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To my fellow Utah fans, I apologize for not writing about this sooner. But, as society has taught me, it's better to be late than to never do it at all.
Over the next two weeks different college football awards will be releasing their preseason watch lists that cover all players that they will be keeping a close eye on throughout the 2012 college football season.
Yes, the countdown clock in the upper right corner is indicating just 48 days remain until the season kicks off against Northern Colorado in the friendly confines of Rice-Eccles, and just thinking about the stadium, the lights and being the first game on the new Pac-12 Network is, well, pretty darn cool.
Here are the watch lists that have already been released:
| Player | Award | Given To | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| **DT Star Lotulelei** | Bednarik Award | Nation's top defensive player | Lotulelei was the Pac-12's best defensive lineman in 2011, making first-team all-conference and winning the league's Morris Award. He has been named a preseason first-team All-American by Phil Steele and Blue Ribbon Football Yearbook and is Blue Ribbon's preseason Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year. Some analysts have projected the 6'4", 325 pound senior as the No. 1 pick in the 2013 NFL draft. |
| Bronko Nagurski Award | Nation's top defensive player | ||
| Outland Trophy | Nation's top interior lineman | ||
| **C Tavita Stevens** | Rimington Trophy | Nation's top center | Stevens, who moved to center last season after two years as a starting offensive guard, has played in all 39 games in his three years at Utah with 36 starts. He is one of 51 members of the Rimington Trophy Watch List, which includes five Pac-12 centers. |
| **P Sean Sellwood** | Bednarik Award | Nation's top punter | Sellwood has been Utah's starting punter since 2009 when he was a Freshman All-American by Rivals.com and Phil Steele. Sellwood ranks in the top five in school history in career 50-yard punts (36), total punts (152) and punt yards (6,562). |
| **RB John White IV** | Maxwell Award | Nation's top player | White, a Heisman candidate, who finished second in the Pac-12 and 11th in the nation in rushing (116.8 yards per game) a year ago as a junior, broke a 29-year-old school record by rushing for 1,519 yards. Second-team all-Pac-12, honorable mention SI.com All-American and the Sun Bowl MVP, White led the league and ranked third in the nation in carries (316) in his first NCAA season. |
Last season, the Pac-12 released a sizzle video regarding the addition of the Utes and Colorado to the conference.
The conference folks are at it again this year, promoting team specific videos on the new Pac-12 Networks. Here is Utah's video:
