Michigan State's Kirk Cousins and Northwestern's Dan Persa were named two of 10 finalists for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, given annually to a senior with notable achievements in four areas of excellence - community, classroom, character and competition. The Big Ten is tied for the lead among all conferences with two finalists after boasting eight nominees for the award, twice as many nominees as any other conference.

The finalists were chosen by a media committee from the list of 30 candidates announced in August. Nationwide fan voting begins immediately to determine the winner. Fans are encouraged to vote on either the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award website or the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award Facebook fan page through December 5. Fan votes will be combined with media and Division I FBS head coaches' votes to determine the winner.

The Lowe's Senior CLASS Award was first presented in the sport of football in 2008 with Ohio State's James Laurinaitis earning the honor. Penn State's Stefen Wisniewski was a finalist for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award last season.