College Football: Early favorites to win 2017 Biletnikoff Award

Who are college football’s early favorites to win the 2017 Biletnikoff Award? The watch list was released on Tuesday.

The best receiver in college football is quite the distinction to earn. The Biletnikoff Award is given annually to the best wide out, or general pass-catcher (running backs, tight ends and slot backs also qualify), in the country, and on Tuesday, the preseason watch list of early contenders was released.

It may be tough to pinpoint an actual leading candidate who could win the award, but there are some early favorites on the list.

When taking a glance at the list, guys like Calvin Ridley of Alabama and Christian Kirk of Texas A&M stand out. Both players dominated SEC opponents last year and looked the part of Biletnikoff Award winners. However, one went to the national title (Ridley) while the other’s team crumbled in the second half of the season (Kirk), losing five of the final seven games.

If Texas A&M can somehow put together a 10-win season in 2017, there’s a good chance Kirk could be a frontrunner for the award. The same goes for Ridley if Alabama can make it back to the national title game.

Don’t sleep on guys like SMU’s Courtland Sutton, Clemson’s Deon Cain, Iowa State’s Allen Lazard, Washington’s Dante Pettis, Virginia Tech’s Cam Phillips, Miami’s Ahmmon Richards, Cal’s Demetris Robertson, Notre Dame’s Equanimeous St. Brown and Oklahoma State’s James Washington.

The award has been around since 1994 and the reigning Biletnikoff winner is Oklahoma’s Dede Westbrook who took advantage of having Baker Mayfield as his quarterback.

Next: NFL Mock Draft 2018: Way-too-early edition

Other notable winners of the award have been Justin Blackmon (twice), Randy Moss, Larry Fitzgerald, Braylon Edwards, Calvin Johnson, Michael Crabtree, Golden Tate, Brandin Cooks and Amari Cooper.