Awards Season

The major awards (except the Heisman, duh) will be given out tonight; you can catch them at 7pm on ESPN. But, before the "pros" make their picks, I'd like to get my two cents out there for the whole world to see.

UPDATE: Well, it was a pretty predictable night, I guess, as only a couple awards went another way.

Bednarik - Ndomakung Suh. He's already won the '09 Nagurski and may as well win the Bednarik, too.

Biletnikoff - Jordan Shipley. If Tate wins, it's not a steal, as he's been very good. However, Jordan Shipley has seemed more consistent the whole season, hauling in over 100 catches. He might not have the TD's, but he's got the hands and the moves down field.
Winner: Golden Tate. Fair enough; he did break records at an historic program.

Outland - Ndomakung Suh. While on the defensive side, he's still the best interior lineman and deserves the clean sweep. Okung's good, but there were more deserving guys out there. And, I'm not to ashamed to admit: I never saw Iupati play; we don't get a lot of Idaho games here in GA.

O'Brien - Colt McCoy. Of the 3 finalists, I would give it to the guy who owns the wins record. Not that I'm thrilled calling for a kid who almost threw his team's whole season away because he didn't know the out-of-bounds pass rule.

Butkus - Rolando McClain. Hardhits, quick pursuit, and leadership have defined McClain's season. He's a natural captain behind the line, and often calls more (and better) adjustments and audibles than opposing QB's.

Thorpe - Eric Berry. He got robbed last year, so let's hope the judges make the right decision this go round. No one owns a defensive backfield like Eric Berry - especially laying down linebacker hits and sacks in Monte's new defensive system.

Walker - Toby Gerhart. Let's face it: he won't win the Heisman. He should, but he won't. Let's not Mark Ingram rob him twice - c'mon guys, give it to Toby!

Guy - Drew Butler. Am I a Georgia fan? Yes. But this is not homerism. Drew Butler leads to nation in ypp (48.5) and pinned opponents inside the 20 a remarkable 17 times.

Groza - Leigh (isn't that a girl's name?) Tiffin. I wish I could call for the UGA sweep in the kick game and pick Walsh, but Tiffin's been more clutch. Now, after a Fabris-free season in '10, let's see what happens...
Winner - Kai Forbath. Great numbers, but who was keeping an eye on UCLA?

Coach of the Year: Al Golden, Temple. 9-3 and a bowl game...at Temple? That takes coaching, son. Mad props to Kelly and Saban, but in all fairness, he had a stocked cupboard.
Winner - Brian Kelly. He probably deserved it more last year with his cobbled together, 5th QB on the depth chart, finding a halfback approach to 10 wins. I mean, c'mon, Golden's at Temple, for fuck's sake!

I'll update with actual winner and my take once the awards are all given out.

UPDATE 2: I guess it's also worth noting that McCoy took home the Maxwell Award, as well. Congrats, Colt.