2013 college football preseason watch lists now arriving daily here

Unfortunately, watch lists don’t get the pomp and circumstance things like Oscar nominations do. There are no big parties, sponsorships, rented-out ballrooms. Not even gift bags filled with exquisite nuts, electronics, and bath products. Most of those are NCAA violations, although I’m not 100 percent sure what the governing body’s stance on cashews is.

When you’re named for the Maxwell or Ray Guy Award Watch List, you’ll settle for having someone let you know you’re on the list in the first place. And maybe you go get a Blizzard; I’m pretty sure they’re $1 off with valid college I.D.

The Walter Camp Player of the Year Award watch list was released Friday, highlighted by some of college football’s biggest stars. The Walter Camp Award is given to college football’s best player, as determined by Football Bowl Subdivision head coaches and sports information directors.

Here’s the full list:

The watch list for the 2013 Doak Walker Award was released Thursday morning. The Walker Award, started in 1989, is presented annually to the nation’s best running back as determined by a selection committee of sportswriters and legendary running backs. The Award committee requires that the recipient be in good academic standing and on schedule to graduate within one year of other students of the same classification.

Here’s the full list:

BYU has received the most Davey O’Brien Awards, earning four trophies in the first 11 years that the Award was given out. Florida and Oklahoma have each won three Davey O’Brien Awards, while Florida State, Miami, Penn State, Iowa and Texas have won two apiece.

• Loads of SEC Media Days coverage, live from Hoover

Here is the full Biletnikoff watch list:

• Loads of SEC Media Days coverage, live from Hoover

The preseason watch list for the Rotary Lombardi Award was announced Monday. The award is given annually to college football’s top lineman or linebacker.

Ohio State leads the way with six winners all time, edging out Nebraska and Notre Dame, who have five each. Four other schools -- Oklahoma and Texas with three, Auburn and Florida State with two -- can claim multiple Lombardi winners.

The Butkus Award’s preseason watch list was announced Monday. The award is given each year to college football’s best linebacker. Here’s the full, official list:

Notre Dame’s Manti Te’o won the award last season, making him the first player to win the high school and college versions. The college award has been given out since 1985 while the high school honor -- along with its NFL counterpart -- has existed since 2008.

The Jim Thorpe Association has announced its preseason watch list for the Thorpe Award, which is meant to be given to college football’s best defensive back each year.

Oklahoma leads all schools with three winners: Derrick Strait in 2003, Roy Williams in 2001 and Rickey Dixon in 1987. Six schools -- Arizona, Colorado, Florida State, LSU, Ohio State and Texas -- can claim two winners.

The Football Writers Association of America released its preseason watch list for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy on Thursday. The award is meant to be given each year to college football’s top defensive player.

Almost always awarded to a linebacker or defensive lineman, the Nagurski Trophy has been given to a defensive back just four times. Oklahoma cornerback Derrick Strait and Sooners safety Roy Williams were honored in 2003 and 2001, respectively. Georgia corner Champ Bailey won the award in 1998, and Michigan corner Charles Woodson took it home in ‘97.

The Football Writers Association of America has released its preseason watch list for the Outland Trophy, which is meant to be awarded annually to the nation’s best college interior lineman.

A total of 15 schools have multiple Outland winners, and Nebraska leads the way with nine. Oklahoma and Ohio State have five and four, respectively, and five schools can claim three players to win the award.

Stop ignoring special teams. It’s critical to have a kicker capable of nailing field goals when a drive stalls and tacking on extra points instead of shanking them, and a punter capable of pinning opponents deep instead of allowing big returns. College football’s best specialists have the opportunity to get their shine on thanks to the Lou Groza Award and the Ray Guy Award, meant to honor the nation’s best placekicker and punter, respectively.

Here are the official preseason watch lists for each of those awards:

The 2013 John Mackey Award watch list was released Tuesday. Here it is in full, via the Mackey people:

The award is presented by the Friends of John Mackey and voted upon by members of the sports media and former NFL players.

via www.maxwellfootballclub.org

Presented by the Maxwell Football Club, a Philadelphia-based organization that also gives the Maxwell Award, there seems to be a slight bias towards Pennsylvania players. For starters, the trophy is named after Penn great and Eagles Hall of Famer Chuck Bednarik, who incidentally was a dominating offensive lineman in addition to playing linebacker. But with regard to the bias, four of the 17 winners of the trophy have been Nittany Lions, twice as many as any other school. But that hasn’t played out of late, and seems unlikely to do so this year.