Sports Illustrated gives out awards for 2015 college football season

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2015 season in review: Handing out awards for players, teams and more

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Biggest source of unfulfilled hype

Winner: Jeremy Johnson, QB, Auburn

In a column from SEC Media Days in July, SI.com’s Andy Staples referenced Heisman-winning quarterback Jameis Winston’s breakout season in writing, “it isn’t completely crazy to expect big things from Johnson, who has looked more polished than most of the SEC’s passers in his limited appearances.” Johnson was voted second-team All-SEC this preseason, and one member of SI.com's panel predicted he would win the Heisman. The point is, a lot of people believed Johnson would be very good this season. He was not. The junior completed less than 60% of his passing attempts and threw five touchdowns against six interceptions over three games before being benched in favor of redshirt freshman Sean White.

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Biggest flop team

Winner: Auburn

Sorry to pile on here, Tigers fans. This was a particularly rough year on the Plains. Auburn topped a preseason SEC power poll compiled by AL.com and was voted to win the conference championship. Not only did the Tigers fall well short of that goal, but they also barely escaped FCS opponent Jacksonville State (27–20 in overtime on Sept. 12), beat only one Power Five foe that finished with a winning record after September and dropped four of their final six regular-season contests. Along the way, a quarterback with no previous experience (White) supplanted the player Auburn’s coaching staff hyped in the preseason (Johnson), and the team’s leading returning receiver (D’haquille Williams) was kicked off the roster. At least the Tigers didn’t lose the bowl game they played about two hours from campus.

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Biggest surprise team

Winner: Florida

New coach Jim McElwain inherited an offense featuring an uncertain quarterback situation, limited skill-position talent and a thin offensive line. Then, just when the Gators seemed to have found an answer at quarterback, the NCAA suspended Will Grier for a performance-enhancing drug violation in October. However, Florida still won 10 games, crushed Georgia in the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party and clinched the SEC East. The Gators dropped their final three outings (to Florida State, Alabama and Michigan), but that hardly diminishes what the program achieved in McElwain’s debut season at the helm.

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