Ray Guy Award Nation's Most Outstanding Punter |
Ray Guy Southern Mississippi Three-time Super Bowl Champion |
Ryan Allen, Louisiana Tech Steven Clark, Auburn Jackson Rice, Oregon |
|
Maxwell Award College Player of the Year |
Herschel Walker 1982 winner, Georgia |
Andrew Luck, Stanford Kellen Moore, Boise State Trent Richardson, Alabama |
|
Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award Nation's Best Quarterback |
Jim McMahon 1981 winner, BYU |
Robert Griffin III, Baylor Case Keenum, Houston Andrew Luck, Stanford |
|
Outland Trophy Nation's Most Outstanding Interior Lineman |
Mark May 1980 winner, Pittsburgh |
David DeCastro, Stanford Barrett Jones, Alabama Devon Still, Penn State |
|
Jim Thorpe Award Nation's Most Outstanding Defensive Back |
Governor Bill Anoatubby Tribal leader of the Chickasaw Nation |
David Amerson, NC State Mark Barron, Alabama Morris Claiborne, LSU |
|
Doak Walker Award Nation's Most Outstanding Running Back |
Calvin Hill Recipient of the 2008 Doak Walker Legends Award, Yale |
Montee Ball, Wisconsin LaMichael James, Oregon Trent Richardson, Alabama |
|
The Home Depot Coach of the Year Nation's Most Outstanding Head Coach |
Suzy Deering VP, Integrated Media The Home Depot |
TBA |
| Walter Camp All-America Team |
Lincoln Kennedy 1992 All-America Team, Washington |
TBA |
SB Nation's 2011 college football awards stream will have the winners of each college football award, because it's a college football awards stream.