2017 College Football Awards

There was a College Football Awards event in advance of last Saturday's Heisman Trophy presentation. The other awards have always been in the shadow of the Heisman. So much so that the big trophy has always been it's own event. That should change. The attention paid to the Heisman presentation is fading to the point that it might be best if there's one big Awards night.

As for the 2017 College Football Awards, Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield took home the Heisman Trophy on Saturday. That simply added to his award haul of two nights before.

Award	Category	2017 Winner
Maxwell Award	Player of the Year	Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma
Walter Camp Award	Player of the Year	Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma
Home Depot Award	Coach of the Year	Scott Frost, UCF
Jim Thorpe Award	Best Defensive Back	Minkah Fitzpatrick, Alabama
Davey O'Brien Award	Best Quarterback	Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma
Rimmington Award	Best Center	Billy Price, Ohio St.
Lou Groza Award	Best Placekicker	Matt Gay, Utah
Butkus Award	Best Linebacker	Roquan Smith, Georgia
Doak Walker Award	Best Running Back	Bryce Love, Stanford
Biletnikoff Award	Best Wide Receiver	James Washington, Ok. St.
John Mackey Award	Best Tight End	Mark Andrews, Oklahoma
Outland Trophy	Best Interior Lineman	Ed Oliver, Clemson
Ray Guy Award	Best Punter	Michael Dickson, Texas
Bednarik Award	Defensive Player of the Year	Minkah Fitzpatrick, Alabama
Nagurski Award	Defensive Player of the Year	Bradley Chubb, NC St.
Disney Spirit Award	Most Inspirational	Iowa Children's Hospital
William V. Campbell Trophy	Academic Heisman	Michah Kiser, Virginia
Wuerffel Trophy	Community Service	Courtney Love, Kentucky
Broyles Award	Best Assistant Coach	Tony Elliott, Clemson

The Maxwell Award is a year younger than the Heisman and never as prestigious. The Walter Camp Award is much younger than both. All three are terrific but all three single out a player for the same thing. It's quite redundant. Baker Mayfield took home each trophy. Throw in the Davey O'Brien Award for Best Quarterback and Mayfield ran for more yardage dashing to the podium than he did dashing for first downs on the football field.

It's great to see the Disney Spirit Award recognize Iowa Children's Hospital. The hospital's relationship with the Iowa football team is beautiful. The in-game recognition of the children at the hospital moves to the top of the long list of traditions that make college football so great. It's enough to make me wish that every Hawkeye game was played at Kinnick Stadium.

If I could pluck one of the above trophy-winners and immediately place him in the lineup of the Minnesota Vikings that player would be Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver. He could probably play in the NFL right now and he's only a sophomore.

Home Depot Award? Now postseason college football awards are tagged with a sponsorship deal. To me, this should be the Eddie Robinson Award.

Courtney Love? It couldn't have been easy to grow up with that name.

Congratulations to all of the award winners.