Florida's Caleb Sturgis was a Lou Groza finalist in 2011 (US Presswire)

Watch list has arrived in college football. The annual individual awards given at the end of the season will be rolling out their initial lists over the next couple weeks, and college football fans get their first round of debatable distinctions for 2012.

Wednesday was a day for the specialists, with the Lou Groza Award (nation's top kicker) and Ray Guy Award (nation's top punter) releasing their watch lists for the 2012 season. 2011 Lou Groza finalists Dustin Hopkins and Caleb Sturgis top the kickers' list, along with 16 other semifinalists from last season. 2011 Ray Guy Award winner Ryan Allen returns to defend his trophy against stiff competition that includes eight other semifinalists from last year, including LSU's Brad Wing.

Check out the full watch lists below, including breakdowns by conference.

2012 Lou Groza Award Watch List


Lou Groza Award Watch List by conference
Big Ten - 7
SEC - 6
ACC - 4
Pac-12 - 4
Big 12 - 2
Conference USA - 2
Sun Belt - 2
Big East - 1
MAC - 1
Mountain West - 1

2012 Ray Guy Award Preseason Watch List

  • Dylan Breeding (Jr.), Arkansas
  • Steven Clark (Jr.), Auburn
  • Brian Schmiedebusch (Jr.), Bowling Green
  • Riley Stephenson (Sr.), BYU
  • Pat O’Donnell (Jr.), Cincinnati
  • Darragh O’Neill (So.), Colorado
  • Pete Kontodiakos (Sr.), Colorado State
  • Richie Leone (Jr.), Houston
  • Bobby Cowan (Sr.), Idaho
  • Kirby Van Der Kamp (So.), Iowa State
  • Ron Doherty (Jr.), Kansas
  • Ryan Allen (Sr.), Louisiana Tech
  • Brad Wing (So.), LSU
  • Dalton Botts (So.), Miami (FL)
  • Brett Maher (Sr.), Nebraska
  • Will Atterberry (Sr.), North " data-canon="Texas Longhorns" data-type="SPORTS_OBJECT_TEAM" id="shortcode0">
  • Quinn Sharp (Sr.), Oklahoma State
  • Tyler Campbell (Jr.), Ole Miss
  • Jackson Rice (Sr.), Oregon
  • Harrison Waid (So.), San Jose State
  • Jeff Locke (Sr.), UCLA
  • Sean Sellwood (Sr.), Utah
  • Tyler Bennett (Sr.), Utah State
  • Ian Campbell (Sr.), UTEP
  • Richard Kent (Sr.), Vanderbilt


Ray Guy Award Watch List By Conference
SEC - 5
WAC - 4
Pac-12 - 4
Big 12 - 3
Conference USA - 2
Mountain West - 1
Big East - 1
Big Ten - 1
ACC - 1
MAC - 1
Sun Belt - 1
Independent - 1

Remember, names can be added and will be taken off these award lists as the season progresses. But still feel free to let us know your feelings on the list in the comment section below.

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