Biletnikoff Award: Bailey Comes Up Empty Handed

I would love to be a fly on the wall to see how the committee of journalists, commentators, broadcasters, and former players selected this years winner.

Was it that Bailey played in the Big 12 where pass defenses were less than stellar from the outside perspective?
Where was this argument the previous two years when Justin Blackmon took home the award in 2010 and 2011? Or Michael Crabtree took home the award in 2007 and 2008?

What about Marqise Lee's blow up game, putting up 345 yards and 2 TD against a conference foe in Arizona? Those numbers pretty much make it a case closed.
I guess they forgot Baileys 303 yard, 5 touchdown day romp against conference foe Baylor.

Did they just discount Bailey's insane numbers against Baylor and vice versa for Terrance William against us?
Hey let's just cross this game out, both teams have horrid pass coverage so let's disregard the amazing performances from both these athletes.

How did Arizona and Baylor fair up against a Top 5 BCS team?
Well Let's see- Arizona lost to 49-0 to then # 3 Oregon. Baylor beat then #1 Kansas State 52-24. My point - don't disregard Baileys accomplishments against Baylor because they proved they are very capable of beating good teams and holding offenses in check.

Was it because Marqise Lee jumped out of the starting gate?
Once again preseason rankings come back to bite teams in the butt. USC was ranked #1 heading into the regular season. They proved nothing as did any team, but carrying that preseason ranking led fans and media alike to one common conclusion; If you have the best team, you most certainly have the best players. In game 1 of the season opener Lee had a standout game catching 10 passes for 197 yards and a touchdown. He took the lead and never lost it. Who did he do this against? Hawaii. Correct me if I am wrong, but is Hawaii known for their shutdown defense? Is this performance more dominant than Baileys 9 catches 104 yards and 2 touchdown home opener against Marshall?

How did Lee and Bailey fair up against a Top 2 BCS Team this season?
Bailey had his lowest production of the season putting up 4 catches for 34 yards against then # 2 Kansas State. Lee put up 5 catches for 75 yards against currently ranked #1 Notre Dame. Not exactly separating numbers for a clear winner.

Bailey had a stretch of 3 not so amazing games.
Let us not forget that during that 3 game stretch of not so amazing numbers is when he was very hurt and banged up. Bailey was questionable to start against Texas Tech and his numbers dropped. Injuries are a part of the game I understand, but from an outside perspective, I just wanted to give some clarity of why the drop off happened. Once he regained health, he turned back into beast mode in the stat column.

Who had the better QB?
This is up for debate but, most analysts are saying Barkley over Smith, which means Lee should have better numbers with the better QB. Also Smith had a few games this season where his accuracy completely left him. He missed a bunch of throws to a wide open Bailey that would have made Stedman's numbers even scarier.

Numbers Don't Lie. Marqise Lee had 10 receptions in 7 games this year. He finished the season with 112 receptions for 1,680 yards and 14 touchdowns.
You are right numbers don't lie. At 1,501 to 1,680 Stedman had 89% of Lee's yards. At 14 to 23, Lee had 61% of Stedman's touchdowns. (thanks Abpriddy).

Tinsletown vs Morgantown
There is no denying that larger markets have the advantage of anything and everything that is college football. It's why Notre Dame is always relevant. It is why Alabama will always be in the discussion of a title shot with 1 loss over most, and why USC has the upper hand in preseason rankings, Heisman voting and unfortunately Biletnikoff awards. Sorry Bailey, but Hollywood is used to receiving awards and the media will jump at the chance to give USC accolades.

The truth is all 3 of these student athletes, Lee, Bailey, and Williams had incredible years. The argument is up for debate. Not saying Lee isn't deserving, he is, but Bailey is our guy. I wouldn't want anyone else to be our guy. Thank you Bailey for an amazing year.

Thank you Bailey for being one of the best receivers West Virginia has ever had. With 23 scores this season, you are the reason Morgantown can proudly call itself Touchdown City. We are proud of you and your accomplishments. You have a fan base who is behind you 100%. You don't need the Biletnikoff Award to prove to any of us that you are great. But, I do hope this snub makes you hungry. I hope it makes you work harder. To prove to the doubters you are a dominant receiver. I hope you play with a chip on your shoulder the rest of your career like you did at WVU. And I hope one day you prove to the committee of journalists, commentators, broadcasters, and former players something that we already knew, that you are the best.