#1 Student Section for the 3rd year in a row
By Editorial Staff
Ninth Annual Herbie Awards
By Kirk Herbstreit
ESPN.com
With the season’s kickoff just days away, it’s time to step back and celebrate the players, coaches, color and pageantry of college football. Who are the players to know? Where are the places to be? The ninth annual Herbie Awards presentation answers those questions and more.This list tackles the top playmakers, the defensive difference-makers, the fresh faces on the scene, the student sections that roar and everything else that’s great about college football. Herbies are given to the best college football players, coaches, teams and fans across the nation. Also, this is just my list. These are my choices, and not everyone will agree. That’s the beauty of it. Let the second-guessing begin.So, without further ado, here are the ninth annual Herbie Awards:
BORN TO RUN: BEST RUNNING BACKS
 Jahvid Best has his eyes on a Herbie Award. |
(Photo by Daniel R. Harris/Icon SMI)
1. Jahvid Best, California
2. Jonathan Dwyer, Georgia Tech
3. DeMarco Murray, Oklahoma
4. Jacquizz Rodgers, Oregon State
5. C.J. Spiller, Clemson
6. Kendall Hunter, Oklahoma State
OFF AND RUNNING: READY TO TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL
1. Toby Gerhart, Stanford 2. Dexter McCluster, Ole Miss 3. Damion Fletcher, Southern Miss 4. LeGarrette Blount, Oregon 5. Michael Smith, Arkansas 6. Nic Grigsby, Arizona  Toby Gerhart will have Cardinal foes seeing red. |
(Photo by Daniel R. Harris/Icon SMI)
CATCH A RISING STAR: TOP WIDE RECEIVERS
 Defenses will handle Dez Bryant with care in 2009. |
(Photo by Scott Wachter/Icon SMI)
1. Dez Bryant, Oklahoma State
2. Julio Jones, Alabama
3. A.J. Green, Georgia
4. Damian Williams, USC
5. Arrelious Benn, Illinois
6. Jordan Shipley, Texas
7. Golden Tate, Notre Dame
8. Mardy Gilyard, Cincinnati
THE HOGMOLLIES: BEST IN THE TRENCHES
C – Kristofer O’Dowd, USC G – Sergio Render, Virginia Tech G – Rodney Hudson, Florida State T – Ciron Black, LSU T – Russell Okung, Oklahoma State  USC’s Kristofer O’Dowd is the center of attention. |
(Photo by Jeff Golden/Getty Images)
END GAME: TOP TIGHT ENDS
 Catching Jermaine Gresham won’t be easy in ’09. |
(Photo by Todd Kirkland/Icon SMI)
1. Jermaine Gresham, Oklahoma
2. Aaron Hernandez, Florida
3. Kyle Rudolph, Notre Dame
4. Rob Gronkowski, Arizona
5. Ed Dickson, Oregon
6. Dennis Pitta, BYU
7. D.J. Williams, Arkansas
QUARTERBACKS: POCKET PRESENCE
1. Sam Bradford, Oklahoma 2. Jevan Snead, Ole Miss 3. Jimmy Clausen, Notre Dame 4. Max Hall, BYU 5. Ryan Mallett, Arkansas 6. Colin Kaepernick, Nevada 7. Tim Hiller, Western Michigan  Will Sam Bradford make another Heisman connection? |
(Photo by Todd Kirkland/Icon SMI)
QUARTERBACKS: DUAL THREAT
 Tim Tebow’s focused on another title run. |
(Photo by Todd Kirkland/Icon SMI)
1. Tim Tebow, Florida
2. Colt McCoy, Texas
3. Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State
4. Zac Robinson, Oklahoma State
5. Robert Griffin III, Baylor
6. Jake Locker, Washington
7. Todd Reesing, Kansas
ANTICIPATION: TOP FIRST-YEAR QB STARTERS
1. Greg McElroy, Alabama 2. Kyle Parker, Clemson 3. Matt Barkley, USC 4. Zac Lee, Nebraska 5. Jacory Harris, Miami 6. Jarrett Brown, West Virginia  Greg McElroy’s ready for his turn with the Tide. |
(Photo by Doug Benc/Getty Images)
OFF THE EDGE: BEST DEFENSIVE ENDS
 Carlos Dunlap will have his eyes on QBs this fall. |
(Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
1. Carlos Dunlap, Florida
2. Greg Hardy, Ole Miss
3. Jeremy Beal, Oklahoma
4. Sergio Kindle, Texas
5. Everson Griffen, USC
6. Rahim Alem, LSU
NOWHERE TO RUN: TOP DEFENSIVE TACKLES
1. Gerald McCoy, Oklahoma 2. Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska 3. Terrence Cody, Alabama 4. Jared Odrick, Penn State 5. Geno Atkins, Georgia  Look for Gerald McCoy to be a destructive force. |
(Photo by June Frantz-Hunt/Icon SMI)
INSIDE EDITION: TOP INSIDE LINEBACKERS
 Brandon Spikes has the inside track for a Herbie. |
(Photo by Tim Larson/Icon SMI)
1. Brandon Spikes, Florida
2. Rolando McClain, Alabama
3. Sean Lee, Penn State
4. Ryan Reynolds, Oklahoma
5. Reggie Carter, UCLA
OUTSIDE EDGE: BEST OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS
1. Rennie Curran, Georgia 2. Navorro Bowman, Penn State 3. Travis Lewis, Oklahoma 4. Sean Weatherspoon, Missouri 5. Sean Spence, Miami 6. Eric Norwood, South Carolina  Rennie Curran is the top dog at outside linebacker. |
(Photo by Brad Schloss/Icon SMI)
CORNERING THE MARKET: TOP CORNERBACKS
 Joe Haden has things covered for the Gators. |
(Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
1. Joe Haden, Florida
2. Syd’Quan Thompson, California
3. Trevard Lindley, Kentucky
4. Myron Lewis, Vanderbilt
5. Alterraun Verner, UCLA
6. Patrick Peterson, LSU
SAFETY DANCE: NATION’S BEST SAFETIES
1a. Eric Berry, Tennessee 1b. Taylor Mays, USC 3. Morgan Burnett, Georgia Tech 4. Bo McNally, Stanford 5. Chad Jones, LSU  Taylor Mays and Eric Berry share a Herbie. |
(Photo by Getty Images)
RETURN ENGAGEMENT: TOP RETURN MEN
 The final returns have Brandon James on top. |
(Photo by Marc Serota/Getty Images)
1. Brandon James, Florida
2. Dez Bryant, Oklahoma State
3. Javier Arenas, Alabama
4. Syd’Quan Thompson, California
5. C.J. Spiller, Clemson
FRESH APPROACH: TOP TRUE FRESHMEN
1. Matt Barkley, USC 2. Manti Te’o, Notre Dame 3. Trent Richardson, Alabama 4. Tate Forcier, Michigan 5. Jelani Jenkins, Florida 6. Marlon Brown, Georgia 7. Bryce Brown, Tennessee 8. Alex Okafor, Texas 9. Rueben Randle, LSU 10. Jonathan Bostic, Florida  Matt Barkley will have a leading role in L.A. in ’09. |
(Photo by Kirby Lee/Image of Sport/US Presswire)
REMEMBER ME: HOUSEHOLD NAMES BY THE END OF SEPTEMBER
 Mark Ingram will help the Tide roll this season. |
(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
1. Mark Ingram, Alabama
2. Richard Samuel, Georgia
3. Jason Worilds, Virginia Tech
4. Thaddeus Gibson, Ohio State
5. Russell Wilson, NC State
6. David Ausberry, USC
7. Jewel Hampton, Iowa
8. David Nelson, Florida
9. Detron Lewis, Texas Tech
10. Jarrett Brown, West Virginia
RODNEY DANGERFIELDS: PLAYERS WHO DON’T GET ENOUGH RESPECT
1. Aaron Hernandez, Florida 2. Kerry Meier, Kansas 3. Chris Brown, Oklahoma 4. Josh Pinkard, USC 5. Evan Royster, Penn State 6. Josh Nesbitt, Georgia Tech  No way the Herbies would overlook Aaron Hernandez. |
(Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)
TEAMS ON THE MOVE
| Movin’ On Up | Headin’ On Down |
|---|---|
| 1. LSU Tigers | 1. Missouri Tigers |
| 2. Notre Dame Fighting Irish | 2. Cincinnati Bearcats |
| 3. Clemson Tigers | 3. Connecticut Huskies |
| 4. UCLA Bruins | 4. Northwestern Wildcats |
| 5. Arkansas Razorbacks | 5. Boston College Eagles |
| 6. Michigan Wolverines | 6. Texas Tech Red Raiders |
MARK IT DOWN: CONFERENCE PICKS
| Conference | Champion | Sleeper |
|---|---|---|
| ACC Atlantic | Florida State | NC State |
| ACC Coastal | Georgia Tech | North Carolina |
| ACC champ | Georgia Tech | |
| Big 12 North | Nebraska | Colorado |
| Big 12 South | Texas | Oklahoma State |
| Big 12 champ | Texas | |
| Big East | Rutgers | West Virginia |
| Big Ten | Penn State | Michigan State |
| Pac-10 | USC | UCLA |
| SEC East | Florida | South Carolina |
| SEC West | Alabama | Arkansas |
| SEC champ | Florida | |
| C-USA East | Southern Miss | |
| C-USA West | Houston | |
| C-USA champ | Southern Miss | |
| MAC East | Temple | |
| MAC West | Western Michigan | |
| MAC champ | Western Michigan | |
| MWC | BYU | |
| Sun Belt | Troy | |
| WAC | Boise State |
UP AND COMING ASSISTANTS AND COORDINATORS
 Bryan Harsin directs the Boise State offense. |
(Photo by Brian Losness/US Presswire)
1. Josh Heupel, Oklahoma
2. Justin Wilcox, Boise State
3. Danny Langsdorf, Oregon State
4. Corwin Brown, Notre Dame
5. Bryan Harsin, Boise State
6. Kirby Smart, Alabama
HEAD COACHES IN WAITING
1. Brent Venables, Oklahoma 2. Charlie Strong, Florida 3. Kevin Wilson, Oklahoma 4. Tom Bradley, Penn State 5. Gus Malzahn, Auburn  Brent Venables looks like a future head coach. |
(Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images)
ALL-UNI TEAM: WHAT A COLLEGE TEAM SHOULD LOOK LIKE
| Offensive Team | Defensive Team |
|---|---|
| QB – Jake Locker, Washington | DE – Carlos Dunlap, Florida |
| RB – C.J. Spiller, Clemson | DE – Thaddeus Gibson, Ohio State |
| RB – DeMarco Murray, Oklahoma | DT – Jared Odrick, Penn State |
| RB – Toby Gerhart, Stanford | DT – Gerald McCoy, Oklahoma |
| WR – Arrelious Benn, Illinois (captain) | LB – Rolando McClain, Alabama |
| WR – Mardy Gilyard, Cincinnati | LB – Martez Wilson, Illinois |
| WR – Dez Bryant, Oklahoma State | LB – Quan Sturdivant, North Carolina |
| TE – Jermaine Gresham, Oklahoma | LB – Travis Lewis, Oklahoma |
| C – Stefen Wisniewski, Penn State | CB – Chykie Brown, Texas |
| G – Jeff Byers, USC | CB – Joe Haden, Florida |
| G – Mike Johnson, Alabama | S – Eric Berry, Tennessee |
| T – Trent Williams, Oklahoma | S – Taylor Mays, USC (captain) |
| T – Sam Young, Notre Dame |
STUDENT BODY RIGHT: BEST STUDENT SECTIONS
 Penn State’s student section roars to the top. |
(Photo by Paul Spinelli/Getty Images)
1. Penn State
2. Florida
3. Oregon
4. LSU
5. Wisconsin
6. Ohio State
7. Notre Dame
8. South Carolina
9. Auburn
10. Michigan