College football was able to get back to something closer to a normal season in 2021, but the individual standout performances we saw were anything but normal.
The Home Depot College Football Awards on Thursday (7 p.m. ET, ESPN) will celebrate these individuals, who helped bring us the joy and excitement of the sport that was disjointed by postponements, cancellations and abbreviated schedules in 2020.
Just as the awards presentation was in 2020, the two-hour special will be virtual once again this year.
Here are some of the awards that will be announced Thursday, along with the finalists, who I believe should win and my prediction for who will win:
Chuck Bednarik Award (defensive player of the year)
Finalists: Will Anderson Jr.