Oct. 23, 2006
Four nominees for the Cingular All-America Player of the Week have been announced after the eighth weekend of college football action, and the power to determine a winner now rests solely in the hands of the fans.
Brigham Young quarterback John Beck, Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn, Rutgers running back Ray Rice and Michigan State quarterback Drew Stanton have been selected by a panel of ESPN college football analysts as this week’s top candidates based on their outstanding performances this weekend.
Fans can determine the winner by text messaging “VOTE” to “87654” on their wireless phone and casting their votes for the nominees.
Quinn, a two-time winner of the Cingular All America Player of the Week in 2006, passed for 304 yards and two touchdowns to lead 10th-ranked Notre Dame to a 20-17 comeback win over UCLA. He completed a game-winning 45-yard touchdown pass with just 27 seconds left to give the Fighting Irish the victory.
Quinn is the only college football player to win this award twice already this season. He was voted by college football fans as the player of the week in week two (after the Irish defeated Penn State) and week four (after leading a rally at Michigan State).
Fans have until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday to submit their votes. The winner will be announced October 26 during ESPN’s Thursday night college football game between Virginia Tech and Clemson. Fans can vote as many times as they like, with each vote counting as one entry into a sweepstakes to win a trip to the 2007 BCS National Championship game. The Cingular All-America Player of the Week program will continue throughout the season, with the nominees being revealed each Sunday on the 9 a.m. ESPN SportsCenter and on the Web at www.espnallamerica.com.
Cingular customers can visit Cingular’s NCAA® Football Portal on their wireless handset to view video highlights of each week’s candidates, retrieve photos, check scoreboards, track their favorite teams and download school ringtones.
Rice, Quinn, Michigan wide receiver Mario Manningham, Georgia Tech wide receiver Calvin Johnson, Tennessee quarterback Erik Ainge and Texas quarterback Colt McCoy have won the Cingular All-America Player of the Week during the 2006 college football season.
In December, four finalists for the Cingular All-America Player of the Year award will be announced during a one-hour special on ABC Sports. Fans will then get a chance to say who the best player in the nation is by voting for the Cingular All-America Player of the Year up until the Bowl Championship Series. The selection process will culminate during the BCS National Championship game on FOX when the Cingular All-America Player of the Year will be presented.
Last year, University of Texas quarterback Vince Young was crowned as the Cingular All-America Player of the Year, beating out USC teammates Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart and University of Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn. He was the second Longhorn to claim the award, after running back Cedric Benson won the inaugural honor in 2004.