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College football award predictions: Who should (and who will) win

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Before we get to bowl season, we need to get through awards season, and this year's crop of nominees are a who's who of college football's best.

Michael Penix Jr., Jayden Daniels, Brock Bowers, Marvin Harrison Jr. and more will all be looking to take home hardware at this year's "Home Depot College Football Awards" on Friday (7 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN App) .

Here are our picks for who should be honored -- and who will actually nab the trophies.

Chuck Bednarik Award (defensive player of the year)

Finalists: UCLA's Laiatu Latu, Alabama's Dallas Turner and NC State's Payton Wilson

Who should win: Wilson

It's easy to look at something as simple as sacks and peg Latu or Turner as the favorite here, but the award goes to the best overall defender, and it's impossible to ignore Wilson's all-around dominance.