We’ re past the halfway point of the 2012 season, so you know what that means, right?
That’d be correct. The ever-popular and always-illuminating release of semifinalists for awards that you may or may not care about. One of the first to release such a list? The Davey O’Brien Award, given annually to the top quarterback in the country.
There are, as always, 16 QBs on the midseason list, including a handful of players who a year ago were in the same position — Matt Barkley (USC), Tajh Boyd (Clemson), Seth Doege (Texas Tech), Landry Jones (Oklahoma) and Denard Robinson (Michigan). And why Arizona State’s Taylor Kelly (no relation) or ULM’s Kolton Browning or Ohio’s Tyler Tettleton or Marshall’s Rakeem Cato or a handful of others weren’t selected over the likes of Jones and Robinson is a mystery to me as well.
It should be noted that, aside from Louisiana Tech’s Colby Cameron, every other O’Brien semifinalist hails from a “BcS” conference, which pretty much answers the rhetorical question in the previous paragraph as most of these awards suffer from an acute case of Big Six nearsightedness.
Anyway, below is the complete list of O’Brien 2012 semifinalists.
Matt Barkley, USC, Pac-12
Tajh Boyd, Clemson, ACC
Teddy Bridgewater, Louisville, Big East
Colby Cameron, Louisiana Tech, WAC
Seth Doege, Texas Tech, Big 12
Nick Florence, Baylor, Big 12
Landry Jones, Oklahoma, Big 12
Collin Klein, Kansas State, Big 12
EJ Manuel, Florida State, ACC
Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M, SEC
Marcus Mariota, Oregon, Pac-12
AJ McCarron, Alabama, SEC
Braxton Miller, Ohio State, Big Ten
Aaron Murray, Georgia, SEC
Denard Robinson, Michigan, Big Ten
Geno Smith, West Virginia, Big 12