TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin and Michigan State's Connor Cook, seniors poised to lead two of the top programs in college football, also lead a field of 30 quarterbacks for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.
Presented to the nation's best quarterback, the Unitas Award field also includes Mississippi State's Dak Prescott, USC's Cody Kessler, and BYU's Taysom Hill. The watch list was released Wednesday.
Interestingly, Ohio State's Cardale Jones was left off the list (the Buckeyes' J.T. Barrett, a true sophomore, does not meet the criteria for the award, which goes to a senior or fourth-year junior on schedule to graduate with their class). Barrett and Jones will compete for Ohio State's starting job.
Oregon's Marcus Mariota, the No. 2 overall pick of the 2015 NFL Draft, won the award last year.
A look at the full 2015 watch list:
Vernon Adams, Oregon
Brandon Allen, Arkansas
Tommy Armstrong, Nebraska
Mike Bercovici, Arizona State
Trevone Boykin, TCU
Jacoby Brissett, N.C. State
Connor Cook, Michigan State
Brandon Doughty, WKU
Blake Frohnapfel, UMass
Everett Golson, Florida State
Taysom Hill, BYU
Kevin Hogan, Stanford
Driphus Jackson, Rice
Matt Johnson, Bowling Green
Chuckie Keeton, Utah State
Cody Kessler, USC
Gunner Kiel, Cincinnati
Fredi Knighten, Arkansas State
Joe Licata, Buffalo
Paxton Lynch, Memphis
Maty Mauk, Missouri
Dak Prescott, Mississippi State
Keenan Reynolds, Navy
Nate Sudfeld, Indiana
Zach Terrell, Western Michigan
Justin Thomas, Georgia Tech
Chad Voytik, Pittsburgh
Carson Wentz, North Dakota State
Marquise Williams, North Carolina
Travis Wilson, Utah
Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter *@ChaseGoodbread*.