College football award predictions: Who will — and should — win?
The 2022 season was chock full of brilliant performances on some of the biggest stages, from Caleb Williams helping transform USC into a playoff contender to Blake Corum‘s eight straight 100-yard games in helping Michigan win back-to-back Big Ten titles to Marvin Harrison Jr.‘s emergence as arguably the country’s most exciting receiver.
They’ll be among the stars on hand for the Home Depot College Football Awards on Thursday (7 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN App) as the top players are honored and many of the country’s most prestigious awards are handed out.
Here are our picks for who should — and who will — pick up some prized hardware Thursday.
Chuck Bednarik Award (defensive player of the year)
Finalists: Will Anderson Jr., Alabama; Ivan Pace Jr., Cincinnati; Tuli Tuipulotu, USC
Who should win: Anderson. The Alabama edge rusher had 51 tackles, 17 going for a loss, 10 sacks and 12 QB hurries — all of which counted as something of a down year by his standards. There’s no defender in the country more feared — and more productive — than Anderson.
Who will win: Anderson
Biletnikoff Award (outstanding receiver)
Finalists: Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State; Xavier Hutchinson, Iowa State; Jalin Hyatt, Tennessee
Who should win: Harrison. With a number of Ohio State’s key skill position players injured, Harrison blossomed into the most formidable pass-catcher in the country this season. His 1,157 receiving yards were second most in the Big Ten, his 12 receiving TDs tied for the national lead, and he was Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded receiver in the nation. For the season, Harrison had just two drops and reeled in 56% of his contested catches, the second-best rate in the nation.
Who will win: Harrison
Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award (outstanding place-kicker)
Finalists: Christopher Dunn, NC State; Joshua Karty, Stanford; Jake Moody, Michigan
Who should win: Dunn in a close one. While Karty didn’t miss a field-goal try this season, he had seven fewer attempts than Dunn, who was also perfect on PATs (while Karty was 24-of-25). Dunn connected on 24 field goals, was 10-of-11 beyond 40 and hit on both of his attempts of 50 yards or more.
Who will win: Dunn
Ray Guy Award (punter of the year)
Finalists: Mason Fletcher, Cincinnati; Bryce Baringer, Michigan State; Adam Korsak, Rutgers
Who should win: South Carolina‘s Kai Kroeger wasn’t a finalist, but he’s likely to top plenty of All-America lists after leading the country with 51.9% of his punts downed inside the opponent’s 20-yard line and 25% inside the 10.
Who will win: Baringer. This award tends to come down to the headline numbers, and Baringer has a handle on those. He led the nation with an average of 49 yards per punt and 45.7 net.
Maxwell Award (college player of the year)
Finalists: C.J. Stroud, Ohio State; Hendon Hooker, Tennessee; Caleb Williams, USC
Who should win: Hooker. Perhaps this is a chance for a makeup call for snubbing Hooker as a Heisman Trophy finalist, but the truth is, until his injury, he was clearly the best player in the country. His 89.4 Total QBR is ahead of Stroud (87.7) and Williams (86.5), and his 27-to-2 touchdown-to-interception ratio is tops in the country. More importantly, he completely elevated Tennessee football this season, putting the Vols within striking distance of a playoff bid before getting hurt in the penultimate game of the regular season against South Carolina.
Who will win: Williams. He finished third nationally in total yards and first in touchdowns while turning the ball over just four times. That’s a pretty simple case to make.
Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award (best quarterback)
Finalists: Max Duggan, TCU; CJ Stroud, Ohio State; Caleb Williams, USC
Who should win: Williams. How close are the numbers between Stroud and Williams? Stroud completed 66.2% of his throws. Williams completed 66.1%. Stroud threw 37 touchdowns. So did Williams. Stroud averaged 9.4 yards per pass. Williams averaged 9.1. Stroud had seven turnovers. Williams had five. But the slight edge goes to Williams, who did more with his legs and dealt with a much less consistent offensive line (29 sacks compared with just eight for Stroud).
Who will win: Williams
Outland Trophy (most outstanding interior lineman)
Finalists: Calijah Kancey, Pittsburgh; Olusegun Oluwatimi, Michigan; Peter Skoronski, Northwestern
Who should win: Kancey. The ACC’s defensive player of the year was an absolute monster on the interior of Pitt’s defensive line in 2022. Kancey racked up seven sacks and 14 tackles for loss while adding 10 QB hurries on the season. He was the second-best Power 5 interior lineman, according to Pro Football Focus, after Georgia’s Jalen Carter, who missed multiple games. While it’s impossible to directly compare Kancey’s performance with two offensive linemen, his work was awfully reminiscent of another Pitt great — Aaron Donald. And if a player is drawing those comparisons, it’s easy enough to see why he might win the Outland Trophy, just as Donald did in 2013.
Who will win: Kancey
Paycom Jim Thorpe Award (best defensive back)
Finalists: Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, TCU; Clark Phillips III, Utah; Devon Witherspoon, Illinois
Who should win: Witherspoon. Yes, Phillips is among the most impressive players in the country, and his six interceptions will turn heads with voters, but on a down-for-down basis, Witherspoon has the edge. He was the top-graded Power 5 corner, according to Pro Football Focus, allowing just 16 completions on 54 targets — with none going for touchdowns. He bested Phillips in yards allowed per coverage snap, yards per target and contested targets. And while Phillips did have a distinct edge in INTs (six to three), Witherspoon added another 14 pass breakups to Phillips’ six.
Who will win: Phillips. Hey, interceptions look great on a box score, and the truth is, Phillips genuinely is among the best players in the country — even if Witherspoon’s stat line was a tad better.
Doak Walker Award (premier running back)
Finalists: Chase Brown, Illinois; Blake Corum, Michigan; Bijan Robinson, Texas
Who should win: Robinson. Playing behind either a freshman or backup QB all season, Robinson was the focal point of every defense Texas faced, and he still finished the season with 1,580 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns. His 1,894 scrimmage yards led the nation, and his 20 total touchdowns ranked second behind Pitt’s Israel Abanikanda. Robinson also finished the season as the hottest player in the country, topping 100 yards on the ground in nine of his last 10 games, including more than 200 twice.
Who will win: Corum. Robinson might edge him out after Corum was injured late in the Nov. 19 win over Illinois, but for the first 10 games of the season, Corum was the clear-cut top back in the country and a Heisman contender. He still finished with 1,463 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns — numbers comparable to Robinson — and voters might forgive the late-season absence to reward the player who carried his team the furthest. That’s clearly Corum.
John Mackey Award (outstanding tight end)
Finalists: Brock Bowers, Georgia; Michael Mayer, Notre Dame; Sam LaPorta, Iowa
Who should win: Mayer. He was the point man in Notre Dame’s offense this season, and he delivered huge results. Mayer was second nationally among tight ends in catches (67), yards (809) and yards per route (2.57), and he led all tight ends with nine touchdown grabs and 20 contested catches. But what sets him apart from Bowers and others is his impressive blocking. He blocked on 417 snaps this season and missed just two of them.
Who will win: Mayer
Rimington Trophy (outstanding center)
Finalists: Olusegun Oluwatimi, Michigan; John Michael Schmitz, Minnesota; Brett Neilon, USC
Who should win: Oluwatimi. The Virginia transfer blossomed as the leader of Michigan’s offensive line this season, allowing just two pressures and no sacks while missing just a handful of blocks on the year. Oluwatimi blocked for one of the most effective ground games in the nation and kept QB J.J. McCarthy in a clean pocket routinely. The result was a second straight Big Ten title for the Wolverines.
Who will win: Oluwatimi
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Greg Wyshynski
ELMONT, N.Y. — The Colorado Avalanche entered Thursday night’s game at the New York Islanders as a juggernaut, having lost just once in regulation in 26 games. Islanders coach Patrick Roy’s message to his team before that game: “If there’s a team that could surprise them, it’s us and the way we’ve been playing.”
St. Patrick was prophetic: Roy’s team defeated the mighty Avalanche 6-3 to snap Colorado’s 17-game point streak in a statement win for the Islanders (15-10-3).
The Islanders built a 4-0 lead against Colorado and responded every time the Avalanche crept back into the game. That included a late third-period penalty kill, as the Avalanche pulled goalie Mackenzie Blackwood for a 6-on-4 advantage. Forward Casey Cizikas iced the win with an empty-netter.
“That’s a really good hockey team over there,” Cizikas said. “They’ve proved it all season. They’re never out of a game, so you’ve got to complete it.”
Even after the loss, Colorado remained the NHL’s top team in points percentage (.815), goal differential (plus-47), offense (4.04 goals per game) and defense (2.19 goals against per game). The Avalanche have the NHL’s leading scorer in center Nathan MacKinnon (46 points) and the leading scorer among defenseman in Cale Makar (33 points).
But Islanders forward Mathew Barzal said New York’s 4-1 loss in Denver on Nov. 16 gave his teammates confidence they could hang with the NHL’s best.
“We feel like when we played them in Colorado, we probably should have won,” said Barzal, who had a goal and two assists in the win. “As a group, too, we know who we’re playing and that always makes a difference. Against Colorado, if we don’t show up, it could be ugly.”
The Islanders showed up on the scoresheet at 5:56 in the first period, on a controversial goal by forward Kyle MacLean. His shot sailed into the top corner of the net with Blackwood (36 saves) flat on the ice. Replays showed that after a scramble in the crease, the stick of Islanders center Marc Gatcomb had become wedged in Blackwood’s pads as Blackwood attempted to defend the net.
Colorado coach Jared Bednar challenged the goal. The NHL Situation Room cited Rule 69.7 in upholding the goal, which states that “in a rebound situation, or where a goalkeeper and attacking player(s) are simultaneously attempting to play a loose puck, whether inside or outside the crease, incidental contact with the goalkeeper will be permitted, and any goal that is scored as a result thereof will be allowed.”
Bednar disagreed with that assessment.
“Listen, I think goalie interference is a joke. If that’s not goalie interference, I don’t know what is. You can’t just shove the goalie’s pads out of the way to create a loose puck,” said Bednar. “I’m not going to challenge unless it’s obvious. And I thought that was obvious.”
On the other end of the ice, Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin was great when he needed to be in making 35 saves against the high-octane Avalanche. Roy cited one save in the second period where Sorokin stopped Artturi Lehkonen on a 2-on-1 before Barzal increased their lead to 5-2 with a power-play goal.
“I think that gave us the confidence. Ilya made the key save at the right time,” said the coach.
The Islanders’ win over the Avalanche came on a poignant night at UBS Arena for the players. Their fathers and mentors were in attendance, ahead of their road trip to Florida. The game also marked the return of former Islanders star Brock Nelson, who was sent to Colorado at last season’s trade deadline. He received a standing ovation from Islanders fans after a video tribute.
It was just the second loss for the Avalanche (19-2-6) in the past 14 games.
“It’s closer than you think, but it still wasn’t good enough,” Bednar said. “We’ll refocus on the things that we need to do to make us successful.”
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