>NCAA Offensive Player of the Year:
Winner: QB Cameron Newton, Auburn
Newton took an 8-5 team and has them playing in the National Championship Game. He’s the highest rated passer in all of College Football and he’s 13th in rushing (including leading the SEC in rushing….as a QB).He has 20 TD running the football, 28 passing and he even caught a TD pass against Ole Miss. What more is there to say? He was amazing to watch. His stats were incredible and his highlights were even more jaw-dropping. He was a sensation.
Runner-Up: RB LaMichael James, Oregon
Honorable Mention: QB Andrew Luck (Stanford), QB Denard Robinson (Michigan), QB Dan Persa (Northwestern), QB Ryan Mallet (Arkansas), QB Kellen Moore (Boise St), QB Andy Dalton (TCU), WR Justin Blackmon (Oklahoma St)
NCAA Defensive Player of the Year:
Winner: DE Da’Quan Bowers, Clemson
He led the Nation in sacks with 15 averaging 1.15 per game. He was second in the Nation (to Ryan Kerrigan of Purdue) with 25 tackles for loss.
Runner-Up: DT Nick Fairley, Auburn
Honorable Mention: DE Ryan Kerrigan (Purdue), CB Patrick Peterson (LSU), CB Jaron Hosley (Virginia Tech), LB Von Miller (Texas A&M), LB Luke Kuechly (Boston College)
NCAA Coach of the Year:
Winner: Chip Kelly, Oregon
Kelly has really developed Oregon into an offensive juggernaut. They score the most points at 49.3 per game and also gain the most yards at 537 per game. But they aren’t a one-dimensional football team as their defense also ranks 12th in points allowed at 18 per game. Kelly has this machine running and he just fills in the pieces as needed.
Runner-Up: Jim Harbaugh, Stanford
Honorable Mention: Randy Edsall (UConn), Bret Bielema (Wisconsin), Gene Chizik (Auburn), Michael Haywood (Miami/OH), Mark Dantonio (Michigan State), Dan Mullen (Mississippi State), Doug Marrone (Syracuse), Gary Patterson (TCU), Mike Gundy (Oklahoma State)
NCAA Coordinator of the Year:
Winner: Gus Malzahn, Auburn
Sure Malzahn has Cam Newton to thank but Malzahn did a great job this year molding his offense into an offense that best fits Cam Newton and his personnel. Malzahn would probably rather throw the ball all over the field but he saw what would help his team win and made some tweaks as the season went on.Without Malzahn, Auburn is not playing in the National Championship Game…it’s that simple.
Runner-Up: Dana Holgorsen, Oklahoma State
Honorable Mention: Dick Bumpas (TCU), Mark Helfich (Oregon), Scott Shafer (Syracuse), John Chavis (LSU), Paul Chryst (Wisconsin), Bryan Harsin (Boise State), Kirby Smart (Alabama)
SEC Player of the Year:
Winner: QB Cam Newton, Auburn
Do we need to re-hash this? If he’s the NCAA Offensive Player of the Year then we are also taking him for SEC Player of the Year.
Runner-Up: QB Ryan Mallett, Arkansas
Honorable Mention: DT Nick Fairley (Auburn), WR Alshon Jeffrey (South Carolina), RB Marcus Lattimore (South Carolina), CB Patrick Peterson (LSU), WR Julio Jones (Alabama)
Big Ten Player of the Year:
Winner: QB Denard Robinson, Michigan
This was a very tight race between Robinson and Persa but ultimately Robinson stats were just too good to ignore. As a QB Robinson rushed for 1702 yards (second to only Mikel Leshoure of Illinois who rushed for 4 more yards than Denard) averaging 6.6 yards per carry. Robinson also threw for 2570 yards. Without Robinson, Michigan doesn’t go to a bowl game.
Runner-UP: QB Dan Persa, Northwestern
Honorable Mention: DE Ryan Kerrigan (Purdue), RB Mikel Leshoure (Illinois), QB Kirk Cousins (Michigan State), QB Scott Tolzien (Wisconsin), QB Terrelle Pryor (Ohio State), WR Dan Sanzenbacher (Ohio State), RB Montee Ball (Wisconsin), RB James White (Wisconsin)
Big 12 Player of the Year:
Co-Winner: WR Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State
Blackmon finished his freshman season with 20 receptions for 2 TD. This year he had 111 receptions for 1782 yards (and that’s missing a game) and was a big reason for Oklahoma State exceeding everybody’s expectations this year. Blackmon finished 3rd in the Nation in receptions, 2nd in receiving yards, 2nd in receptions per game and 1st in TD. He was a difference maker in the Big 12.
Co-Winner: QB Landry Jones, Oklahoma
What a difference a year makes. Landry really blossomed this year and helped the Sooners rebound from a disappointing 8-5 season to winning the Big 12 and playing in a BCS bowl game. Landry finished 2nd in the Nation in Passing Yards (only Bryant Moniz of Hawai’i had more) and passing TD with 38 (2nd again to Moniz).
Honorable Mention: WR Ryan Broyles (Oklahoma), QB Robert Griffin (Baylor), QB Brandon Weeden (Oklahoma State), RB Kendall Hunter (Oklahoma State), RB Daniel Thomas (Kansas State), LB Von Miller (Texas A&M)
ACC Player of the Year:
Winner: QB Tyrod Taylor, Virginia Tech
The season could not have started out worse for Virginia Tech as they lost to Boise State and then fell victim of an unfathomable upset at the hands of James Madison. Behind Tyrod’s Senior Leadership the Hokies rebounded and won 11 straight regular season games and went undefeated in the ACC. Taylor passed for 2743 yards and had a great TD to INT ratio (24 TD and only 5 INT). He finished the year as the highest rated passer in the ACC (a conference that also includes Christian Ponder, Russell Wilson, Kyle Parker and T.J. Yates). Tyrod also placed in the Top 15 in the ACC in rushing as he finished with 659 yards and 5 TD running the football.
Runner-Up: DE Da’Quan Bowers, Clemson
Honorable Mention: QB Russell Wilson (NC State), QB T.J. Yates (UNC), CB Jayron Hosley (VT), RB Montel Harris (BC), WR Torrey Smith (Maryland)
Big East Player of the Year
Winner: RB Jordan Todman (UConn)
UConn rode Todman to their first BCS birth and Big East Championship. Todman had an incredible year and led the Big East in rushing and came in 3rd Nationally (only 11 yards behind Mikel Leshoure and 7 behind Denard Robinson) despite missing the game against Buffalo. Todman was a symbol of consistency as he rushed for over 100 yards in 10 of the 12 games he played and his lowest output of the year was 80 yards.
Runner-Up: QB Geno Smith (WVU)
Honorable Mention: RB Bilal Powell (Louisville), QB Ryan Nassib (Syracuse), WR Armon Binns (Cincy), DE Bruce Irvin (WVU), DT Jabaal Sheard (Pitt), CB Blidi Wreh-Wilson (UConn)
Pac-10 Player of the Year
Winner: RB LaMicheal James, Oregon
James finished 3rd in the Heisman voting behind Cam Newton and Andrew Luck but we picked James over Luck (by the narrowest of margins). James was a Tour de Force for Oregon running up 1682 yards at 5.99 yards per clip and also scoring 21 TDs. James did all of this while also missing a game against one of the weakest opponents on Oregon’s schedule. Like Todman, James was a model of consistency gaining over 100 yards in 9 of Oregon’s 11 games played (so far) and he also gained over 90 yards in every game he played.
Runner-Up: QB Andrew Luck, Stanford
Honorable Mention: QB Darron Thomas (Oregon), RB Jacquizz Rodgers (Oregon St), QB Nick Foles (Arizona), WR Juron Criner (Arizona), WR Jeff Maehl (Oregon)
Non-BCS Conference Player of the Year
Winner: QB Kellen Moore, Boise State
Moore has done everything that Boise State has asked him to do. He engineered a game winning drive in the season opening victory against Virginia Tech and put them in the same position against Nevada before a very make-able FG was missed. Moore was 2nd to only Cam Newton in Passer Rating and posted an incredible TD/INT ratio (35 to 6).
Runner-Up: QB Andy Dalton, TCU
Honorable Mention: QB Colin Kapaernick (Nevada), QB Bryant Moniz (Hawai’i), QB Dominique Davis (ECU), RB Vai Taua (Nevada), QB Ryan Lindley (SDSU), QB Chandler Harnish (NIU), WR Greg Salas (Hawai’i)
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