2011 College Football Awards: Results, Winners and Analysis

While it may not quite be the Heisman Trophy, all of college football's other prestigious awards will be handed out on Thursday night, Dec. 8, at 9 p.m. EDT on ESPN. Although it doesn't always hold true, the winners of these awards could tell us a lot about the Heisman race.

Essentially every award looks to be tightly contested by two or more candidates, making the show must-see television. While we may not remember the winners of these awards for decades to come like we do Heisman winners, it is nice for the sport's best players to be recognized.

Here are the finalists for each college football award to be handed out tonight, and predictions on what players will ultimately walk out with the hardware.

Chuck Bednarik Award (College Defensive Player of the Year)

Dont’a Hightower, Alabama

Tyrann Mathieu, LSU

Devon Still, Penn State

Prediction

While none of the Bednarik Award candidates may have put up eye-popping numbers, each was the respective leader of their devastating defense this season. I think Penn State defensive tackle Devon Still is eliminated from contention due to the Nittany Lions' late-season collapse.

Then it comes down to two BCS National Championship Game combatants in Alabama linebacker Dont'a Hightower and LSU cornerback Tyrann Mathieu. While Mathieu's special teams prowess won't come into play here, he did it all for an LSU secondary that was the best in the nation. I also believe his Heisman candidacy will give the "Honey Badger" an edge here as well.

Biletnikoff Award (Nation’s Most Outstanding Receiver)

Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State

Ryan Broyles, Oklahoma

Robert Woods, USC

Prediction

While all three candidates for the Biletnikoff Award have had excellent seasons, I think the result is fairly cut and dry. Oklahoma wide receiver Ryan Broyles put up some fantastic numbers this season, but a late-season injury disqualifies him in my mind.

USC wide receiver Robert Woods was perhaps the biggest reason for the advancement of Matt Barkley, but his numbers fall just short of matching those of reigning Biletnikoff winner Justin Blackmon of Oklahoma State. Not only did Blackmon reel in 113 passes for 1,336 yards and 15 scores, but the Cowboys finished the regular season as the nation's No. 3-ranked team.

Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award (Nation’s Most Outstanding Placekicker)

Randy Bullock, Texas A&M

Dustin Hopkins, Florida State

Caleb Sturgis, Florida

Prediction

One of the more underrated aspects of college football is placekicking, just ask Boise State, which has had perfect seasons ruined in consecutive seasons due to missed field goals. That is something that hasn't been a problem for Texas A&M, Florida State and Florida this season, however, as their kickers are up for the Lou Groza Award.

This is probably one of the tightest races, but based purely off numbers and overall body of work, the award has to go to Texas A&M senior Randy Bullock. Not only did Bullock bang through over 86 percent of his field goals, but he blew his counterparts away with 127 total points, just one short of the all-time Aggie record.

Ray Guy Award (Nation’s Most Outstanding Punter)

Ryan Allen, Louisiana Tech

Steven Clark, Auburn

Jackson Rice, Oregon

Prediction

Like the Lou Groza Award, the Ray Guy Award for the nation's top punter is a tough race to call as well. All three finalists were major weapons for their respective teams throughout the season, although I do believe there is one who has a slight advantage.

Although Auburn's Steven Clark was often masterful in pinning opponents in side the 20, his low average will likely hurt him. Oregon's Jackson Rice had a high average, but didn't have to punt a great deal thanks to the Ducks' explosive offense. That makes Louisiana Tech's Ryan Allen the winner in my mind as he punted an incredible 78 times and still maintained an average over 46 yards per kick.

John Mackey Award (Nation’s Most Outstanding Tight End)

Dwayne Allen, Clemson

Orson Charles, Georgia

Tyler Eifert, Notre Dame

Prediction

Although there were very few major contributors at the tight end position this season in college football compared to recent years, there is a solid crop of finalists for the John Mackey Award. It looks to be a very close race between Clemson's Dwayne Allen and Notre Dame's Tyler Eifert.

Allen gets Eifert when it comes to scoring as he reached pay dirt eight times, but Eifert was ultimately a bigger overall part of his offense. Eifert reeled in 57 passes for 713 yards and five scores, and he improved markedly from his sophomore season, making him the right choice.

Maxwell Award (College Player of the Year)

Andrew Luck, Stanford

Kellen Moore, Boise State

Trent Richardson, Alabama

Prediction

Although it may not quite measure up to the Heisman Trophy, there is no question that winning the Maxwell Award as the college player of the year is a major honor. There is a fantastic group of finalists this season, including Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore, and two Heisman candidates in Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck and Alabama running back Trent Richardson.

Due to the fact that Boise State didn't go undefeated, I think this award will boil down to Luck and Richardson. Both put up fantastic numbers at their respective positions, but Richardson seemed to be the front-runner for the Heisman for much of the season, and he is also playing for a team in the BCS National Championship Game, meaning I think he has the slight edge over Luck.

Bronko Nagurski Trophy (Nation’s Best Defensive Player)

Mark Barron, Alabama

Morris Claiborne, LSU

Luke Kuechly, Boston College

Whitney Mercilus, Illinois

Devon Still, Penn State

Prediction

Choosing the nation's best defensive player is certainly no easy task as there are several very strong candidates for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy. With that said, I believe that Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly has an advantage over his counterparts as he has already reeled in the Lombardi and Butkus Awards this season.

Defensive backs Mark Barron and Morris Claiborne seem likely to cancel each other out, while Penn State defensive tackle Devon Still doesn't have the impact numbers you look for. Illinois defensive end Whitney Mercilus led the nation in sacks and forced fumbles, but Kuechly simply takes the cake with his 191 tackles and impressive leadership of Boston College's defense.

Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award (Nation’s Best Quarterback)

Robert Griffin III, Baylor

Case Keenum, Houston

Andrew Luck, Stanford

Prediction

When it comes to football, quarterback play is almost always at the forefront. There were tons of excellent performances by quarterbacks in college football this season, but Baylor's Robert Griffin III, Houston's Case Keenum and Stanford's Andrew Luck certainly turned in the best overall statistical seasons at the position.

This award is a bit tricky as Griffin is the Heisman favorite in my eyes thanks to his 4,000 passing yards and 45 touchdowns. I see this award going to more of a traditional signal-caller, however, since it is an award tailor-made for quarterbacks. Because of that, I think the award will go to Luck, which is hard to argue with as he completed an insane 70 percent of his passes once again this season.

Outland Trophy (Nation’s Most Outstanding Interior Lineman)

David DeCastro, Stanford

Barrett Jones, Alabama

Devon Still, Penn State

Prediction

The Outland Trophy is always an interesting one as it takes both offensive and defensive players into account for the nation's most outstanding interior lineman. Penn State defensive tackle Devon Still probably has the edge statistically because there isn't really a concrete way to understand how good offensive linemen David DeCastro and Barrett Jones were this season.

This is more of a hunch than anything, but I ultimately believe Alabama offensive lineman Barrett Jones will walk away with the award. Not only did he help pave the way for one of the nation's leading rushers in Trent Richardson, but he proved to be very versatile by playing every offensive line position, and his team will be playing for the BCS National Championship.

Jim Thorpe Award (Nation’s Most Outstanding Defensive Back)

David Amerson, NC State

Mark Barron, Alabama

Morris Claiborne, LSU

Prediction

If the Jim Thorpe Award was simply about statistics, then NC State cornerback David Amerson would run away with the honors this season as he intercepted an incredible 11 passes this season. This award goes to the most outstanding defensive back, however, and being outstanding doesn't always equate to interceptions.

In a way, you can say that the only reason Amerson accrued so many picks was because he was thrown at often, and that is the way I feel. Overall, LSU's Morris Claiborne and Alabama's Mark Barron are much more complete and feared defensive backs. I would give the nod to Claiborne as he was a key cog in the nation's best secondary and also had numbers to back it up.

Doak Walker Award (Nation’s Most Outstanding Running Back)

Montee Ball, Wisconsin

LaMichael James, Oregon

Trent Richardson, Alabama

Prediction

Of all the awards, the Doak Walker Award given to the nation's most outstanding running back may be the most star studded. Last year's winner was Oregon back LaMichael James, and while he put up phenomenal numbers this season with over 1,800 all-purpose yards and 18 total touchdowns, I don't think he stands much of a chance.

Just as it may be the case in the Heisman Trophy voting, I think this award comes down to Alabama's Trent Richardson and Wisconsin's Montee Ball. While Richardson has had more hype over the course of the season and plays on the more successful team, it is too tough to ignore Ball's 1,700 rushing yards and 38 total touchdowns as he will secure Doak Walker honors.