Finalists for the Rimington Trophy, presented to the most outstanding center in college football, are:


Mario Benavides (Lousiville)

Braxston Cave (Notre Dame)

Dalton Freeman (Clemson)

Khaled Holmes (USC)

Barrett Jones (Alabama)

Matt Stankiewitch (Penn State)


The winner of the Rimington Trophy will be presented live during the ESPNU Red Carpet Show on Thursday, December 6, 2012, immediately preceding the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show. Both shows will originate from the Atlantic Dance Hall on Disney's Boardwalk at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

The winner of the Rimington Trophy is selected by determining the consensus All-American center pick from four existing All-America teams.

While more than a dozen All-America teams are selected annually, the Rimington Trophy committee uses these four prestigious teams to determine a winner:


*American Football Coaches Association (AFCA)
*Walter Camp Foundation (WCF)
*Sporting News (SN)
*Football Writers Association of America (FWAA)


Because the selectors of these four All-America teams can place centers in a "mix" of offensive linemen that includes guards and tackles, their 11- man first teams can often have two centers. The Rimington Trophy committee's policy is to count all players that play primarily the center position for their respective teams as centers, even though they may be listed as guards or tackles on the four All- America teams.

The center with the most first team votes will be determined the winner. If there is a tie with first team votes, then the center with the most second team votes will win. If there is still a tie, the winner will be determined by a majority vote from the Rimington Trophy committee.

The winner will be recognized during pre-game festivities prior to the BCS National Championship Game at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, Florida on January 7, 2013, and then again at the Rimington Trophy Presentation at the Rococo Theatre in Lincoln, Nebraska on Saturday, January 12, 2013.


ABOUT THE RIMINGTON TROPHY
The Rimington Trophy is presented annually to the Most Outstanding Center in NCAA Division I-A College Football. Since its inception, the Rimington Trophy has raised over $3 million. The thirteen-year old award is overseen by the Boomer Esiason Foundation, which is committed to finding a cure for cystic fibrosis and has raised over $100 million for CF Research.

Dave Rimington, the award's namesake, was a consensus first-team All-America center at the University of Nebraska in 1981 and 1982, during which time he became the John Outland Trophy's only double winner as the nation's finest college interior lineman. For more on the Rimington Trophy and a list of past recipients, visit www.rimingtontrophy.com


ABOUT THE NCFAA
The Rimington Trophy is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA). The NCFAA was founded in 1997 as a coalition of the major collegiate football awards to protect, preserve and enhance the integrity, influence and prestige of the game’s predominant awards. The NCFAA encourages professionalism and the highest standards for the administration of its member awards and the selection of their candidates and recipients. For more information, visit the association’s official website, www.NCFAA.org.



MEDIA CONTACT:
Michelle Pelini

[email protected]