I'll drink when I get home if this is already up somewhere, but thought everyone would be interested.
Former NFL great and longtime ESPN analyst Ron Jaworski announced Friday that Virginia Tech head coach Justin Fuente is one of 16 semifinalists for the George Munger Coach of the Year Award, which is presented yearly by the Maxwell Football Club. Jaworski serves as president of the Maxwell Club.
Fuente and UCF's Scott Frost are the only two coaches on the list who are in their first seasons at their respective schools. In addition, Fuente is only one of two ACC head coaches on the semifinalist list.
The others:
George Munger Coach of the Year Semifinalists
Nick Saban - Alabama
Mike MacIntyre - Colorado
Bobby Petrino - Louisville
Jim Harbaugh - Michigan
Urban Meyer - Ohio State
James Franklin - Penn State
Neal Brown - Troy
Ken Niumatalolo - Navy
Scott Frost - UCF
Kyle Whittingham - Utah
Chris Petersen - Washington
Mike Leach - Washington State
Dana Holgorsen - West Virginia
P.J. Fleck - Western Michigan
Paul Chryst - Wisconsin
Comments
Saban? really? I mean anyone with that much access to funding and talent can have a successful team year in and year out...oh, sorry Brian Kelly, I didn't see you over there.
He's sitting with Les Miles and Charlie Strong. Kinda gets lost in the crowd.
Has he been fired yet? I thought he was going to be back next year.
Honestly not sure how Saban doesn't win this award every year. He's probably the greatest coach of all time.
People in Miami would argue otherwise.
People in Miami didn't see their team do what Saban's done for the past decade.
No, they saw a coach that was mediocre and jumped ship after 2 years.
Would love to see the bill belecheck vs saban post game press conferences.
Most boring annoying to interview people. But damn good coaches
My favorite part of this is that Alabama has the best argument against it, too.
Way to go Coach Fu
Franklin, Petersen and MacIntyre will probably be top 4 along with Saban as long as they don't collapse down the stretch
All very deserving. Happy with coach Fu but you can't take anything away from that lot.
Penn St fans had mixed feelings on Franklin to start the season... they are playing in the Big 10 championship
Petersen just continues to prove his excellence. He topped out at BSU, he still hasnt found a ceiling at Washington.
And Mike McIntyre - That guy turned a consistently bad program into a top 10 team in short order. The Buff's were not a team I expected to be good anytime soon.
What a great list for Coach Fu to be mentioned with. Solid year 1.
If we win out... I could see it. Otherwise, there's always next year.
That's one impressive list. I've got a lot of respect for all of these coaches.
Almost all of these coaches.
Most of these coaches.
God! Fine! 75% of these coaches!
I respect Urban Meyer, as a coach. Meyer came in and immediately had OSU running like a well-oiled machine, sanctions be damned. Same with Petrino, but to a lesser extent.
Urban, I would say, is closest to being a coach I respect. I'm kinda "meh" towards him. This isn't based on stats, W/L, Championships, purely gut feeling of "would I want to play/have my son play for this guy?"
I like Leach, but dang he needs to stop losing to FCS teams to open the seasons.
Where's Narduzzi?
You sir, have earned my utmost respect
Well, he's never gonna make it on the list with a request that calm.
I find it irksome that Saban is on this list. Yes, I'm sure he overcomes a season's worth of adversity each week down there in Tuscaloosa...
It's impressive that he keeps them motivated enough to win so consistently. But not impressive enough to be a COTY candidate.
edit: though now that I think about it, he willingly puts himself in the same town as Lane Kiffin so
Earlier this evening, I was listening to a local (Nashville) UT/Vols weekly radio show, with Chris Lowe (ESPN) and another guy (John ?). At the end of the show, the John guy said -- "who would have thought in Aug that UT's best win of the season would be against Virginia Tech?". He went on to pile on the praise of Virginia Tech and Coach Fuente, going 9-3, winning at ND, etc. He said his vote for National Coach of the Year would go to Coach Fuente, especially when considering he's in Year 1 at VT. Chris Lowe piped in to say he'd vote for Coach MacIntyre -- and that MacIntyre is the "national leader" for that award. The John guy said, that's fine, but Coach Mac is in what, year 4? And Coach Fuente is in Year 1.
While I agree MacIntyre likely gets the award, it is HUGE that Fuente is in this conversation after 1 year in Blacksburg. And, I can't tell you all how refreshing it is to hear positive things about Virginia Tech on the local radio here in SEC country. I honestly don't think I've heard the words "Virginia Tech" (or "Vah Tech") since the Battle at Bristol week. And even then, it was barely mentioned.
Go Hokies!!
Fuente had a good stock of talent to work with in a recruiting hot-bed. I grew up in Boulder, Colorado: not exactly brimming with 4* talent, let alone 3*.
Blacksburg loves football. Boulder finds it barbaric and even voted to not allow University funds to go to sports. It's donor base is paltry.
Not to take anything away from Fuente, I think he's done an amazing job in just year one, but what Macintyre did is nothing short of magic.
You statements are counter to the fact that Colorado had excellent teams in the '89 & '90, even winning a NC. I can't speak to not allowing university funds to go to sports, but they certainly have had a great deal of interest in college football. Much like Nebraska, they recruit their skill position players from outside the state.
We do too, to some extent. Many of our top skill spots lately are not from VA.
That's a crowded list to elbow into for the national award, but I think Fuente deserves ACC COY at the least.
As you wish
Mmm...I'd go MacIntyre, Franklin, Fuente, Fleck, Petersen in some order. If Colorado, PSU, Washington, or VT win their conference championship game, that's the coach I take. If more than one does, then I'll probably go MacIntyre, Franklin, Petersen, Fuente in that order.
Colorado was a trash heap when MacIntyre took over.
Franklin is still working with walk ons
Petersen took over a moribund Washington program
Fuente had the best tools to work with when he arrived and got a lot out of them
Anyone know what day the ACC Coach of the Year is released?
Whenever Fuente is available for the media and the presentation.
Fuck Pat Narduzzi
Must be today. Not sure.
/s
Looks like I asked just minutes before the announcement. Great anticipation, huh
Hmm, I think if vote Fuente...4th? Colorado coach wins in a landslide I think.
Why? What is Colorados big win? They have some embarrassing losses though.
Who cares? They went 10-2 after being literal bottom dwellers in the conference. That turn around is amazing. VT going 9-3 is impressive, and many didn't expect it, but I mean, it wasn't absurd. It was just an optimistic outcome.
And they didn't have embarrassing losses...they lost early on in a competitve battle against Michigan. Michigan is just a better team, no shame in that lose, and certainly no embarrassment. And they lost to a USC team that completely rebuilt themselves after a rough start by switching QBs. If those are embarrassing losses...I don't even wanna hear how you describe our losses.
Maybe Franklin gets more votes than I originally thought. Penn State sure shut everyone up about OSU or Michigan winning the conference. But Penn State had more to work with than Colorado IMO. However they have better wins for sure and pretty similar status in terms of losses, although a bit worse IMO.
Fleck might grab a few, but WMU plays in a poor conference compared to the B1G and PAC12. I bet he places third. That leaves Fuente at 4th. Very well deserved.
Yeah good thing we only have good losses...like Syracuse.
Colorado is the feel good story of the year in CFB. I get we're all kinda homers here but he would deserve it.
I'm not comparing VT and Colorado. I'm just saying the love fest over a supposed good to some people saying borderline playoff team is a little much. The PAC is kinda bad this year. Colorado lost to USC and will probably lose to Washington the two only other good PAC teams this year. I'm just not sold on them going to the next level in terms of "bak". To me national coach of the year requires more than a turnaround of a program. I don't think Fuente is it either. I'd more likely vote for Fleck or Bohl.
So you're saying that you wouldn't vote for MacIntyre because the PAC is a week conference but you would vote for the head coach of either Western Michigan or Wyoming?
What kind of logic is that? Colorado just beat a top 25 team last week to win their division, which USC is in by the way.
Their two losses are to USC (who they gave a game) and Michigan; both on the road.
I'm not saying Fleck or Bohl aren't worth candidates as well, but your logic is flawed.
The other thing that I think helps MacIntyre is that their starting QB, Liufau, was hurt in both of their losses. He was hurt in the Michigan loss when Colorado was only down 31-28. After that, Colorado couldn't move the ball and Michigan put the game away. The backup also played the entire USC game and it was still close!
These losses aren't so terrible when your Senior QB is out.
The conference doesn't have to be world beaters to have a coach of the year. But the Colorado turnaround was made much easier because the PAC isn't that good. Whereas Fleck and Bohl had to coach up their teams because the competition level compared to their squads was about equal. Can you really say Colorado is the best team in the PAC south?
I don't think you know how bad Colorado was. I think the ceiling for Colorado at the beginning of this year was bowl eligibility. To win the division was unthinkable.
They have wins over Oregon, Arizona St, Stanford, Washington St., and Utah. Admittedly, not world beaters but a solid resume still.
It's not as if Colorado was an average team that should've won the games they did because the division was weaker. They over-achieved this year. Coach gets credit for that.
Fleck and Bohl are equally as deserving of the attention. My point isn't to tell you you're wrong about them. I just think Colorado deserves a lot of credit.
They're the only 10-win team in the Pac South, and have allowed the least amount of points in the entire conference. Also they haven't had a winning record since '04, hadn't even had a player drafted since 2013, and hadn't beaten a ranked team since '09.
Bohl had a hard job too, but Colorado was far from an easy turnaround.
Yeah, as far as supporting his stance with logic, he is all over the place. PAC12 bad conference? Give vote to WMU...in the MAC. And why would them probably losing to Washington affect anything? The game hasn't been played yet...it seems some people think Colorado is still a powerhouse team from the 90's? Because they aren't Colorado has been absolute trash recently. Like, bottom 3 in P5 bad...
Because I feel it took less coaching to get Colorado to that point this year than it took Bohl at Wyoming.
Why?
Because Colorado didn't have to play that much better to win the games it did. It lost to the better teams it played and beat the ones it should have the only tough game for them this year was Utah.
Found this in a quick Google search but I suspect you'll find other predictions similar. This site had them picked last in their division.
They won their division. A Power 5 conference division mind you.
Since 2011, not including this year, they are 14-48 overall. They haven't been to a bowl since 2007.
Link
The third-best P5 division, per Jeff Sagarin.
http://www.thekeyplay.com/comment/494326#comment-494326
Look at that List and add in actual W/L records then tell me besides Utah that Colorado had to be coached up to beat?
Seriously man, go look into Colorado. Their last few years, records, expectations, etc. You seems to have a fundamental misunderstanding about them. The games they won this year? Many of them they weren't expected to win.
What use does preseason predictions have? Using them ND and a Texas would still be playoff teams. The reality is the PAC 12 South was not very good this year.
I'll paste what Guitarman linked...
Here are the updated Sagarin ratings...
http://sagarin.com/sports/cfsend.htm
SEC West (84.29)
Pac-12 North (79.22)
Pac-12 South (78.59)
Big Ten East (78.13)
ACC Coastal (77.75)
Big 12 (76.90)
ACC Atlantic (76.55)
Big Ten West (75.48)
AAC West (72.60)
SEC East (72.46)
Well that just doesn't seem right since the Big Ten East has Mich and OSU those two teams alone not counting PSU make the Big Ten East better.
welp, we've reached the point where facts and figures hold no sway over opinions and gut feelings. It's been great y'all, I'm outta here. **COLLAPSES THREAD**
It's an opinion of Sagrin, I have the issue with. You think the PAC 12 South with Az, AZ st and UCLA is better than Big 10?
Yep...you clearly don't know what you're talking about. Did you even click on that link?
Yes, it's a computer program set up by him or people helping him. Anyone can set up a syste, to give them results doesn't make them the only information out there. His are usually the best, but eye test says it's crap that the PAC 12 South is better than the Big Ten East.
You see them referenced a lot. You can't just throw it out because you don't agree with what it says.
Ok...seriously...I'm done here. I've made my point. Take it or leave it. But really, go look up Colorado's history. They are a great story.
I'm not denying that. You can still appreciate something without thinking it's the best.
I'm getting second hand embarrassment from reading your comments...come on man, you were clearly mistaken about this, be happy! You learned something new!
psshh, they have RichRod so yeah. Duh.
Seriously though, you've got those three rounding out the bottom of the PAC-12 South (5-7, 4-8, 3-9) and then you've got Indiana (6-6), Maryland (6-6), Mich State(3-9), and Rutgers (2-10) in the B1G east. So maybe it's a toss up. Oh look, Sagarin has one 78.59 and the other 78.13. Either way, we're talking 3rd or 4th out of 10 with a marginal difference. We're not talking SEC East here.
there are also 4 teams in the Pac12 south that had top 10 sos. Stanford, Arizona, USC, and UCLA. That factors into things too...
It also has Indiana, Rutgers, and Maryland.
I'm really not sure why you're pushing back so hard on all this.
The third-best P5 division, per Jeff Sagarin.
http://www.thekeyplay.com/comment/494326#comment-494326
Texas fired their coach and the rumor mill is churning in South Bend over Kelly's job.
You're right, pre-season picks mean nothing. But they do tell you what the expectations are for a program. Needless to say they weren't very high at Colorado.
I'm not asking you to bow down at the alter of the Buffs. I'm just trying to help you appreciate how that program was perceived coming into the year. They've had an amazing year. MacIntyre deserves any awards he gets.
At this point you're being ignorant. I've made my point and you've made yours.
I'm not saying he isn't 2nd or 3rd in voting for coach of the year he just isn't my top pick.
That's fine. I get that, really.
I wasn't trying to prove you wrong. I just wanted point out that this Colorado team is have a better season than you seem to think.
1: what the hell is pornally?
2: what are you doing on your phone that autocorrect replaces whatever you were trying to type with pornally?
It's hard to type while feeding a baby. My phone never autocorrects correctly and sometimes it just makes up strings of words, it also calls people randomly.
May God have mercy on your soul when your wife finds out about whoever is saved in your contacts under "pornally."
Why did I laugh SO hard at this
It says
Not sure who that guy is though.
He likes a good time.
is his number 867-5309?
Petersen is also a guy who would get my vote
Fleck. WMU was the suckiest or all suckers while sucking.
Franklin gets my vote.
Fuente is going to be on XM College Sports Chanel 84 Full Ride at noon.
Hot take: Fuente wins it if we beat Clemson