Pitt star James Conner was, as expected, named to the Doak Walker preseason watch list, given to the nation's top running back. Conner was one of the top backs last year and is expected to compete for All-American status, so it's a no-brainer that he made the list.
The far bigger news (well, as much as a preseason watch list can be news, anyway) was that wideout Tyler Boyd was left off of the watch list for the Biletnikoff Award, given to the top receiver. That's not a misprint - the fine folks actually left Boyd, regarded as a potential first-team All-American player, off the list entirely.