Mario Benavides One Of Six Rimington Award Finalists

Louisville senior center, and ever-growing Twitter superstar, Mario Benavides was named one of six Rimington Award finalists on Monday. The award is given annually to the best center in college football.

Benavides is joined on the list of finalists by Braxston Cave (Notre Dame), Dalton Freeman (Clemson), Khaled Holmes (USC), Barrett Jones (Alabama), and Matt Stankiewitch (Penn State).

A four-year starter at Louisville, Benavides is the first Cardinal to be named a Rimington finalist since Eric Wood in 2008. He has started 46 of the last 50 games for U of L, and owns a streak of 21 consecutive starts dating back to last season.

This year's Rimington Trophy will be revealed live on ESPNU during the ESPN Red Carpet Show, immediately preceding The Home Depot College Football Awards airing live from the Atlantic Dance Hall at Disney's Boardwalk at the Walt Disney World Resort on Thursday, Dec. 6, beginning at 6:30 p.m. (CST).

The winner of the Rimington Trophy will be recognized during pre-game festivities at the BCS National Championship game, featuring No. 2 Alabama and top-ranked Notre Dame at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., on Jan. 7. The 13th annual Rimington Trophy Presentation will be held at the Rococo Theatre in Lincoln, Neb., on Jan. 13, where the recipient of the Rimington Trophy will be honored.

Major congrats to Mario.