The head coaches for the two teams that will vie for the final BCS title trophy are up for one of the most highly-regarded coaching honors at the FBS level.
The Football Writers Association of America announced Wednesday the names of the eight finalists for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year award. Included in that group are Florida State’s Jimbo Fisher and Auburn’s Gus Malzahn, the former who will be coaching the Seminoles in their first BCS title game since the 1999 season and the latter the Tigers’ first since the 2010 season.
Joining Fisher and Malzahn as finalists are Baylor’s Art Briles, Duke’s David Cutcliffe, Michigan State’s Mark Dantonio, UCF’s George O’Leary, Missouri’s Gary Pinkel and Stanford’s David Shaw.
This season, the eight finalists combined for 90-13 record, six division titles, six conference championships and six BCS bowl berths.
The award named in honor of the legendary Grambling State head coach has been handed out annually since 1957 and was won by Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly in 2012.