The guys over at Bull Run are putting together this year's Postseason Blogger Awards. In the spirit of college football's blogpoll, these awards are just like the actual awards given out as season's end, but voted upon by slightly more informed voters -- us bloggers. Besides, living in your mother's basement affords plenty of downtime to watch lots of college football.
Below are our nominees for each of the Postseason Blogger Awards (with a heavy dose of home cookin,' of course). Arguments go to the comments section.
Blogger Heisman - Most Outstanding Player
1. Cameron Newton (Auburn)
2. Kellen Moore (Boise State)
3. LaMichael James (Oregon)
NCAA investigation aside, Newton is clearly the best player in the country.
Blogger Coach of the Year
1. Jim Harbaugh (Stanford)
2. Gary Patterson (TCU)
3. Chip Kelly (Oregon)
If there's any fan base that can appreciate the job Harbaugh has done at Stanford -- a strong academic school in a pro market -- it's Eagles' fans.
Blogger Bednarik Award - Most Outstanding Defensive Player
1. Luke Kuechly (Boston College)
2. Ryan Kerrigan (Purdue)
3. Da'Quan Bowers (Clemson)
Leads the nation with a ridiculous 171 tackles on the nation's top defensive unit against the run.
Blogger O'Brien Award - Most Outstanding Quarterback
1. Kellen Moore (Boise State)
2. Cameron Newton (Auburn)
3. Andrew Luck (Stanford)
While I'm voting Newton for the Heisman, I think Kellen Moore is the best quarterback in the country.
Blogger Walker Award - Most Outstanding Running Back
1. LaMichael James (Oregon)
2. Jordan Todman (Connecticut)
3. Montel Harris (Boston College)
Voting for UConn's Jordan Todman over Montel Harris -- my olive branch to Huskies fans?
Blogger Biletnikoff Award - Best Wide Receiver
1. Justin Blackmon (Oklahoma State)
2. Ryan Broyles (Oklahoma)
3. Julio Jones (Alabama)
There's Justin Blackmon, and then there's everyone else.
Blogger Mackey Award - Most Outstanding Tight End
1. Michael Egnew (Missouri)
2. Lance Kendricks (Wisconsin)
3. D.J. Williams (Arkansas)
These are the three finalists for the actual award. Because I'm lazy and don't really have strong feelings either way.
Blogger Outland Trophy - Best Interior Lineman
If the BC offensive line played better this season, I might feel more strongly about this award. As it stands, I don't.
Blogger Rimington Trophy - Best Center
How, exactly, do they evaluate center play? Can I retroactively award this to Matt Tennant? I'll abstain here.
Blogger Hendricks Award - Most Outstanding Defensive End
1. Ryan Kerrigan (Purdue)
2. Da'Quan Bowers (Clemson)
3. J.J. Watt (Wisconsin)
Kerrigan is probably the best DE in the country that no one is talking about ... because he plays for 4-8 Purdue.
Blogger Jim Thorpe Award - Most Outstanding Defensive Back
1. Jayron Hosley (Virginia Tech)
2. Patrick Peterson (LSU)
3. Robert Lester (Alabama)
Another tough award to objectively evaluate, and really have to go with players you've seen play. Thought about Virginia's Chase Minnifield here, but then saw that half of his six interceptions came against I-AA fodder.
Blogger Butkus Award - Most Outstanding Linebacker
1. Luke Kuechly (Boston College)
2. Nate Irving (N.C. State)
3. Mark Herzlich (Boston College)
There's Kuechly, and then there's two inspirational comeback stories worth mentioning here.
Blogger Groza Award - Best Kicker
1. Nate Freese (Boston College)
2. Will Snyderwine (Duke)
3. Chris Hazley (Virginia Tech)
Freese should have been a semifinalist. He was BC's most prolific offensive weapon this season.
Blogger Ray Guy Award - Best Punter
1. Ben Skaer (New Mexico)
2. Richard Kent (Vanderbilt)
3. Ryan Quigley (Boston College)
I went with three guys whose legs got a major workout this year. Skaer leads the nation in number of punts (85), Kent kicked the ball the furthest (3,511 yards), and Quigley finished 9th and 6th, respectively, in those categories. And because your team punted a lot, that generally means your team's offense sucks. Which they did for all three of these teams.