Aaron Murray named finalist for Manning award

Georgia Bulldogs senior quarterback Aaron Murray has been named one of 10 finalists for the Manning Award, which has been given out since 2004 to the nation's top quarterback, according to a report in The Red and Black. The award was created by the Allstate Sugar Bowl to honor the accomplishments of Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning and is the only postseason honor to take into account how the candidates play in their respective bowl games.

For the award, Murray is pitted against USC senior Matt Barkley, Clemson junior Tajh Boyd, Kansas State senior Collin Klein, Northern Illinois junior Jordan Lynch, Texas A&M redshirt freshman Johnny Manziel, Oregon freshman Marcus Mariota, Alabama junior AJ McCarron, Ohio State sophomore Braxton Miller and West Virginia senior Geno Smith. Past winners of the award include Robert Griffin III, Cam Newton, Colt McCoy, Tim Tebow, Matt Ryan, JaMarcus Russell, Vince Young and Matt Leinart.

On the season, Murray has thrown for 3,201 yards, 30 touchdowns and seven interceptions with a quarterback rating of 177.1.

The winner of the Maning award will be announced after all the bowls have been completed on Jan. 9.