Award predictions: Who will -- and should -- win?

The 2022 play was chock afloat of superb performances connected immoderate of the biggest stages, from Caleb Williams helping alteration USC into a playoff contender to Blake Corum's 8 consecutive 100-yard games successful helping Michigan triumph back-to-back Big Ten titles to Marvin Harrison Jr.'s emergence arsenic arguably the country's astir breathtaking receiver.

They'll beryllium among the stars connected manus for the Home Depot College Football Awards connected Thursday (7 p.m. ET connected ESPN/ESPN App) arsenic the apical players are honored and galore of the country's astir prestigious awards are handed out.

Here are our picks for who should -- and who volition -- prime up immoderate prized hardware Thursday.

Chuck Bednarik Award (defensive subordinate of the year)

Finalists: Will Anderson Jr., Alabama; Ivan Pace Jr., Cincinnati; Tuli Tuipulotu, USC

Who should win: Anderson. The Alabama borderline rusher had 51 tackles, 17 going for a loss, 10 sacks and 12 QB hurries -- each of which counted arsenic thing of a down twelvemonth by his standards. There's nary defender successful the state much feared -- and much productive -- than Anderson.

Who volition win: Anderson

Biletnikoff Award (outstanding receiver)

Finalists: Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State; Xavier Hutchinson, Iowa State; Jalin Hyatt, Tennessee

Who should win: Harrison. With a fig of Ohio State's cardinal accomplishment presumption players injured, Harrison blossomed into the astir formidable pass-catcher successful the state this season. His 1,157 receiving yards were 2nd astir successful the Big Ten, his 12 receiving TDs tied for the nationalist lead, and helium was Pro Football Focus' highest-graded receiver successful the nation. For the season, Harrison had conscionable 2 drops and reeled successful 56% of his contested catches, the second-best complaint successful the nation.

Who volition win: Harrison

Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award (outstanding place-kicker)

Finalists: Christopher Dunn, NC State; Joshua Karty, Stanford; Jake Moody, Michigan

Who should win: Dunn successful a adjacent one. While Karty didn't miss a field-goal effort this season, helium had 7 less attempts than Dunn, who was besides cleanable connected PATs (while Karty was 24-of-25). Dunn connected connected 24 tract goals, was 10-of-11 beyond 40 and deed connected some of his attempts of 50 yards oregon more.

Who volition win: Dunn

Ray Guy Award (punter of the year)

Finalists: Mason Fletcher, Cincinnati; Bryce Baringer, Michigan State; Adam Korsak, Rutgers

Who should win: South Carolina's Kai Kroeger wasn't a finalist, but he's apt to apical plentifulness of All-America lists aft starring the state with 51.9% of his punts downed wrong the opponent's 20-yard enactment and 25% wrong the 10.

Who volition win: Baringer. This grant tends to travel down to the header numbers, and Baringer has a grip connected those. He led the federation with an mean of 49 yards per punt and 45.7 net.

Maxwell Award (college subordinate of the year)

Finalists: C.J. Stroud, Ohio State; Hendon Hooker, Tennessee; Caleb Williams, USC

Who should win: Hooker. Perhaps this is simply a accidental for a constitution telephone for snubbing Hooker arsenic a Heisman Trophy finalist, but the information is, until his injury, helium was intelligibly the champion subordinate successful the country. His 89.4 Total QBR is up of Stroud (87.7) and Williams (86.5), and his 27-to-2 touchdown-to-interception ratio is tops successful the country. More importantly, helium wholly elevated Tennessee shot this season, putting the Vols wrong striking region of a playoff bid earlier getting wounded successful the penultimate crippled of the regular play against South Carolina.

Who volition win: Williams. He finished 3rd nationally successful full yards and archetypal successful touchdowns portion turning the shot implicit conscionable 4 times. That's a beauteous elemental lawsuit to make.

Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award (best quarterback)

Finalists: Max Duggan, TCU; CJ Stroud, Ohio State; Caleb Williams, USC

Who should win: Williams. How adjacent are the numbers betwixt Stroud and Williams? Stroud completed 66.2% of his throws. Williams completed 66.1%. Stroud threw 37 touchdowns. So did Williams. Stroud averaged 9.4 yards per pass. Williams averaged 9.1. Stroud had 7 turnovers. Williams had five. But the flimsy borderline goes to Williams, who did much with his legs and dealt with a overmuch little accordant violative enactment (29 sacks compared with conscionable 8 for Stroud).

Who volition win: Williams

Outland Trophy (most outstanding interior lineman)

Finalists: Calijah Kancey, Pittsburgh; Olusegun Oluwatimi, Michigan; Peter Skoronski, Northwestern

Who should win: Kancey. The ACC's antiaircraft subordinate of the twelvemonth was an implicit monster connected the interior of Pitt's antiaircraft enactment successful 2022. Kancey racked up 7 sacks and 14 tackles for nonaccomplishment portion adding 10 QB hurries connected the season. He was the second-best Power 5 interior lineman, according to Pro Football Focus, aft Georgia's Jalen Carter, who missed aggregate games. While it's intolerable to straight comparison Kancey's show with 2 violative linemen, his enactment was awfully reminiscent of different Pitt large -- Aaron Donald. And if a subordinate is drafting those comparisons, it's casual capable to spot wherefore helium mightiness triumph the Outland Trophy, conscionable arsenic Donald did successful 2013.

Who volition win: Kancey

Paycom Jim Thorpe Award (best antiaircraft back)

Finalists: Tre'Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, TCU; Clark Phillips III, Utah; Devon Witherspoon, Illinois

Who should win: Witherspoon. Yes, Phillips is among the astir awesome players successful the country, and his six interceptions volition crook heads with voters, but connected a down-for-down basis, Witherspoon has the edge. He was the top-graded Power 5 corner, according to Pro Football Focus, allowing conscionable 16 completions connected 54 targets -- with nary going for touchdowns. He bested Phillips successful yards allowed per sum snap, yards per people and contested targets. And portion Phillips did person a chiseled borderline successful INTs (six to three), Witherspoon added different 14 walk breakups to Phillips' six.

Who volition win: Phillips. Hey, interceptions look large connected a container score, and the information is, Phillips genuinely is among the champion players successful the state -- adjacent if Witherspoon's stat enactment was a tad better.

Doak Walker Award (premier moving back)

Finalists: Chase Brown, Illinois; Blake Corum, Michigan; Bijan Robinson, Texas

Who should win: Robinson. Playing down either a freshman oregon backup QB each season, Robinson was the focal constituent of each defence Texas faced, and helium inactive finished the play with 1,580 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns. His 1,894 scrimmage yards led the nation, and his 20 full touchdowns ranked 2nd down Pitt's Israel Abanikanda. Robinson besides finished the play arsenic the hottest subordinate successful the country, topping 100 yards connected the crushed successful 9 of his past 10 games, including much than 200 twice.

Who volition win: Corum. Robinson mightiness borderline him retired aft Corum was injured precocious successful the Nov. 19 triumph implicit Illinois, but for the archetypal 10 games of the season, Corum was the clear-cut apical backmost successful the state and a Heisman contender. He inactive finished with 1,463 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns -- numbers comparable to Robinson -- and voters mightiness forgive the late-season lack to reward the subordinate who carried his squad the furthest. That's intelligibly Corum.

John Mackey Award (outstanding choky end)

Finalists: Brock Bowers, Georgia; Michael Mayer, Notre Dame; Sam LaPorta, Iowa

Who should win: Mayer. He was the constituent antheral successful Notre Dame's discourtesy this season, and helium delivered immense results. Mayer was 2nd nationally among choky ends successful catches (67), yards (809) and yards per way (2.57), and helium led each choky ends with 9 touchdown grabs and 20 contested catches. But what sets him isolated from Bowers and others is his awesome blocking. He blocked connected 417 snaps this play and missed conscionable 2 of them.

Who volition win: Mayer

Rimington Trophy (outstanding center)

Finalists: Olusegun Oluwatimi, Michigan; John Michael Schmitz, Minnesota; Brett Neilon, USC

Who should win: Oluwatimi. The Virginia transportation blossomed arsenic the person of Michigan's violative enactment this season, allowing conscionable 2 pressures and nary sacks portion missing conscionable a fistful of blocks connected the year. Oluwatimi blocked for 1 of the astir effectual crushed games successful the federation and kept QB J.J. McCarthy successful a cleanable pouch routinely. The effect was a 2nd consecutive Big Ten rubric for the Wolverines.

Who volition win: Oluwatimi