Walter Camp Award 2011 Watch List Announced

The Walter Camp Award is billed unimpressively as "the nation's fourth-oldest individual college football accolade," but it's still pretty nice to have. Bestowed upon the Walter Camp Foundation's designated best college football player in a given season, previous winners include O.J. Simpson, Herschel Walker, Bo Jackson, Barry Sanders, Desmond Howard, Eddie Georgie, Ricky Williams, Darren McFadden, and Colt McCoy. Cam Newton took home the honors in 2010.

The 2011 watch list, consisting of 40 players, can be perused on the Foundation website, and contains scant few surprises. There are the national frontrunners replete with hype, earned and unearned: Matt Barkley, Justin Blackmon, Vontaze Burfict, Tank Carder, Michael Floyd, Robert Griffin, LaMichael James, Landry Jones, Andrew Luck, Kellen Moore, Brandon Weeden. There are the mid-majors with pinball numbers being thrown a bone by national watchdog outlets: Chandler Harnish, Case Keenum, Bryant Moniz. There are three big-program sophomores listed: Marcus Lattimore of South Carolina, Aaron Murray of Georgia, and James White of Wisconsin -- and one true hipster pick, sophomore running back Ronnie Hillman of San Diego State. Our money's on him, because he's so underground.