Another day (hour?), another award paring down its field of players eligible to win this year’s honor.
The latest to do as much is the Outland Trophy, with the award that is handed out annually to the nation’s top interior lineman on either side of the ball announcing the eight semifinalists for this year’s honor. Headlining the most recent group is Houston’s Ed Oliver, who was the 2017 Outland winner.
Top-ranked Alabama (offensive tackle Jonah Williams, nose guard Quinnen Williams) and second-ranked Clemson (offensive tackle Mitch Hyatt, defensive tackle Christian Wilkins) accounted for half of the eight semifinalists. The other three semifinalists not already mentioned are North Carolina State center Garrett Bradbury, Wisconsin guard Michael Deiter and Oklahoma guard Ben Powers.
Next week, this group of eight semifinalists will be pared down to three finalists. The winner of the 2018 Outland Trophy will be announced during the Home Depot College Football Awards show on ESPN in early December.