ATLANTA, Nov. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- The games have been played, four nominees have been announced, and the power now rests solely in the hands of the fans to determine a winner for the week twelve Cingular All-America Player of the Week.
Boston College linebacker Jolonn Dunbar, Arizona running back Chris Henry, Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith and West Virginia quarterback Pat White 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.
Dunbar returned two fumbles for touchdowns during the first four minutes of 20th-ranked Boston College's 38-16 win over No. 21 Maryland. The victory helped keep the Eagles in contention for a spot in the ACC Championship game. Dunbar also had a 96-yard fumble return for a touchdown in the Eagles' win over the Terrapins last season, the longest in school history.
Henry rushed for 191 yards and two touchdowns and also caught a touchdown pass in the Wildcats' 37-10 upset of Oregon at Autzen Stadium. The victory is the third straight for Arizona and makes them bowl eligible. Henry is the first Wildcats player to be nominated for the award.
Smith threw for 316 yards and four touchdowns as the Buckeyes clinched the Big Ten title -- and a berth in the BCS National Championship game -- with a 42-39 win over No. 2 Michigan. Smith capped an impressive regular season during which he threw for 2,507 yards and 30 touchdowns passes and compiled a quarterback rating of 168.
White totaled 424 yards -- 204 through the air and 220 on the ground -- in No. 8 West Virginia's 45-27 rout of Pittsburgh on Thursday. White also accounted for four touchdowns, including a scoring runs of 64 and 19 yards during the Mountaineers' first two possessions in the second half to ice the game. For the season he has passed for 1,346 yards and rushed for 1,057 yards.
Fans have until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday to submit their votes. The winner will be announced November 23 during ESPN's Thursday night college football game between Boston College and Miami (FL). 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 http://www.espnallamerica.com/.
Cingular customers can visit Cingular's NCAA(R) 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.
Rutgers running back Ray Rice, Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn, Michigan wide receiver Mario Manningham, Georgia Tech wide receiver Calvin Johnson, Tennessee quarterback Erik Ainge, Texas quarterback Colt McCoy, BYU quarterback John Beck, Arkansas running back Darren McFadden and Kansas State quarterback Josh Freeman 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.
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