Maxwell Award and Bednarik Award Watch Lists released

Watch list has arrived in college football. The annual individual awards given at the end of the season will be rolling out their initial lists over the next couple weeks, and college football fans get their first round of debatable distinctions for 2012.

On Monday, the Maxwell Football Club released the official watch lists for the Maxwell Award and the Bednarik Award. The group is responsible for both awards, the Maxwell given to "America's outstanding college football player" and the Bednarik presented to the nation's top defensive player.

Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck was named the Maxwell Award Winner in 2011. LSU cornerback Tyrann Mathieu won the Bednarik last season, and becomes only the third player since 1995 to return with a chance to defend his title.

Check out the full watch lists below, along with the conference and position breakdowns.



Maxwell Award Watch List by Conference
Pac-12 - 14
SEC - 13
Big 12 - 11
ACC - 8
Big Ten - 8
Big East - 3
Independent - 3
Mountain West - 2
Conference USA - 2

Maxwell Award Watch List by Position
30 Running Backs
23 Quarterbacks
11 Wide Receivers
1 Tight End


Bednarik Award Watch List by Conference
SEC - 15
Big Ten - 14
Big 12 - 11
ACC - 10
Pac-12 - 9
Big East - 4
Conference USA - 1
Independent - 1

Bednarik Award Watch List by Position
20 Linebackers
17 Cornerbacks
14 Defensive Ends
8 Defensive Tackles
6 Safeties

Remember, names can be added and will be taken off these award lists as the season progresses. But still feel free to let us know your feelings on the list in the comment section below. We can't prove or disprove a player's candidacy, but we can at least argue about it - right?

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