The Davey O'Brien Foundation announced its watch list for the 2016 Davey O'Brien Award earlier this summer, just in time for preseason banter. This list includes many of last year's top quarterbacks, as well as several standout performers expected to have career seasons in 2016.
Semifinalists for the award will be announced November 10 while the three finalists will be unveiled November 22. The 2016 winner will be announced during the Home Depot College Football Awards Show on December 8 with the formal presentation made at the 40th Annual Davey O'Brien Awards Dinner next March.
But why wait? Let's take a look at the preseason favorites to win the award for each of the Power 5 conferences.
ACC
Deshaun Watson, QB — Clemson Tigers
Deshaun Watson is the reigning Davey O'Brien Award winner after a stellar sophomore campaign at Clemson. Watson led the Tigers to the College Football Playoff and finished third in last season's Heisman vote with 4,104 yards, 35 touchdowns and 13 interceptions on 333-of-491 passing. He also rushed for 1,105 yards and 12 touchdowns on 207 attempts.
Watson is favored to reclaim the award in 2016 with Clemson the favorite in the ACC and among the top picks to win it all.
Big Ten
J.T. Barrett, QB — Ohio State Buckeyes
J.T. Barrett took over for Cardale Jones late last season and finished with 992 yards passing, 11 touchdowns and four interceptions, while rushing for 982 yards and 11 touchdowns. The redshirt junior will enter 2016 as the team's starter and faces huge expectations, despite losing several key components from last season's offensive juggernaut.
Ohio State returns but two other offensive starters, guards Billy Price and Pat Elfein. They have put together several great recruiting classes under head coach Urban Meyer which should provide Barrett with several capable targets, even if they enter the season as relative unknowns.
Big 12
Baker Mayfield, QB — Oklahoma Sooners
Baker Mayfield took over as Oklahoma's starting quarterback last preseason and made the most of his opportunity. Mayfield recorded 3,700 yards, 36 touchdowns and seven interceptions while adding another 405 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground, giving the Sooners a much-needed dual-threat presence at quarterback.
Mayfield led Oklahoma to the College Football Playoff during his first season as a starter and is expected to match that success in year two. But he will face the difficult task of doing so without Sterling Shepard, who led the Sooners in receiving during each of the past two seasons and has since moved on to the NFL.
Pac-12
Josh Rosen — UCLA Bruins
Josh Rosen enjoyed a breakout debut season in 2015 and earned Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year honors as a result. The California native threw 245 consecutive passes without an interception, which set a UCLA record.
Rosen also recorded 3,669 yards, 23 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while completing 60 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating over 134, but many expect him to be even better as a sophomore.
SEC
Chad Kelly — Ole Miss Rebels
Chad Kelly led the SEC in every major passing category. The former JUCO transfer threw for 4,042 yards, 31 touchdowns and 13 interceptions on 298-of-458 passing, while averaging 311 yards per game.
Kelly also showed maturity off the field at Ole Miss following a history of questionable incidents during his time at Clemson and Eastern Mississippi Community College. The senior should continue to find success in the SEC, even after losing the conference's best wide receiver, Laquon Treadwell, to the NFL Draft.
