Hey, did you know that in all the craziness that has been the NFL lockout, there was another fact that slipped by everyone? College football is now just two months away! Heck, we're days away from the release of EA Sports newest NCAA Football. That's when you know the season is really close.
The other way is by seeing the various watch lists come out before the season, basically listing all the players who might possibly win different awards before the season even starts. I would go back to look at the past few years, just to see how accurate these things are, but that might make me less likely to write about them. In case you haven't noticed, two of our major sports are in lockouts...I can use all the writing material I can get.
With that said, let's cull through the three main watch lists released so far, including the Maxwell Award (top overall player), the Bednarik Award (best defensive player) and the Biletnikoff Award (top receiver).
Texas A&M was well-represented on all three lists. Senior wide receiver Jeff Fuller made the watch list for both the Maxwell and Biletnikoff Awards, while senior quarterback Ryan Tannehill and senior tailback Cyrus Gray showed up on the Maxwell list. A&M's Ryan Swope also made the Biletnikoff list while senior cornerback Coryell Judie was the only defensive player listed on the Bednarik list.
The Texas Longhorns also have multiple candidates on the lists, as senior defensive tackle Kheeston Randall and senior linebacker Keenan Robinson showed up on the Bednarik list. Unfortunately, no Texas player was listed on the Maxwell watch list, but that doesn't mean a big season by someone like Malcolm Brown won't propel him up there. Texas' Mike Davis did make the Biletnikoff list, if that's any comfort.
Though I'm not well-loved in Waco right now, I will also point out that two Baylor players showed up on the list, with Robert Griffin making the Maxwell watch list and Kendall Wright making the Biletnikoff list.
There will be more of these coming out over the next ten days. Here's a list, courtesy of Jeremy Mauss over at the excellent SB Nation site Mountain West Connection.
July 7: Lou Groza Award (kicker)
July 7: Ray Guy Award (punter)
July 8: Bronko Nagurski Trophy (defensive player)
July 8: Outland Trophy (interior lineman)
July 11: Jim Thorpe Award (defensive back)
July 12: Rotary Lombardi Award (lineman)
July 13: Rimington Trophy (center)
July 14: Butkus Award (linebacker)
July 15: Davey O'Brien Award (quarterback)
July 15: Doak Walker Award (running back)
July 18: Walter Camp Award (overall)