In this latest watch list, it’s all about the Big 12 and SEC, with a healthy sprinkling of the Pac-12 for good measure.
The Bear Bryant Award announced Friday a watch list for its annual Coach of the Year that consists of 20 coaches from seven of the 10 FBS conferences. It’s mainly, though, a list consisting of coaches from the leagues mentioned in the lede.
The Big 12 and SEC lead all conferences with five coaches apiece, while the Pac-12 is right behind with four. The Big Ten, with two, is the only other conference with more than one, with the AAC, ACC and Conference USA hitting that singular number.
Six of the coaches on this year’s initial watch list were on last year’s as well: Baylor’s Art Briles, Florida State’s Jimbo Fisher, Oregon’s Mark Helfrich, Auburn’s Gus Malzahn, Alabama’s Nick Saban and Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops. Malzahn, incidentally, won last year’s award.
As for this year’s contenders? If it were up to me, and at the moment, I’d split the award right down the middle and hand one piece to East Carolina’s Ruffin McNeill and Mississippi State’s Dan Mullen.
That said, below are the 20 members of the Bear Bryant Award watch list. Bitch, whine and/or moan about who’s on it/not on it below that:
- Art Briles, Baylor
- Mark Dantonio, Michigan State
- Jimbo Fisher, Florida State
- Huge Freeze, Ole Miss
- Todd Graham, Arizona State
- Mark Helfrich, Oregon
- Dana Holgorsen, West Virginia
- Doc Holliday, Marshall
- Brian Kelly, Notre Dame
- Gus Malzahn, Auburn
- Ruffin McNeill, East Carolina
- Dan Mullen, Mississippi State
- Gary Patterson, TCU
- Bo Pelini, Nebraska
- Mark Richt, Georgia
- Rich Rodriguez, Arizona
- Nick Saban, Alabama
- Bill Snyder, Kansas State
- Bob Stoops, Oklahoma
- Kyle Whittingham, Utah