Another regular season of college football has come and gone, with pigskin aficionados everywhere now turning their attention to an enticing slate of bowl games led by No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 2 Texas in the national title game.

But, before all the bowl madness starts, the necessary awards and accolades need to be given out to this year’s best performers. No, my awards will probably not match the official ones given out this weekend, but that’s because mine are given based on merit and not political reasons and are definitely affected by a hint of personal bias. So with that in mind ...

Player of the Year: Toby Gerhart, RB Stanford

Much like Juice Williams did for Illinois two years ago, Gerhart, a senior, has been the face of Stanford’s resurgence into football relevance. His powerful running style dominated a Pac-10 conference (which is usually all about speed) that I think was the strongest in America this year.

Gerhart finished the season with 1,736 rushing yards (good for first in the nation) and 26 touchdowns while averaging 5.6 yards per carry.

But more importantly, he led the Cardinals to an impressive 8-4 record and seemed to always shine in big games. Gerhart racked up 223 yards and three touchdowns in a 52-41 victory against Oregon and then carried 29 times for 178 yards and three more scores the following week in a 55-21 throttling of USC. There was no shortage of great running backs in college football this season, with Alabama’s Mark Ingram, Clemson’s C.J. Spiller and Pittsburgh’s Dion Lewis just a few of the notables, but Gerhart was the best of the bunch.

Defensive Player of the Year: Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska

As a senior, Suh managed to dominate games from the defensive line this season much like LSU’s Glenn Dorsey did in 2007. He is virtually unblockable in a one-on-one situation against opposing offensive linemen and is also the type of high-energy, high-intensity player all coaches love to have as a defensive leader.

Suh’s stats — 82 total tackles (23 for a loss), 12 sacks, 10 pass breakups, a forced fumble and an interception — would be impressive enough for a linebacker, let alone a 6-foot-4, 300-pound defensive tackle. And on Saturday he almost single-handedly led the Huskers to an upset of No. 2 Texas with 12 tackles and 4.5 sacks as Nebraska held the Longhorns to just 202 yards of total offense.

Coach of the Year: Chip Kelly, Oregon

Not only did Kelly guide the Ducks to a Pac-10 title and Rose Bowl berth, but he did so in his first year as a head coach — and without the team’s top offensive talent in LeGarrette Blount (whose infamous punch of Boise State lineman Byron Hout got him suspended for almost the entire season).

Kelly conducted himself with class and confidence after the Blount incident. He also made sure his team stayed focused after starting the year with such a chaotic loss, and the Ducks displayed an immense amount of poise, which I attribute to Kelly’s coaching, in their two season-ending victories against Arizona and Oregon State.

Quarterback of the Year: Colt McCoy, Texas

After being overshadowed by Florida’s Tim Tebow and Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford during his first three seasons in Austin, McCoy finally managed to out-do both of them (to be fair, Bradford didn’t get much playing time to respond after being injured in the Sooners’ season opener) in his senior season.

McCoy led the Longhorns to a Big 12 championship and national title appearance, all after a shaky start to the year. He finished with 3,512 passing yards and a whopping 27 touchdowns, while also accounting for the second most rushing yards on Texas’ roster.

Yes, McCoy struggled against the Nebraska pass rush on Saturday, but I guarantee Tebow wouldn’t have fared any better. McCoy might not be the flashiest of quarterbacks, but he always seems to get the job done.

Receiver of the Year: Golden Tate, Notre Dame

Tate, a junior, was one of a select few bright spots for Notre Dame in a disappointing 6-6 season. In fact, the only sure thing for the Irish each week was throwing fades to Tate when they got down in the red zone, which almost always resulted in six points.

Tate finished the season with 1,496 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns. He twice went over the 200-yard mark in a single game (against Washington on Oct. 3 and Stanford on Nov. 28) and only recorded fewer than 100 yards catching in three games.

Freshman of the Year: Dion Lewis, Pittsburgh

Despite going almost un-recruited as a high school senior, Lewis exploded onto the college football scene this year. He racked up 1,446 yards on the ground and 13 touchdowns for a Pitt team that was an extra point away from possibly claiming the Big East title.

At a mere 5-foot-8, 195 pounds, Lewis is not a physically imposing runner. But his quickness and agility allowed him to find even the smallest of defensive holes and exploit them for big gains.

Finally, fitting the general trend of this list, Lewis always shined for the Panthers in crucial games. He carried 31 times for 180 yards and two scores against Rutgers, 21 times for 152 yards and one touchdown against Notre Dame and 47 times for 194 yards and three touchdowns in the season finale against Cincinnati.

So there you have it — Peter Zervakis’ 2009 college football awards.

Hopefully the Heisman voters see things the same way I do, but I’m not holding my breath. Oh, and I also have to give a shout out to Fresno State’s Ryan Matthews and Houston’s Case Keenum — the two best players not to be mentioned above.

Now all that’s left is for fans everywhere to sit back, chill and watch what the game’s top talents do on its biggest stages. Let the bowl season commence.

Peter Zervakis is a junior in Media. He can be reached at pzervak2@illinimedia.com.