by Kevin Trahan (@k_trahan)
Getting past the obvious point that college football award watch lists are entirely meaningless — what watch list was Cam Newton on in 2010? — they're a fun way to see who is considered the cream of the crop heading into the season and they give recognition to a (very large) group of top players who they see fit.
Being on the watch list isn't a prerequisite for winning an award, so don't go yelling at the Davey O'Brien award committee for leaving off Kain Colter — Colter can, in theory, still win. However, being on the watch list also doesn't mean a player has any inside track any certain award. Only three NU players made watch lists, and it's a little surprising no receivers made the Biletnikoff watch list — though Kyle Prater likely would have made it if they had known that the time he would be eligible. However, if they perform on the field, that won't matter.
So now that you know how absolutely meaningless and completely "in fun" these things are, check out which NU players made watch lists in 2012.
Venric Mark: Hornung Award (Most Versatile Player)