By Southern Pigskin Staff
SouthernPigskin.com

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“Ah, what could be better than having college football back in my life?” you might wonder. Answer: winning prizes because college football is back.

The first week of the 2013 college football season is in the books, and already we’ve seen big upsets (Eastern Washington over Oregon State, anyone?), dizzying last-minute twists and turns (Ole Miss fans might still be out celebrating that win over Vanderbilt), and clashes of the titans that lived up to the hype (ditto Clemson fans after squeaking past Georgia). “Ah, what could be better than having college football back in my life?” you might wonder. Answer: winning prizes because college football is back.

Here’s how you can do it: register for Transamerica’s Johnny Unitas College QB Challenge, featuring the top 30 contenders for this year’s Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. It’s simple: you sign up (you can do it through Facebook), and each week you’ll choose one quarterback who you think will put up the most points, fantasy-football-style. (You have to choose a different quarterback every week.) And if you finish the season with the most points, you’ll win the Grand Prize: the Ultimate Experience to the College Bowl Game of choice, including Round-trip airfare for two and and two nights’ hotel accommodations.

Additionally, by signing up you’ll be eligible to win prizes in random drawings after Week 2, Week 6, and Week 10 (official contest rules). Those prizes:

-Week 2 random drawing winner: Johnny Unitas Keepr NFL Collectible & Digital Gift Card ($160 value)
-Week 6 random drawing winner: Johnny Unitas Throwback Football Jersey & Digital Gift Card ($200 value)
-Week 10 random drawing winner: Autographed photo of Johnny Unitas & digital gift card ($250 value)

On top of all that, you can create fantasy leagues to compete with your friends. Who doesn’t like bragging rights? No one, that’s who 4 so sign up now and join the conversation using #GoldenArm. Happy picking and TGIFootball! And stay tuned for the annual award presented by the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Education Foundation, honoring the nation’s top college quarterback based on character, citizenship, scholastic achievement, leadership qualities, and athletic accomplishments. A few contenders, based on what we saw in Week 1 (keeping in mind that the Golden Arm Award recipient must be a senior and/or fourth-year player, so the likes of Johnny Manziel and Teddy Bridgewater aren’t eligible):

Tajh Boyd, Clemson: Boyd fueled the Tigers’ 38-35 victory over Georgia, accounting for all five of Clemson’s touchdowns (three passing, two rushing). He finished 18-for-30 passing for 270 yards and no interceptions, and added 42 yards on the ground. If Boyd keeps playing like this, Clemson might finally break through to national title contention.

Keith Price, Washington: The Huskies’ 38-6 romp over Boise State was one of the opening weekend’s bigger surprises, and no one left a bigger imprint on the game than Price, who finished 23-for-31 passing for 324 yards and two touchdowns and added 25 yards on six carries on the ground. Making the performance even more impressive, Price was working without one of his favorite targets: tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins, who was suspended for the game and is among the nation’s best at his position.

Derek Carr, Fresno State: The Bulldogs rode Carr as far as he could take them against Rutgers, and Carr rewarded his team’s faith in him with five touchdown passes in a wild (and, depending on your allegiance, either thrilling or heartbreaking) 52-51 overtime win. Carr’s raw numbers boggle the mind – he attempted 73 passes on the night, completing 52 of them for 456 yards, while also finding time to gain 24 more on the ground. The performance puts Carr on pace for a senior year to remember… if his arm can handle it.