Behind the scenes at the Home Depot College Football Awards
— -- ATLANTA -- College football's version of the Oscars went off without a hitch in its new digs inside the College Football Hall of Fame. From a fan-led version of the Running of the Bulls on the red carpet to the re-emergence of the sad Michigan fan, the Home Depot 25th Anniversary College Football Awards showed college football's fun side.
Mascots from College Football Playoff members Alabama, Clemson, Michigan State and Oklahoma horsed around in the lobby and provided fans and media members alike their very own "This Is SportsCenter" commercials with silent trips up and down the elevator and the occasional photo bomb.
Outside of college football fans -- and Utah punter Tom Hackett's face for wearing that beautiful mustache -- the biggest winner of the night was Alabama running back Derrick Henry, who took home the Maxwell Award as college football's player of the year and the Doak Walker Award for the nation's top running back. Earlier, Henry was named the Walter Camp Football Foundation Player of the Year. In the runup to the Heisman Trophy ceremony this Saturday, Henry grabbed some major hardware to put in his bedroom.
Now, can Henry, who rushed for an SEC-record 1,986 yards and had 23 touchdowns, add the Heisman to his healthy haul? If you're asking the players around him, he certainly has competition from fellow finalists in Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson and Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey. Watson seemed to be the in-house favorite for the award among the players present for the awards.
There was also an emotional moment when Concordia University, St. Paul defensive lineman Hank Goff was given the Disney Sports Spirit Award, which is given annually to college football's most inspirational figure. Goff is using football to help him overcome post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from a nine-month combat stint in Afghanistan with the U.S. Marines.
After Goff battled depression and drinking, football essentially saved his life.
"It gave me a purpose in life," he said. "It gave me a team again."
Goff choked up while receiving his award but later joked about how nerve-wracking it was to be on stage in front of everyone.
"I was scared," Goff said. "I'd rather be in a firefight than be down here."
We were just glad you were here.
Let's check out the bests from the awards ...
Best dressed
Best dressed runner-up
TCU receiver Josh Doctson might have been in a black sling, but it went perfectly with his slick, slim-fit royal blue suit and purple paisley tie, which matched the purple cast on his wrist and under his sling.
Let this be a lesson, fellas: Do not let injury inhibit your fashion sense.
Best dedication
Florida cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III finished behind Iowa's Desmond King for the Jim Thorpe Award, which is given to the nation's best defensive back, but Hargreaves won when it came to honoring a late family member.
Hargreaves' brown tweed suit went perfectly with his blue bowtie with Gator head logos. It was also something he said his late grandfather would have worn, so, when he saw it on a mannequin in Jos. A. Bank, he immediately grabbed it.
"It had that old-school flavor," Hargreaves said, "and I know he would have liked it."
Best bro hug
No night in which a plethora of football guys get together would be complete without the most masculine way to show your affection. This year's best went to Spurrier and Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze, who embraced on the red carpet just before the ceremony. Before Freeze could even properly greet his idol, Spurrier blurted, "This man's going to the Suga Bowl. Suga Bowl!"
Best sign
The College Football Awards drew a nice little crowd in and around the building, and one clever fan brought a sign that aptly read, "I thought this was a Justin Bieber concert."
For the sake of all of our ears, we're glad it wasn't.
Best selfie
New James Bond?
With the announcement that Daniel Craig will not reprise his role as 007, maybe someone was trying to give us a hint he'd be interested. I present to you Alabama linebacker Reggie Ragland, who strutted down the red carpet in his cream jacket and jet-black tux trousers.
It only makes sense, considering he leaves offensive players shaken ... not stirred.
"I knew I wanted to be different," Ragland said of his outfit. "I'm not a simple person. If I were simple, I wouldn't be here."
Keeping it real
Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield was snubbed when he wasn't named a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. While filming with ESPN.com earlier in the day, Mayfield, who led the Sooners to the College Football Playoff and threw for 3,389 yards with 35 touchdowns, let his frustration about the snub be known.
"I feel like I've had a pretty good [season]," Mayfield told ESPN.com. "I feel like I deserved an invite to New York, but ultimately my goal is the national championship, so that's what I'm focused on."
Nick Saban, a guy who knows a thing or two about keeping it real, didn't hold back during the playoff coaches' news conference before the awards show. When asked about working with Mark Dantonio, whom Saban hired onto his staff at Michigan State in 1995, the Alabama head coach gave a glowing review as Dantonio beamed. But when the tables were turned and Dantonio was asked about devising a game plan for his former boss in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl, Saban was quick to jump in.
"He's not gonna smile about that one," Saban quipped.
Related Stories
ABC News Live