With college football's top national awards being presented this week, here's a look at the finalist field for each and a prediction for who will take home the hardware.
Bednarik Award (top defender)
The finalists: LB Tyler Matakevich, Temple; DL Carl Nassib, Penn State; LB Reggie Ragland, Alabama.
Projected winner: Ragland. As the runaway leader in tackles (90) for the No. 1 run defense in the country, Ragland is the most viable pick here. The senior has also proven to scouts this season that he can be effective on third down. If Matakevich wins, he'll be the first player from outside the Power Five conferences or Notre Dame to win the honor.
Biletnikoff Award (top receiver)
The finalists: WR Corey Coleman, Baylor; WR Laquon Treadwell, Ole Miss; WR Josh Doctson, TCU.
Projected winner: Doctson. Coleman's production fell off late in the year against the toughest part of the BU schedule, in part due to quarterback injuries. Doctson's did, too, but due to his own injury, and he still managed 1,327 yards and 14 touchdowns. Noteworthy: nine consecutive winners of this award have been chosen in either the first or second round of the NFL draft.
Walter Camp Award (top player)
The finalists: RB Derrick Henry, Alabama; RB Christian McCaffrey, Stanford; QB Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma; QB Deshaun Watson, Clemson; CB Desmond King, Iowa.
Projected winner: Watson. The Clemson quarterback's dual-threat capabilities make the Tigers' offense a nightmare to defend, and he's done it for the No. 1-ranked team in the country. Plus, this award has a tendency to go to a quarterback. Eight of the last 11 winners have been signal-callers, including Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota the last two years. The criteria for the Camp Award and the Heisman Trophy are generally the same (nation's top player), though they don't always align with the same winner. Still, the last two have swept the pair (Winston and Mariota).
Groza Award (top kicker)
The finalists:Â Daniel Carlson, Auburn; Jake Elliott, Memphis; Ka'imi Fairbairn, UCLA
Projected winner: Carlson. The Tigers' kicker was 22 of 26 on field goals for the season, but more impressively, connected on four out of five from 50-plus yards. Elliott and Fairbarin have been plenty accurate this season, but haven't shown as much consistency as Carlson from the longest distances.
Ray Guy Award (top punter)
The finalists:Â Michael Carrizosa, San Jose State; Tom Hackett, Utah; Hayden Hunt, Colorado State.
Projected winner: Hackett. With a 47.8-yard average and 20 of his 55 kicks going for 50-plus yards, Hackett doesn't lack for distance. And with 21 fair catches, he has the hang-time part down pat, too. Hackett is the defending holder of this trophy and stands to join Ryan Allen of Louisiana Tech as the award's only back-to-back winners.
Heisman Trophy (top player)
The finalists: RB Derrick Henry, Alabama; RB Christian McCaffrey, Stanford; QB Deshaun Watson, Clemson.
Projected winner: McCaffrey. The versatility McCaffrey has shown this season is a compelling factor that will make the difference in a tight vote. He's not only rushed for almost 1,900 yards, he's the Cardinal's No. 1 receiver and top return specialist, as well, and broke Barry Sanders' record for all-purpose yards in a single season.
Lombardi Award (best lineman/linebacker)
The finalists: DE Joey Bosa, Ohio State; DE Myles Garrett, Texas A&M; DE Shaq Lawson, Clemson; DE Carl Nassib, Penn State.
Projected winner: Nassib. The former Penn State walk-on led the FBS in sacks (15.5) and sack yardage (107). No defender in the country made a bigger difference for his team. Lawson has announced he intends to apply for early entry into the 2016 NFL Draft, while all indications are that Bosa will do the same. The group could leave Garrett, a sophomore, as the only finalist to return to college next year.
Maxwell Award (top player)
The finalists: RB Derrick Henry, Alabama; RB Christian McCaffrey, Stanford; QB Deshaun Watson, Clemson.
Projected winner: Watson. The Walter Camp Award and the Maxwell would be quite a pairing of honors for the Tigers' star sophomore, but he's more than deserving. Like the Camp and Heisman awards, the Maxwell engages a general "best player" criteria, though voters aren't afraid to break from the other two, as they did in selecting Alabama's AJ McCarron in 2013, when Jameis Winston won the Heisman.
Davey O'Brien Award (top quarterback)
The finalists: QB Trevone Boykin, TCU; QB Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma; QB Deshaun Watson, Clemson.
Projected winner: Mayfield. The Sooners' quarterback probably has the best "snub" argument of anyone who wasn't selected as a Heisman finalist. But he wasn't snubbed here, and he's been too important to a playoff-bound team not take home one of the awards for which quarterbacks are eligible.
Outland Trophy (top interior lineman)
The finalists: OT Spencer Drango, Baylor; DL A'Shawn Robinson, Alabama; G Joshua Garnett, Stanford.
Projected winner: Robinson. The Alabama junior holds his own against double teams and creates havoc for opposing running backs. He isn't a sack master, but can play inside on third down and shrink the pocket with a bull rush. He's also shown off uncanny athleticism for a 315-pound lineman. Drango and Garnett both project as guards at the NFL level.
Jim Thorpe Award (top defensive back)
The finalists: S Jeremy Cash, Duke; CB Vernon Hargreaves, Florida; CB Desmond King, Iowa.
Projected winner: Cash. The Blue Devils' safety was a terror against the run this season, knifing through the backfield for 18 tackles for loss. He made 101 stops on the year and forced three fumbles. Hargreaves is the more obvious choice, but we'll predict an upset here for a player who did more to anchor his team's entire defense.
Rimington Trophy (top center)
The finalists:Â Ryan Kelly, Alabama; Jack Allen, Michigan State; Austin Blythe, Iowa.
Projected winner: Allen. The Spartans' stalwart has played multiple positions this season to help hold the MSU line together, proving his value with exceptional versatility on a 12-1 team. However, the fact that he's played elsewhere on the line shouldn't disqualify him from winning an award at the position he plays best.
Doak Walker Award (top running back)
The finalists: RB Leonard Fournette, LSU; RB Derrick Henry, Alabama; RB Christian McCaffrey, Stanford.
Projected winner: Henry. The cornerstone of the Alabama offense has averaged more yards in SEC play than he did against UA's non-conference opponents, and he'll break the 2,000-yard mark against Michigan State in a national semifinal. Henry has a better chance to win this award than he does the Heisman because McCaffrey's exploits as a return specialist shouldn't be a factor for the Walker.
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