Okay, this sounds like a silly topic but bear with me because it is.
While seeing coaches like Bill Snyder and Bill O'Brien turn teams around that did not look very good, one would think that they would win the coveted Coach of the Year Award. However, the coaches who receive high praise and become greatly disappointed do not receive the recognition for how bad their job at coaching was. This got me to thinking that there should be an award for those coaches. This award was inspired by the Fulmer Cup, which was indirectly awarded to the teams with the most negative activity off the gridiron. The award was not named after a head coach, but appropriately after our FAVORITE Assistant Coach All-Time, the Walrus himself, Jim Bollman!
There will be one winner from each conference and each winner will go against each other to determine the recipient.
With that, here are the nominees in the BCS Conferences:
(List subject to change)
ACC:
Frank Beamer (VT, Record: 4-4. Preseason ACC Coastal Favorites)
Paul Johnson (GT, Record: 3-4. ACC Coastal Preseason Dark Horse)
Mike London (UVA, Record: 2-6. Won 8 games last year. Last place in whole ACC)
Big East
Doug Marrone (SYR, Record: 3-4. Had high expectations and includes loss to Minnesota. Keep in mind Marqueis Gray was injured during this game, and Minnesota is a bigger trainwreck without him.)
Paul Chryst (PITT, Record: 3-4. Lost to Youngstown State but beat ACC JBACOTY Nominee Frank Beamer's VT Hokies)
Skip Holtz (USF, Record: 2-5. Worst record in Big East. Son of Dr. Lou.)
Big 12:
Mack Brown (UT, Record: 4-2. Got blown out by Oklahoma. Pulls in top recruiting classes yearly.)
Charlie Weis (KU, Record: 1-6. Worst record in Big 12. Has a decided schematic advantage.)
Art Broyles (BU, Record: 3-2. Will probably not win the award due to RGIII's loss hurting his team's performance.)
Big Ten*:
Mark Dantonio (MSU, Record: 4-4. One of the top B1G teams in the preseason.)
Brady Hoke (UM, Record: 5-2. Record is deceiving. Much more difficult games coming up down the stretch. Ranked in preseason top 10. Preseason B1G Champs.)
Danny Hope (PU, Record: 3-4. Coming into B1G play, was favorite to represent Leaders division in Indy. Still getting used to it, I guess.)
Pac-12:
Mike Leach (WSU, Record: 2-5. Called entire senior class lazy. Lost to currently 1-win Colorado.)
Jeff Tedford (CAL, Record: 3-5. Blown out in The Big Game, has top WR prospect.)
Kyle Wittingham (UTAH, Record: 2-4. Lost to Utah State.)
SEC:
Gene Chizik (AUB, Record: 1-6. Lost to Arkansas)
John L. Smith (ARK, Record: 3-4. Has Jim Heacock, but lost to ULM, blown out by Alabama. Preseason Top 10. Smiles when losing.)
Gary Pinkel (MIZZ, Record: 3-4. Lost to Vanderbilt and was blown out at home vs Alabama and Georgia.)
Again, the names will flip around weekly, but the favorite is listed at the top of each conference, so let's hear who your favorites are.
*- Kirk Ferentz is permanently ineligible for this award due to him being the greatest coach to ever coach the game of football.
Comments
And the winner iiissss...MACK BROWN!!!! Top recruiting classes year after year and not much to show for it.
An angry fan...rooting for an angry team...led by angry coaches
Oh yeah, there's a winner for every conference and one overall.
/Duff'd It
I know, only a natty title and another title appearance. He may be past his prime though.
Run_Fido's favorite word is strawman.
Mack Brown was a one pump chump. He won a title due to Vince Young. The game against Alabama wasn't even close with McCoy. People say the same about Tressel, but he got there 3 times, with 3 totally different teams....
"We have a quarterback, obviously, that's kind of ridiculous running the ball." - Urban Meyer
Its not even close, Gene Chizik
Favorite Buckeye: Obviously BJ Mullens
Mack Brown is wondering what a guy has to do to get an award like this named after himself. An OL/OC can only do so much, but a head coach can make it happen on offense, defense and special teams.
I was stuck between Bollman and Rich Rodriguez. Went with Bollman because he was a position coach, and position coaches are supposed to get their position players to play great. He failed to do so. Also, Texas has an easy schedule down the road. 10 wins isn't impossible.
/Duff'd It
Gene Chizik.
Class of 2010.
Chizik.
Mack had a very mediocre career prior to Texas. Two quarterbacks put him in the spotlight. Great recruiter, terrible coach.
An angry fan...rooting for an angry team...led by angry coaches
How does Bo Pelini not get a nomination for the B1G?
List is subject to change. Could be a finalist in the coming weeks.
/Duff'd It
I fully get why Mike Leach is on this list but he was absolutely right in calling out his senior class. Fans around here agree with him. He said Wazzu developed a "culture of it being ok to lose" and he is absolutely right. They don't rally, they give up, which was the standard operating precedure under Wulf.
Its going to take him a few years to right this ship. Leach speaks honestly and at times, really says things that you might hear Urbs say because they are so obvious to all.
My pick is John L. Smith. Never anywhere long enough to unpack his luggage anymore because he sucks and now owes like $50 million to creditors after making how much money in his life???
Urban has actually said that he is friends with Mike Leach and that they talked a good amount during his year off and prior to that. They are similar in that they like to tell it like it is and not sugar coat things. The two don't really agree on offensive style, but they respect each others ideas and talk football.
We should have a weekly Fickell award for most inconsistent
Chizik - He needs someone to buy him another quarterback!
Charlie Weis - he called out his own student newspaper and sat his seniors!!!! but is it at kansas. I don't think chizik was supposed to prove much anyway.
I like football
ACC - Beamer. Constantly underachieving.
Big East - Chryst. see above.
Big 12 - Would like to go with Mack for underachieving but Weis wins for general douchebaginess.
B1G - Hope
Pac-12 - Wittingham
SEC: Chizick
"Because the rules won't let you go for three." - Woody Hayes
THE Ohio State University
Generally agree with this, but I'd pick Tedford in the Pac-12.
Chizik, by A LOT.
In honor of Jim Bollman, who is an inept assistant and not a HC (but still can dictate the outcome of a game with his inability to coach), I would currently say the frontrunner for this award is....
Whoever the Defensive Coordinator of West Virginia is.
Champions Bleed Scarlet & Gray