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Allstate Sugar Bowl Announces Manning Award Watch List

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

The Manning Award, sponsored by the Allstate Sugar Bowl, published its complete preseason Watch List on Tuesday. The list includes 25 of the top quarterbacks in the nation heading into the 2012 season. The winner will be announced after the bowls in January and will be honored at a ceremony in New Orleans.

The Manning Award was created by the Allstate Sugar Bowl in honor of the college football accomplishments of Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning. It is the only quarterback award that includes the candidates' bowl performances in its balloting.

"This is always an exciting time of year for college football players, coaches and fans," said Archie Manning. "It's a time of great anticipation for the upcoming season and we like to add to that by recognizing some of the best quarterbacks returning to the field. It's always a challenge to limit the numbers on our Watch List, but we want to remind everyone that every quarterback in the country is eligible to win this honor and we can't wait to see how another great year plays out."

This year's Watch List includes players from all eight Football Bowl Subdivision conferences. The Southeastern Conference and the Big 12 lead the way with five honorees, while the Atlantic Coast Conference has four quarterbacks on the list and the Big Ten has three.

"We have had the opportunity to recognize eight outstanding quarterbacks with the Manning Award," said Paul Hoolahan, Allstate Sugar Bowl CEO. "It is truly a great honor for the Allstate Sugar Bowl to sponsor this award and we wish the best of luck to every quarterback and team in the country for another great year of college football."

The preseason Watch List recognizes top quarterbacks in the nation based on previous collegiate performance, however, every quarterback in the nation remains eligible for the honor. Additional quarterbacks may be added to the Watch List after the start of the season. The list of 10 finalists will be released on Monday, Nov. 26. The winner will be announced on Wednesday, Jan. 9.

The Manning Award will be recognizing its ninth winner this year. USC's Matt Leinart was the inaugural winner of the award in 2005, followed by Texas' Vince Young in 2006. Both went on to be top 10 NFL draft picks. In 2007, LSU's JaMarcus Russell earned the award and was the NFL's No. 1 draft pick. Boston College's Matt Ryan claimed the award in 2008 and was drafted No. 3, quickly becoming the starting quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons. In 2009, Florida star Tim Tebow earned the honor - he also went on to be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. The 2010 winner was Texas signal-caller Colt McCoy, the winningest quarterback in college football history, who was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the draft. Auburn's Cameron Newton earned the award in 2011, prior to being selected No. 1 overall in the 2011 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers. This past season's honoree was Robert Griffin, III, from Baylor, who was also a top NFL draft pick (No. 2 overall by the Washington Redskins).

2012 Manning Award Watch List

-www.AllStateSugarBowl.org-