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College Football National Coach of the Year Candidates - Part 1
By MoonDog | October 7, 2008
This is the first of a two-part series in which I’ll identify my personal choices for college football’s national coach of the year.
I have six coaches in mind I believe are worthy of consideration, starting this week with three candidates that should receive recognition for their accomplishments.
I’ll conclude the series next week with the other three candidates I have in mind.
Bobby Johnson, Vanderbilt
We’ve had a few surprises so far in 2008 but none have been bigger than the Vanderbilt Commodores, currently ranked No. 14 in the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll and leading the SEC East for the first time since Neville Chamberlain said, “I believe it is peace for our time.”
Vanderbilt Head Coach Bobby Johnson
The Commodores are perpetually faced with recruiting disadvantages against fellow SEC members, most notably in-state rival Tennessee just 190 miles east of Nashville.
Vanderbilt has the smallest recruiting budget in the conference, which generally translates into the Commodores having less talent when they take the field each week.
They play in the smallest stadium in the conference and haven’t had a winning season since 1982, one of the longest streaks in college football.
But since Bobby Johnson took over in 2002, the Commodores have shown improvement every season, winning conference games that were once unachievable.
Vandy’s 5-0 start is an even greater accomplishment when you consider the Commodores are last in the SEC in total offense and 10th in total defense. But Vanderbilt does lead some of the most important statistical categories.
The Commodores are the least penalized team in the SEC, committing only 16 infractions in five games.
Vandy has a +9 turnover margin, they have the best red zone offense, the No. 2 red zone defense and they lead the SEC in sacks with 16.
Vanderbilt has a tough remaining schedule, facing three ranked opponents but eight or nine wins is very possible and a major bowl bid is well within reach.
Considering how stacked the deck is against Johnson, he’s proven to be the leading candidate for national coach of the year.
Butch Davis, North Carolina
When Mack Brown coached the North Carolina Tar Heels from 1988 until 1997, the football program enjoyed it’s greatest run of success. Brown won 69 games in Chapel Hill and posted three 10-win seasons, including two Top 10 finishes in 1996 and ‘97.
North Carolina Head Coach Butch Davis
When Brown left to take the head job at Texas, North Carolina’s program sunk quickly with Carl Torbush and John Bunting combining to produce a record of 44-63 in a 10-year period.
In November of 2006, former University of Miami head coach Butch Davis was hired to replace Bunting, a move that was welcomed news for North Carolina fans.
Davis inherited a very inexperienced team with many of his players never playing a down of college football. But just as he had turned around the Hurricanes program, Davis made the Tar Heels competitive in his first season.
Although North Carolina finished 4–8 in 2007, six of those losses were by six points or less, with two of those losses coming against teams ranked in the top 15 at the time.
Davis’ penchant for recruiting top-level talent served him well, signing the nation’s No. 30 recruiting class according to Scout earlier this year. North Carolina has already received commitments from two of 2009’s Top 100 players and are currently ranked as the No. 20 recruiting class.
North Carolina’s only loss came against No. 18 Virginia Tech by three points, a game they lead 17-3 midway through the third quarter.
The Tar Heels are currently 4-1 coming off of last week’s 38-12 win against previously unbeaten Connecticut. The win propelled North Carolina into the AP Top 25 for the first time in seven years.
North Carolina has a big test against Notre Dame at home on October 11, but the remaining schedule is very manageable. The Tar Heels can easily win nine or 10 games, with an outside shot at going undefeated the rest of the year.
Davis will certainly lead North Carolina to their first major bowl bid since 2001 and deserves strong consideration for coach of the year honors.
Kyle Whittingham, Utah
Be honest - how many of you knew the Utah Utes were ranked No. 13 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Top 25 poll? Since their season opening 25-23 win on the road against Michigan, the Utes have continued to roll, albeit quietly.
Utah Head Coach Kyle Whittingham
Last week Utah took care of business against Oregon State, defeating the Beavers 31-28. That’s the same Oregon State team that knocked off then top-ranked USC on September 25.
Whittingham has been associated with the Utah program since 1994 when he was hired as the defensive line coach. In his fourth season since taking over for Urban Meyer, Whittingham has continued to build the Utes into one of the nation’s more respectable programs.
Whittingham has guided Utah to three consecutive bowl victories and has done it with players that aren’t anywhere near as highly regarded as the nation’s elite football programs.
Seldom finishing among the top 60 recruiting classes in the nation, Utah has won 24 games over the last three years coming into the 2008 season.
The Utes are currently 6-0 and one of the few teams outside the major conferences with a realistic shot at a BCS bowl, doing it with a team nowhere near the preseason Top 25 rankings.
The Utes aren’t flashy, currently ranked No. 39 in total offense in the nation. Utah isn’t terribly strong defensively either and they are one of the most penalized teams in the Mountain West.
But they find a way to win every week, and considering the Utes have only two games remaining against teams that can beat them, Utah is positioned to be in the mix for the BCS national title.
The last game of the season against BYU, currently ranked No. 8 in the ESPN/USA Today poll, will determine whether Utah has a chance of being one of the participants in the BCS championship game in Miami.
Even if they don’t win that game, Utah will earn a major bowl bid and they will have done it with a bunch of guys no one outside of Salt Lake City has ever heard of.
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Tags: Utah Utes, Mountain West, Coach of the Year, Butch Davis, Candidates, NCAA Football, Vanderbilt Commodores, Bobby Johnson, MoonDog, BCS, Kyle Whittingham, SEC, ACC, college football, North Carolina Tar Heels
Topics: NCAA Football |
13 Responses to “College Football National Coach of the Year Candidates - Part 1”
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October 7th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
butch davis!!
ANY joe pa in there HA!
October 7th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
Joe is next week. I won’t reveal the other two. Have to keep my three loyal readers on the edge of their seats.
October 7th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
Buuuuuuuutch!
October 7th, 2008 at 2:41 pm
Good calls MoonDog. I’ve been telling people that UNC would be in line to win their division in the ACC. It’s hard to argue the Commodores and Utes, too.
October 7th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
Gary Pinkel.
October 7th, 2008 at 4:43 pm
Had UNC beat VT, they probably would have won that division and played for the ACC championship. Now, the Hokies have in effect a two-game lead.
Go Purple:
I like Pinkel but Mizzou was expected to be this good. I’m not saying he hasn’t done a good job, but I believe more credence should be given to coaches that have produced great results that weren’t expected to do so.
October 7th, 2008 at 8:37 pm
Fulmer not on your list???
I would like to nominate UT’s Clawson and Auburn’s Tony Franklin for the Broyles Award.
October 7th, 2008 at 10:50 pm
Fulmer, Clawson and Franklin each have a big box of crayons.
October 8th, 2008 at 10:35 am
[...] Rookie Awards. The Sports Culture - Shaq: I am the black Michael Phelps (video). Moon Dog Sports - College Football National Coach of the Year Candidates, Part 1 Steady Burn - Golf and Sex, Bursting at the [...]
October 8th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
Moon, respectfully disagree. Before last year Mizzou was mired in a permanent state of mediocrity, with Pinkel on the hot seat. Now he has proved that their great season was not a fluke…
October 8th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
I don’t disagree, but I’m focusing on this season which again, Mizzou was expected to be this good. Of course it doesn’t hurt when you have the leading candidate for the Heisman calling signals for you.
If it makes you feel better I’ll include an honorable mention for Pinkel.
October 8th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
Franklin’s crayons got taken away today.
Are any Vols thinking about replacing the Clawfense with the Spread?
October 22nd, 2008 at 12:12 am
College Football National Coach Of The Year Candidates - Part 2…
I’m finally getting around to writing the second part of this mini series highlighting those coaches I believe are worthy candidates for college football’s National Coach of the Year.
In Part 1, I made a case for Vanderbilt’s Bobby J…