voting process
Voting Process
How Voting Process Works
Selection Committee Voting
Members of the Davey O’Brien National Selection Committee are asked to vote for a NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) quarterback who embodies the attributes of football legend Davey O’Brien. As such, they are asked to evaluate each candidate on the criteria of his quarterback skills and athletic ability, academics, character, reputation as a team player, leadership and sportsmanship.
Watch List
Watch List candidates are determined by a subset of the Selection Committee and approved by the Executive Committee. While it is an honor to be named to the Watch List, the winner of the Davey O’Brien Award does not have to have appeared on the list. The same subset of the Selection Committee votes weekly for the Davey O’Brien Quarterback of the Week, which is announced via weekly press releases from the beginning of the season until semifinalists are announced.
Semifinalists Announcement
In the semifinalist voting round, each member of the Selection Committee selects their top 16 candidates from the ballot, which consists of all FBS starting quarterbacks.
Finalists Announcement
The finalist ballot is comprised of all 16 semifinalists. Each member of the Selection Committee will be asked to select his or her top three choices. The three finalists will be announced in late November. The three candidates with the most votes are submitted to the Davey O’Brien Executive Committee for approval.
Winner Selection
The ballot is comprised of the three finalists. Selection Committee members will be asked to rank the finalists. The Davey O’Brien Winner will be announced on The Home Depot College Football Awards live on ESPN in early December and will be honored at the Annual Davey O’Brien Awards Dinner in February in Fort Worth, Texas.