The preseason watch list roll-out extravaganza continues today with two awards that are sure to get your heart pumping: the kicker and punter trophies!
OK, so it's not that exciting, but the specialists deserve their day in the sun, too. And there are some good ones in the Big Ten.
Four league players made the list of 30 preseason nominees for the Lou Groza Award, given to the nation's top placekicker, and three Big Ten punters made the list for the Ray Guy Award. Here they are:
Lou Groza
Jeff Budzien, Northwestern
Mitch Ewald, Indiana
Brendan Gibbons, Michigan
Mike Meyer, Iowa
Ray Guy Award
Justin DuVernois, Illinois
Mike Sadler, Michigan State
Cody Webster, Purdue
Budzien was 19-of-20 on field goals last season, and Gibbons hit some clutch kicks through the uprights. Meyer went 17-for-21, and Ewald is set to break several career records for the Hoosiers.
On the punting side, the three players listed are the top three returning statistical leaders in yards per attempt with Michigan's Will Hagerup suspended for the season.
Expect some other names to emerge as top-flight specialists this year in the Big Ten, but these lists highlight most of the top returning performers.
