It's that time of year . . . running full-force in the holidays, ready to turn a new year. That means it's time to pick your favorite (or most important) stories of the year.

Here is our list from On Campus. Pick your favorite 10.

Gene Chizik must be the best salesman in America. How else can one explain a coach with a 10-game losing streak getting hired to coach Auburn?

That Auburn turned to Chizik after its strange divorce from Tommy Tuberville is laughable, but it’ll probably be the coach laughing all the way to Colonial Bank (whose CEO is Auburn super-booster Bobby Lowder).

Chizik was 5-19 in his two seasons in Ames. His team went 0-8 in the Big 12 this season — and that was without facing Oklahoma, Texas or Texas Tech.

He would have been on any “hot seat” list for 2009. But now he’s getting his salary almost doubled (about $2 million per year, according to reports) to coach a team that Tuberville had turned into one of the SEC’s best programs before this year’s 5-7 collapse caused panic on the Plains.

Ah, but Chizik has it made. There are no expectations. If he wins, we’ll blame his record at Iowa State on Iowa State. And if he loses? He can get in line with Tuberville — and probably Auburn AD Jay Jacobs and President Jay Gogue — to be paid well to go away.

Iowa State probably won’t be shedding tears that it lost Chizik to Auburn. It’ll be paid a $750,000 buyout for a coach it likely would have been buying out after 2009 anyway. If I’m AD at ISU, my first (and maybe last) call goes to Buffalo Coach Turner Gill. If he can win a conference championship at a MAC wasteland, he can make the Cyclones competitive again in the Big 12.

More news and notes ...

If the Florida Gators defeat Oklahoma to win the BCS national championship on Jan. 8, they’ll have a long list of thank-you notes to send.

The postal overload can start with the 154 Heisman Trophy voters who inexplicably left Gators quarterback Tim Tebow off their ballots. That slight will light a fire in Tebow, especially with winner Sam Bradford operating the opposing offense in Miami.

The thank-you cards must extend to Ole Miss. Remember, it was the Rebels’ 31-30 win at Florida on Sept. 27 that sparked Tebow’s fiery postgame rant and motivated the Gators to an unprecedented romp through the Southeastern Conference. A sense of urgency took over the team that might not have occurred unless Ole Miss removed UF’s margin for error.

Florida fell to No. 13 in the coaches poll that week and debuted at No. 11 in the season’s first Harris Interactive poll, the two rankings that make up two-thirds of the BCS formula.

UF should show some gratitude for the events that culminated with its current No. 2 BCS ranking. Here's how:

Back in August for our annual Football Preview section, I listed five Heisman Trophy candidates to watch in the order I thought they might finish. With the winner being announced Saturday in New York among finalists Sam Bradford of Oklahoma, Tim Tebow of Florida and Colt McCoy of Texas, let's look back at that list and see how accurate I was ...

Spending one year under the dysfunction that turned out to be Tennessee football didn't hurt offensive coordinator Dave Clawson's career, after all.

He is Bowling Green's new head coach.

Florida's Urban Meyer is one of nine finalists for the Eddie Robinson Award, given to the national coach of the year as selected by the Football Writers Association of America.

In leading the Gators to the Southeastern Conference championship and a berth in the Bowl Championship Series national title game,  Meyer earned nomination for the award for the second time in his career. He won it in 2004 after leading Utah to an unbeaten season before being named head coach at Florida.

His competition this year is a who's who of coaches: Texas' Mack Brown, USC's Pete Carroll, Texas Tech's Mike Leach, Penn State's Joe Paterno, Boise State's Chris Petersen, Alabama's Nick Saban, Oklahoma's Bob Stoops and Utah's Kyle Whittingham.

Paterno, Saban and Stoops have won the award previously.

The winner will be announced on Jan. 6 in Miami, two days before Meyer and the Gators play Stoops and the Sooners for the national championship.

Tim Tebow is headed back to New York this weekend with a chance to become the first repeat Heisman Trophy winner since Ohio State's Archie Griffin in the mid-1970s.

The Florida quarterback was one of three finalists announced Wednesday, joining Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford and Texas quarterback Colt McCoy.

Tebow also is a finalist for the Maxwell Award, which he also won last year. He'll be in Orlando at Disney for the Maxwell presentation on Thursday before departing for New York.

"It's a tremendous honor for Tim to be invited back to the Heisman Trophy presentation in New York City," Florida Coach Urban Meyer said Wedneday. "This is a great achievement and a reward for the fantastic season he has had in leading his teammates to the Southeastern Conference title and a berth in the BCS National Championship Game."

Florida’s Tim Tebow might or might not win his second consecutive Heisman Trophy this weekend in New York, but he’s still certain to take home some impressive awards hardware this week.

Wednesday, he was named SEC offensive player of the year. Thursday night, the Gators quarterback will be presented Disney’s Spirit Award during the Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards show at Disney’s Boardwalk. The honor comes for Tebow’s work off the field speaking at jails and doing ministry work such as a mission trip to the Philippines last summer.

"I’ve always been very passionate about football, but it is not going to be my life’s work forever, and I’d like to think I am not defined by it," Tebow said in a statement. "To be recognized by Disney Sports for the way I try to use my platform to spread my message about faith and to join the list of recipients of this award is a blessing and it is very, very humbling."

Tebow also is a finalist for the Maxwell Award, giving to the nation’s best all-around player. Tebow won that award, as well as the Davey O’Brien award given to the nation’s top quarterback, in 2007 as a prelude to his Heisman Trophy victory. This year, his competition for the Maxwell Award is Texas Tech QB Graham Harrell and Texas QB Colt McCoy. Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford joins those two in place of Tebow as an O’Brien finalist.

Florida State also will be represented Thursday night. FSU’s Graham Gano is one of three finalists for the Lou Groza Award given to the nation’s top kicker. Seminoles Coach Bobby Bowden will be presented with the Contributions to College Football Award by the National College Football Awards Association.

The show airs live on ESPN from 7:30-9:30 p.m.

Here is a complete list of the awards nominees with some predictions:

Before they lead their teams in battle for the national championship, Sam Bradford and Tim Tebow will duel for the Heisman Trophy.
And if voters in the HeismanPundit.com/Orlando Sentinel Heisman poll are correct, the winner announced Sunday in New York will be ...

As his team prepares to play Oklahoma in the BCS Championship game, the legend of Tim Tebow grows -- this time in song. The quarterback of the Florida Gators is the latest sports figure to get his own parody song courtesy of the talented Ryan Parker.

See the video and lyrics below (you'll need to turn up the sound in the lower right corner of the video player).