While the Heisman Trophy remains the biggest prize in the game, college football has numerous other awards that will be up for grabs heading into December. One such award is the Davey O'Brien Award, which is "presented annually to the nation's best college quarterback."
The O'Brien National Selection Committee has compiled a list of 16 semfinalists, which will eventually be narrowed down to three finalists on November 21. The winner will be announced on December 8 on ESPN's Home Depot College Awards Show. Fans can actually vote on the award and the fan vote will account for 5% of the final total vote.
The list of semifinalists includes:
Matt Barkley, JR, USC, Pac-12
Tajh Boyd, SO, Clemson, ACC
Kirk Cousins, SR, Michigan State, Big Ten
Seth Doege, JR, Texas Tech, Big 12
Robert Griffin III, JR, Baylor, Big 12
Landry Jones, JR, Oklahoma, Big 12
Case Keenum, SR, Houston, C-USA
Andrew Luck, SR, Stanford, Pac-12
Kellen Moore, SR, Boise St., MWC
Keith Price, SO, Washington, Pac-12
Denard Robinson, JR, Michigan, Big Ten
Ryan Tannehill, SR, Texas A&M, Big 12
Darron Thomas, JR, Oregon, Pac-12
Brandon Weeden, SR, Oklahoma State, Big 12
Russell Wilson, SR, Wisconsin, Big Ten
Tyler Wilson, JR, Arkanasas, SEC
There are no real surprises on the list. As it currently stands, the favorites for the award include Andrew Luck, Russell Wilson, Landry Jones, Robert Griffin III, and Kellen Moore. Case Keenum is a bit of a dark horse due to his crazy numbers, but he is fighting a bit of an uphill battle for the award.
Luck is arguably the highest profile candidate, but he will be facing quarterbacks with some significant numbers. Robert Griffin III leads the nation in QB rating, Case Keenum and Landry Jones are at the top in passing yards, and Kellen Moore is up top in touchdowns. This is one of the more intriguing years at the quarterback position, which should also make the 2012 NFL Draft interesting as teams try and figure out which player is going to be their franchise QB.