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Ok, yes, Watch Lists are dumb. Will the winners of those awards be on those watch lists? There's a pretty decent chance of it. Will a winner come out of nowhere and be someone not on the watch lists in the preseason? That happens all the time, too.
How often, after all, is the Heisman won by someone who was a "favorite" at the beginning of the season? It's usually someone no one expected.
The preseason watch list for the Fred Biletnikoff Award, given annually to the best wide receiver in college football, was released this morning and Auburn's D'haquille "Duke" Williams was not on it.
In reality there's really nothing to get too upset about, here. It's a pre-season watch list. It doesn't mean Duke is destined for a horrible season.
In fact, if I had to guess, it's probably entirely due to those who made the list suspecting that Auburn will still be run-heavy and Duke won't put up "award-worthy numbers" at the receiver position.
It's just hard to fathom that someone who is considered to be one of the top returning wide receivers not only in the SEC, but also in all of college football, could be left off the watch-list for the award for best receiver in the game. The award shouldn't be about his numbers, anyway. I suspect he'll have much bigger numbers than any Auburn receiver in recent memory, but his physical ability, his game-changing nature, his "catch anything in his zip code" pass catching should be the measuring stick for whether he's "the nation's outstanding college football receiver regardless of position."
Call me crazy, but I just find it insane that an award watch-list with 48 players - most of whom will have no shot at the award - doesn't include someone who is already hailed as a first round draft pick at the position.
But, as I've said so often this summer, it's the off season, so what else am I going to do but talk and complain about pointless things? Don't worry, actually football is right around the corner!
So what do you think? Are the folks who put together the Biletnikoff Watch List nuts, or not?
Now enjoy some Duke highlights (may want to mute for NSFW language, I don't know) and dream of what he and Jeremy Johnson are going to do together this year.