College Football

Coach of the Year: Ron Zook, Illinois

The contest came down to the wire, but after last week's tie, some shuffling in the AP poll was the difference, giving the SportsRatings Coach of the Year award to Ron Zook of Illinois. This award is based on two elements: improvement from last season and exceeding expectations for this season, based on the algorithm detailed here. Zook narrowly edges Mark Mangino of Kansas, 66 points to 63 points.

Ron Zook's resurgence in the coaching world is quite amazing considering the abuse that was heaped on him at Florida. There are many who still doubt his coaching ability and have questioned some of his decisions—particularly in the loss to Iowa—and overall there's the notion that he's mostly a recruiter, not a game coach. That said, recruiting is a major part of the job; so is inspiring your team, which he clearly has done this year.

Zook's Illinois squad went from 2-10 last year to a BCS bowl game this year. If that's what a poor coach does, then every team in the country should demand a poor coach. The Illini are 9-3 this year—and improvement of seven wins from last season—and are playing USC in the Rose Bowl. This seemed like an impossible dream just a short while ago, and no one in the country expected anything but measured improvement from the team. They received no votes in the pre-season top 25, but finished at #13.

Here is the conference-by-conference Coach of the Year award, with three-place designations for the major conferences:

Big Ten
Coach of the Year: Ron Zook, Illinois - Zook was the overwhelming choice in the Big Ten, which didn't have too many success stories this year.
2nd place: Mark Dantonio, Michigan State - After last season's disaster, the Spartans made a bowl again in Dantonio's first year
3rd Place: Jim Tressel, Ohio State - The Buckeyes exceeded expections and finished first in the final AP poll
Honorable Mention: Bill Lynch, Indiana - In a tough and emotional situation following the death of Terry Hoepner over the summer, Lynch led the Hoosiers to their first bowl in over a decade.

Big 12
Coach of the Year: Mark Mangino, Kansas - A breakthrough year almost made Mangino the winner, just as it almost put Kansas in the national title hunt. After a 6-6 2006, the Jayhawks went 11-1 and are in a BCS bowl game. Hiring good assistants, recruiting diamonds in the rough, and teaching good fundamentals built the program over the last few years. Kansas finished 8th in the final AP poll after receiving no votes to start the season.
2nd Place: Gary Pinkel, Missouri - 11-2 and one game away from playing for the national title, the Tigers had eight wins last year and were expected to be a borderline top 25 program; they finished in the top ten.
3rd Place: Mike Leach, Texas Tech - They didn't improve substantially record-wise, but a big win over Oklahoma to end the season showed they can play with the best.
Honorable Mention: Dan Hawkins, Colorado - The former 2-10 Buffaloes are 6-6 and headed for a bowl game, and headed in the right direction under Hawkins.

Big East
Coach of the Year: Randy Edsall, Connecticut - 4-8 last year, 9-3 this year. The biggest turnaround of the year in the Big East, and from the man who brought UConn football into Division I-A.
2nd Place: Brian Kelly, Cincinnati - In his first season, the Bearcats improved to 9-3 and finished in the top 25.
3rd Place: Jim Leavitt, South Florida - The man who started the program had the team at #2 at mid-season, finishing in the top 25 with nine wins in '07.

Pac-10
Coach of the Year: Dennis Erickson, Arizona State - Another coaching job, another turnaround. Erickson's ASU improved from 7 wins to 10 wins, and was this close to getting a BCS bowl game after tying for the Pac-10 title.
2nd Place: Mark Riley, Oregon State - Not much else to choose from in the Pac-10. Riley gets the spot basically for finishing 3rd in the league, ahead of teams such as Cal and Oregon, and avoiding the meltdown that those teams had.
3rd Place: Mike Belotti, Oregon - If it weren't for Dennis Dixon's injury, Oregon would have been in the limelight, and Belotti with them. Unfortunately it didn't work out.

ACC
Coach of the Year: Al Groh, Virginia - The wins were close, but they were wins, and Virginia had four more this year than last, finishing in the top 25 and saving Groh's job.
2nd Place: Tommy Bowden, Clemson - Clemson finished 15th and 9-3, a quality season by any measure. Bowden might not be around next year, but he's left them in good shape.
3rd Place: Jeff Jagodzinski, Boston College - Jagodzinski took over an already good team and took them a step higher in 2007

SEC
Coach of the Year: Mark Richt, Georgia - His techniques may be controversial—like the end zone celebration against Florida—but they helped put his team into a BCS bowl game and a top 5 ranking.
2nd Place: Sly Croom, Mississippi State - Croom has one of the toughest jobs in coaching: An SEC school trying to compete in recruiting with every other southern school. But they're in a bowl this year after going 7-5. Just 3-9 last season, the Bulldogs upset Auburn, Kentucky, and Alabama in '07.
3rd Place: Rich Brook, Kentucky - Though they didn't have the breakthrough season they hoped for, 2007 put the spotlight on Kentucky football for a short while.
Honorable Mention: Les Miles, LSU - His gutsy calls in games against Florida and Auburn put LSU in a position to win the national championship. Now if he could just win those pesky triple-overtime games.

Conference-USA
Coach of the Year: George O'Leary - Another high point in O'Leary's rollercoaster career, the Knights have 10 wins and the C-USA crown after a disappointing 2006.

Mountain West
Coach of the Year: Troy Calhoun, Air Force - In his first year at the helm, Air Force improved from 4-8 to 9-3.

MAC
Coach of the Year: Gregg Brandon, Bowling Green - After a few down years Bowling Green is bowling once again at 8-4.
Honorable Mention: Shane Montgomery, Miami Ohio - Recovered from a disappointing 2-10 last year to post six wins.

SUN
Coach of the Year: Charlie Weatherbie, Louisiana-Monroe - Six wins and an upset of Alabama, not bad.
Honorable Mention: Howard Schnellenberger, Florida Atlantic - The Owls will be in their first bowl this year.

WAC
Coach of the Year: June Jones, Hawaii - 12-0, BCS bowl, what more do you want?

Coach of the Year - week 13 update: Dead Heat!!

It's down to the nitty-gritty now. With only one weekend of limited action left, the race is down to two men, and according to my simplistic but fun coach of the year algorithm, it's exactly tied! The two men are, of course, Kansas' Mark Mangino and Illinois' Ron Zook.

What this means is there's no clear leader, but one of these two is sure to get the national honor. For the purposes of this algorithm, the winner will be determined by the final AP poll, in which Kansas or Illinois may move up or down slightly depending on what the other teams do! Talk about not controlling your own destiny!

Mark Mangino, Kansas 64 points (-5) last week: #1 - The Mangino magic finally ran out last night as Missouri defeated Kansas. Still, the Jayhawks finished with an 11-1 record, up from last year's 6-6. They slid to #7 in the AP poll, but that's far better than they were expected to do: they received not a single vote at the beginning of the season.

Ron Zook, Illinois 64 points (+3) last week: #2 - The Illini were idle but managed to move up three spots in the AP poll to #15, after having no poll support in the pre-season. You can't blame the pollsters for lack of vision, however—the Illini only won two games last year, and I doubt even most hardcore Illinois fans thought they'd be looking at a New Year's Day bowl (and potentially still, a BCS bowl) this season after winning nine games!

others: Randy Edsall, Connecticut (43 points), Troy Calhoun, Air Force (41.5 points), Brian Kelly, Cincinnati (39 points), George O'Leary, Central Florida (39 points), Gary Pinkel, Missouri (37 points), Al Groh, Virginia (34 points), Dennis Erickson, Arizona State (31 points), Tommy Bowden, Clemson (29 points).

The basic argument between the two comes down to this: which form of exceeding expectations is considered more significant? Mangino's squad has been strictly average the last few years, until this season's breakthrough. Zook, on the other hand, took a team that won 2 games in 2006 and went 9-3 with them this year. So is going from middle-of-the-road to top 10 (nearly top 5) better than going from bottom-of-the-barrel to top 25?

There are arguments based on coaching style as well. Zook hasn't had a good reputation in recent years as a game coach, mainly being known as a recruiter, and has had some criticism this year as well about his gametime decisions. But he's also received praise for his own improvement, and there certainly aren't any "fireRonZook.com" sites popping up in Illinois. Mangino's success has also been written off by some as a product of his capable assistants. Others dispute that, or say that since the blame ultimately sticks to the head coach, so should the credit.

It's probably certain that, had Kansas won last night, Mangino would have sealed up the honor, and certainly with a Big 12 Championship he would have. But now it's close, real close.

And they said the Heisman race was neck and neck!

Coach of the Year - week 12 update

With only two regular-season weeks left, the race is nearing the finish and only a handful of candidates really have a chance anymore, so I've chopped the list off at the top five. But I add an addendum for the Coach of the Year contests in each of the major conferences. See week 6's post for the formula.

1. Mark Mangino, Kansas 69 points (+6) last week: #1 - Mangino stays in the lead; if Kansas wins out it's a done deal. He'd likely finish first even if Kansas loses the Big 12 championship game. A loss to Missouri next week opens the door a bit for the others' chances.
   

2. Ron Zook, Illinois 61 points (+6) last week: #2 - Illinois finished their season with another win, making them 9-3 after a 2-10 stinkfest last season. Any other year, Zook would be the hands-down favorite. If Kansas loses and stumbles enough in the polls he could win this algorithm's contest. For the real race, it depends on how voters compare Mangino's taking a mediocre 2006 team to the championship level vs. Zook's taking an abominable 2006 team to a New Year's Day bowl. Though many still think of Zook as primarily a recruiter, over the season most have been generally impressed with his game coaching as well.

3. Randy Edsall, Connecticut 51 points (+9) last week: #3 - Edsall is pretty far behind the others, and a big game with West Virginia looms. Win that—and with it, the Big East—and Edsall could slip past Zook, still needing Kansas to fall. He isn't getting as much press as the top two, probably because many consider UConn football a fluke. But he's taken a 4-8 team to 9-2 and UConn could have a 10-win season in just its eighth year in Division I-A. Beating West Virginia would make more people take notice.
   

4. Al Groh, Virginia 40 points (+0) last week: #4 - Virginia was idle last week, but next week plays Virginia Tech. Win that, and they play Boston College. Two more big wins over top 25 teams, and an ACC title could put Virginia into the top 10. That still puts him short of winning under any scenario, unless Kansas is blown out and Illinois drifts down several spots from teams passing them.
   

5. Troy Calhoun, Air Force 40 points (+6) last week: tied for 6th - Calhoun is a first-year head coach that took over a team with just four wins last season. Like Connecticut, Air Force now has 9 wins. The Falcons' regular season is over, and they are just outside the top 25, so Calhoun is probably going to finish fourth at best. Still, quite an accomplishment.

Others: Dennis Erickson, Arizona State 37 points (+2); Gary Pinkel, Missouri 31 points (+7); Brian Kelly, Cincinnati 31 points (-3); George O'Leary, Central Florida 30 points (+18); Mike Bellotti, Oregon 24 points (-7).

From this list can be inferred most of the Coach of the Year leaders for the major conferences:

Big 12: Mark Mangino, Kansas (69 points) AP rank: #2; 2007 record: 11-0; 2006 record: 6-6

Big 10: Ron Zook, Illinois (61 points) AP rank: #18; 2007 record: 9-3; 2006 record: 2-10

Big East: Randy Edsall, Connecticut (51 points) AP rank: #20; 2007 record: 9-2; 2006 record: 4-8

ACC: Al Groh, Virginia (40 points) AP rank: #16; 2007 record: 9-2; 2006 record: 5-7

Pac-10: Dennis Erickson, Arizona State (37 points) AP rank: #7; 2007 record: 9-1; 2006 record: 7-5

SEC: Rich Brooks, Kentucky (17.5 points) AP rank: #28; 2007 record: 7-4; 2006 record 7-5

Most of these races are pretty well settled. Mike Belotti of Oregon could slip ahead of Erickson if the Sun Devils falter and Belotti can coach Oregon to two wins without Dennis Dixon. And in the SEC, Brooks really needs a win over Tennessee to win that race; otherwise, Sylvester Croom of Mississippi State is a shoo-in with a win over rival Mississippi.

Coach of the Year - week 11

Now it gets interesting! Mark Mangino holds onto the lead but Ron Zook, buoyed by Illinois' big upset of Ohio State, is making a push. At this stage it's almost fair to say it's going to be one of these two men who take home the honor. Flying back into the race is Air Force's Troy Calhoun, and Mississippi State's Sylvester Croom makes his debut on the list. See week 6's post for the formula.

1. Mark Mangino, Kansas 63 points (+5) last week: #1 - Mangino's still the man as long as Kansas stays unbeaten. Lose a game and Ron Zook might get the nod. But it would be hard to deny the award to Mangino if he took the Jayhawks from 6-6 to 13-0.

2. Ron Zook, Illinois 55 points (+14) last week: #3 - From 2-9 last year to 8-3 and beating the #1 team in the country? Zook will be on everyone's short list at the end of the season.

3. Randy Edsall, Connecticut 42 points (-9) last week: #2 - Edsall is certainly deserving of the award, of that there's no doubt. But the two guys ahead of him might be more deserving. He still has a shot, if UConn can win the Big East and Illinois and Kansas stumble mightily.
   

4. Al Groh, Virginia 40 points (+11) last week: #6 - Tired of coaching his team to nail-biting victories, Groh's Cavaliers laid the smack down on Miami in the 'Canes final Orange Bowl contest, 48-0. Under pressure this year to produce results, Groh has nine victories, and if his team wins the ACC they'll be 11-2 from last year's 5-7. He still might not win the award but he'll receive mention no matter what.
   

5. Dennis Erickson, Arizona State 35 points (+4) last week: #4 - A win over California keeps Erickson treading water, but it'll be difficult for him to win even if ASU takes the Pac-10 crown.
   

6. Brian Kelly, Cincinnati 34 points (+10) last week: #7 - Back-to-back losses made everyone forget the job Brian Kelly's done at Cincinnati, but victories over South Florida and Connecticut reminded them that the Bearcats are for real.

7. (tie) Troy Calhoun, Air Force 34 points (+22) last week: unranked - Their win over Notre Dame gave the Falcons 8 wins on the year to last season's four. Calhoun will get respect for his first-year efforts, but other turnaround teams have reached higher or started even lower.

8. Sylvester Croom, Mississippi State 32 points (+24) last week: unranked - An upset of Alabama gave the Bulldogs their third upset victory of the season, the others coming at Auburn and Kentucky. After three straight 3-win seasons, Croom has his squad 6-4; in the toughest conference in the country, this is quite an accomplishment.

9. Mike Bellotti, Oregon 31 points (+1) last week: #5 - Oregon was idle last week but moved up a spot in the polls to #2. After correcting a mistake in last week's numbers for Bellotti he falls to ninth. With three games left he could make up some ground, but he probably won't catch the top candidates.

10. Tommy Bowden, Clemson 26 points (+5) last week: #8 - Clemson is in the driver's seat for the ACC title. Beat Boston College and they may face Virginia, which would make for a battle of ACC coaches formerly on the hot seat.
    

Falling off the list are Kentucky's Rich Brooks, who led the race a month ago when the Wildcats were flying high. Also, Jeff Jagodzinski fades away with Boston College's second loss. He would have been a hard sell anyway as he inherited a pretty darn good team to start with.

Good Mangino article at Yahoo Sports

A very in-depth article on Kansas coach Mark Mangino, who currently leads in the Coach of the Year standings. Great rundown of his recruiting success finding diamonds in the rough.

Coach of the Year - week 10 top 10

A lot of stability in the list this week, as the favorites are starting to break from the pack. A surprise face enters the race, too. See week 6's post for the formula.

1. Mark Mangino, Kansas 58 points (+7) last week: #1 - Still on top for the third week, Mangino's KU team got a ton of press for dropping 76 on Nebraska. Unlike Bill Belichick, who gets flak for running up the score, some people argue the Jayhawks' 11 TDs were fair payback for oh, about 35 years of the score going the other way...like 51-7 (2001), 56-17 (2000), 63-7 (1996), 59-23 ('91), 51-14 ('89), 63-10 ('88), 54-2 ('87), 70-0 ('86), 56-6 ('85), 67-13 ('83), 52-0 ('82), 54-0 ('80), 63-21 ('78), 52-7 ('77), 56-0 ('74), 56-0 ('72), and 55-0 ('71). Ok, I agree.

2. Randy Edsall, Connecticut 51 points (+4) last week: #2 - Soundly beating a decent Rutgers team puts UConn at 8-1, doubling their win total from last year, and leaving them alone at the top of the Big East.

3. Ron Zook, Illinois 41 points (+12) last week: #4(tie) - A soft spot in the Illini schedule helps Zook get his 7th win to last year's total of 2, and more attention from pollsters.

4. Mike Bellotti, Oregon 34 points (+5) last week: #4(tie) - After two big victories back-to-back, the nation is abuzz about...well, Dennis Dixon, not Mike Bellotti. How much of Dixon's improvement, especially consistency, is due to Bellotti's coaching and patience? That might be the question to answer to decide whether he deserves the coaching award to go with Dixon's possible Heisman.

5. Dennis Erickson, Arizona State 31 points (-3) last week: #3 - The loss to Oregon sets Erickson back behind Bellotti, but as a first year coach at ASU Erickson gets the "turnaround architect" benefit of the doubt. They still have a shot at the Pac-10 title if Oregon trips up.
   

6. Al Groh, Virginia 29 points (+10) last week: #7 - Al Groh is right back in it after yet another close win. How much can/should tight wins be credited to coaching? It's a good question, but if the answer is "a lot" then Groh should get credit by the boatload. (And so should Les Miles, while we're at it).

7. Brian Kelly, Cincinnati 24 points (+24) last week: unranked - I told people not to forget about Cincinnati, but the pollsters did last week as they didn't garner a single vote. After an upset(?) of South Florida the Bearcats are just outside the top 25 again and have matched their win total from 2006.

8. Tommy Bowden, Clemson 21 points (+5) last week: unranked - Tommy Bowden? Tommy Bowden. Tommy Bowden?!?! Why does it seem strange that he would show up here? Wasn't he supposed to be shown the door at the end of this season after Clemson's annual collapse? Well, that collapse hasn't materialized (yet) and if it can be averted, maybe so can Bowden's "retirement." A big finish—with a win over Boston College putting Clemson in the ACC championship game—could lead to the breakout season fans have been waiting for.
   

9. (tie) Rich Brooks, Kentucky 21 points (+3.5) last week: #9 - Idle weekend allowed Brooks time to work on his poetry, reflect on Karmic wisdom, and tackle some more of the Latvian dialects he so treasures to study. Naw, who am I kidding, he probably watched football and drank beer.

10. Jeff Jagodzinski, Boston College 20 points (-6) last week: #6 - Jag's chances probably evaporated with B.C.'s national title hopes.

Troy's Larry Blakeney probably needed to beat Georgia to be in the race, and the Trojans played well but came up short. Gary Pinkel slipped from the top ten despite a good win on Saturday, while Kansas State's Ron Prince slipped from the top ten due to a lousy loss to Iowa State.

Coach of the Year race - Mangino, Edsall lead week 9

This week the coaching race turns into a two man contest with the rest of the crowd playing catchup. Things can change fast though—just ask Rich Brooks! Unlike the Heisman race (most years), this one's usually not over until the last week or so. The top five candidates head teams that have already exceeded their regular season win total from last year.

See week 6's post for the formula (yes there's a formula).

1. Mark Mangino, Kansas 51 points (+8) last week: #1 - Kansas' ginormous Head Coach remains at #1 as the Jayhawks go 8-0 for the first time in almost 100 years. When Mangino took over, Kansas was on a downslope and hit bottom in his first year at 2-10. The four seasons that followed showed improvement and even a couple mediocre bowl games. Now Kansas is having a breakthrough year, and without any marquee superstars on the squad Mangino is getting a lot of the credit, which he deserves. Announcers keep hailing how well-coached the team is, which can't hurt his chances.

2. Randy Edsall, Connecticut 47 points (+17) last week: #3 - The upset of South Florida really got the pollsters' notice this week, as UConn sits at #16. People notice when a coach takes a team from a losing record one year to the top 25 the next. There are several more hurdles in front of the Huskies, though.

3. Dennis Erickson, Arizona State 34 points (+5) last week: #4 - Last week I noted that ASU's schedule didn't look quite as monstrous, with UCLA, Cal, and USC looking increasingly beatable. All three teams of those teams lost on Saturday, with the Bears falling victim to Erickson's Sun Devils. The next game, though, will make or break Erickson's chances. If ASU can win at Oregon, they have a shot at going undefeated, which is probably the only way he wins the honor. 

4. Mike Bellotti, Oregon 29 points (+5) last week: #8 - Speaking of Oregon, the big win over USC put them one victory up on last year's squad. The Coach of the Year battle next week will take second stage (if even that) to the national title, Pac-10 standings, and top 5 ramifications of the contest. But the winner keeps his hat in the ring, though probably remaining a long shot unless he wins out.

5. [tie] Ron Zook, Illinois 29 points (+17) last week: unranked - One win—over Ball State—and it's enought to put Ron Zook back on the board. Any team that's already tripled its W column from last year is showing remarkable improvement. The Illini have two winnable games left plus Ohio State. Going 2-1 would make for an 8-4 finish and Zook would be in the running for the award...an upset over the #1 Buckeyes and you might just have to hand it over to him on the spot.
   

6. Jeff Jagodzinski, Boston College 26 points (even) last week: #7 - Boston College got its big comeback win, but it didn't gain any points for Jeff Jagodzinski, though he moves up a spot. BC was already #2 in the country, and there's not much room for improvement there. With 9 wins last year, BC will have to stay undefeated for JJ to have a chance. It's all a game of expectations, and though they weren't that high for the Eagles pre-season, BC did well enough last year that it's going to be hard to convince people that their success can be fully attributed to their first-year head coach.

7. Al Groh, Virginia 19 points (-8) last week: #5 - NC State knocked the Cavs off their cloud last Saturday, but they still control their destiny in the ACC Coastal division. With a conference crown Groh could capture the CotY award, but he might have to settle for simple job security.

8. Larry Blakeney, Troy 18 points (+2) last week: unranked - When Blakeney took over at Troy in 1990 they were a Division II school transitioning to Division I-AA where they had so much success they made the move to Division I-A (there are longer words for those divisions but I don't use them). You think a Sun Belt coach can't get national attention? He will if the Trojans' third attempt at beating an SEC team works out at newly top-ten Georgia.

9. Rich Brooks, Kentucky 17.5 points (-14) last week: #2 - Just two weeks ago Rich Brooks was the leader in this race; two losses later, the latest a harmful upset, and UK is out of the top 25 and in bad position in the SEC East. Brooks chances see a similar decline, and it's doubtful he'll be able to get back into the race.

10. Gary Pinkel, Missouri 17 points (+4) last week: unranked - Pinkel brought the Missouri program up from mediocrity six years ago but has been criticized for never getting the team over the hump. This year the Tigers are 7-1 and ranked #9 in the AP poll. Four tough opponents block their path to a North Division title, but if they prevail Pinkel could steal the thunder from Kansas' Mark Mangino.

11. (tie) Ron Prince, Kansas State 17 points (+5) last week: unranked - Speaking of the Big 12, K-State's Prince re-enters the race tied for 10th with Pinkel. The Wildcats really don't have a good shot at the Big 12 crown, which will probably leave Prince short even if they win out. 

Air Force's loss to New Mexico drops the Falcons to third in the Mountain West and coach Troy Calhoun off our list. But he's not out—since Air Force only had 4 wins last year, a strong finish and a top 25 ranking might be all it takes to show that the first year coach has turned the program around and put him right back into the thick of things. South Florida's Jim Leavitt also falls out, but unlike Calhoun it's not likely he'll rebound if USF wins out over Cincinnati, Louisville, Pitt, and Syracuse.

Coach of the Year - update for week 8

It was a rough week for our coaching candidates.  Six of the top ten lost, and that's with two of them not playing! So we have a major shakup in the rankings, with four new faces as well as a new number one contender.

See week 6's post for the formula.

1. Mark Mangino, Kansas 43 points (+7.5) last week: #2 - Mangino's the man to beat at #1. Kansas has one more win than last year and is nearing the top ten in the AP. Oh yeah—they're also undefeated.

2. Rich Brooks, Kentucky 31.5 points (-6) last week: #1 - Brooks is still in contention but off a bit after the loss to Florida. On a subjective level, the Florida game did little to dispel the notion that UK's success is primarily a result of quarterback Andre Woodson's play.

3. Randy Edsall, Connecticut 30 points (+10) last week: unranked - UConn is getting some top 25 looks, as they should at 6-1, which is two more wins than they had all last year. They've only been Division I-A since 2000, but are currently leading the Big East.

4. Dennis Erickson, Arizona State 29 points (+5) last week: tied for #8 - Everything's falling into place for Erickson—his team even jumped five spots without playing! Add to that the fact that the upcoming brutal schedule is looking increasingly manageable, with UCLA, Cal and even USC looking beatable. Already at #7 in the polls, ASU has matched their win total from last year. 

5. Al Groh, Virginia 27 points (+10) last week: unranked - Just being considered for Coach of the Year would be redemption for Al Groh, who was on the hotseat at the beginning of the season and even moreso after the Cavs were socked by Wyoming, 23-3, in the opener. Since then UV has reeled off seven straight wins, already two more than last season, and entered this week's AP poll at #21.

6. (tie) Troy Calhoun, Air Force 27 points (+10) last week: unranked - Only 4-8 a year ago, Air Force is 6-2 with games coming up against New Mexico, Army, Notre Dame, and San Diego State. Winning out would likely make Calhoun a frontrunner for the award in his first year as head coach.

7. Jeff Jagodzinski, Boston College 26 points (+1) last week: #7 - Next week's game against Virginia Tech will advance or sink his candidacy, as the nation is waiting to see if the Eagles are really as good as their ranking.

8. Mike Bellotti, Oregon 24 points (+2) last week: #10 - Oregon certainly has the respect of the press corps, now #5 after being unrated to begin the year. One more win matches their 2006 total.

9. (tie) Jim Leavitt, South Florida 24 points (+9) last week: #4 - The Bulls' first loss took some wind out of Leavitt's sails, but he has intangibles on his side, having built the program from scratch. A strong finish and he'll be right back in the top few.

10. Pat Hill, Fresno State 18 points (+18) last week: unranked - With their shutout of San Jose State Saturday the Bulldogs improved to 5-2, surpassing their win total from last season and garnering their first top 25 votes. Playing in the WAC, those votes could evaporate with a loss, and with Boise State, Hawaii, and Kansas State remaining on the schedule, Hill's odds don't look good. A few upsets would put him in the spotlight, though.

Back-to-back losses rocked the candidacies of Illinois' Ron Zook and Cincinnati's Brian Kelly. Zook, #1 two weeks ago, could get back into it fairly quickly with a few wins, and former #2 Kelly's not completely out of the running either. South Carolina's Steve Spurrier and Kansas State's Ron Prince also lost and dropped out. 

Coach of the Year - week 7

This has quickly become my favorite thing to track. Who cares which team is #1? I wanna know, who should be Coach of the Year. See last week for the formula.

1. Rich Brooks, Kentucky 37.5 points (+9) last week: #6 - One very big upset later and Kentucky is the toast of the college football world. Brooks deserves credit for building the program he inherited after decades of mediocrity and NCAA probation. The Wildcats are in the top 10 at a school greatly overshadowed by basketball, but the question is how much of the 'Cats success will be attributed to Andre Woodson instead of Brooks.

2. Mark Mangino, Kansas 35.5 points (+4.5) last week: #4 - Kansas just matched their win total for last season at six.

3. Ron Zook, Illinois 35 points (-10) last week: #1 - The loss to Iowa took a bit of wind out of Ron Zook's Coach of the Year sails. Questionable coaching calls from Zook also allowed to Iowa convert a few critical 3rd downs. But the Illini are still just outside the top 25 and should be bowl-bound for the first time in since 2001, so these details will be forgotten...if they don't become a recurring theme.

4. Jim Leavitt, South Florida 33 points (+3) last week: #5 - The Bulls are undefeated and #2 in the country. 'Nuff said.

5. Brian Kelly, Cincinnati 28 points (-8) last week: #2 - It's because of Kelly's good work that Saturday's loss to Louisville was considered a disappointment; he made the Bearcats into the undefeated favorites rather than the Cardinals. They have some tough games ahead as they try to greatly improve on last year's results.

6. Ron Prince, Kansas State 26 points (+10) last week:unranked - Prince is rebuilding the program nicely and so far this year the Wildcats have exceeded all expectations with their top 25 ranking.

7. Jeff Jagodzinski, Boston College 25 points (+1) last week: #7 - Undefeated and #3 in the nation, Jagodzinski has the Eagles thinking national championship in his first year.

8. Steve Spurrier, South Carolina 24 points (+1) last week: #8 - The Gamecocks control their own destiny toward a rematch with LSU.

9. (tie) Dennis Erickson, Arizona State 24 points (+2) last week: #9 - Another undefeated team; one voter put them #1 this week. With USC and Cal looking vulnerable, this might be an interesting year for ASU in Erickson's debut.

10. Mike Bellotti, Oregon 22 points (+2) last week: unranked - Standing in ASU's way is Oregon, which is perhaps playing better than even the 2001 squad.  Like Rich Brooks, Bellotti might not get the credit for this year's exceeded expectations; that might go to QB Dennis Dixon.

Coach of the Year - week 6

Who will be named Coach of the Year? Who should be? After thinking about this a while in a subjective manner, I worked on a formula that captures pretty well what winners of this title tend to have—a good team that's exceeded expectations and improved from the previous year.

To capture exceeded expectations, I compare the team's AP ranking with the pre-season ranking (including the "others receiving votes", unranked = 51) to make a score from 1 to 50. For year-to-year improvement, I simply subtract this years # of wins from last year's, and multiply by 4 which gives a theoretical maximum of around 50 points as well (since the award is given before bowl games, I count last year's wins before any bowls). The total score, then, is around 100 points. A team that plays 13 games due to a conference championship game could get 102 points, but to do so they'd have to improve from winless to 13-0, and if they do that they deserve the extra 2 points. A good score at the end of the season is 50 points, and 75 is probably going to win it in any year.

The top ten candidates as of today:

1. Ron Zook, Illinois (45 points) - Ron Zook has turned the Illini around—from only 2 wins last year to 5-1 so far this year, they're #18 in the AP poll and just beat #5 Wisconsin. Only two years after being fired at Florida, Zook has a better record than Urban Meyer this season. Illinois fans may soon start up GiveRonZookAContractExtension.com.

2. Brian Kelly, Cincinnati (36 points) - First-year coach Kelly has the Bearcats undefeated and #15 after not receiving a single poll vote at the beginning of the year.

3. Dan Hawkins, Colorado (31.5 points) - No one expected troubled Colorado to be good this year, but in Hawkins' second year they're 4-2 and knocking on the door of the top 25 after beating Oklahoma and losing only to ASU and FSU. Like Illinois, they were 2-10 last year and are already guaranteed of a better season.

4. Mark Mangino, Kansas (31 points) - Mangino leads another unheralded but still undefeated team that just broke into the top 25.

5. Jim Leavitt, South Florida (30 points) - Everyone knows about the Bulls after their win over West Virginia, but Leavitt's been building a powerhouse at USF for years and finished 9-4 last year. Nonetheless, they weren't in the pre-season top 25; now, however, they're in the top five.

6. Rich Brooks, Kentucky (28.5 points) - Getting very little attention at the season's start, Brooks' Wildcats are 17th in the nation, hoping to bounce back from their first loss at South Carolina. Next week's LSU game could bring Brooks a lot of attention.

7. Jeff Jagodzinski, Boston College (24 points) - Another first year head coach, Jagodzinski inherited a solid program that won 9 games last year, yet they weren't expected to be a top 25 team—let alone #4, which is where the Eagles landed in this week's AP poll.

8. Steve Spurrier, South Carolina (23 points) - I hate it when people call him the "Ol Ball Coach" so I'll just mention that his team wasn't ranked pre-season, they're ranked #7 now, their only loss is to #1 LSU, and if the Gamecocks end up having a breakthrough season Spurrier should be considered the reason.

9. Dennis Erickson, Arizona State (22 points) - He may come with baggage but Erickson's getting the job done in his first year at ASU. Much improved from last year, and sitting at #14 and undefeated, it might be hard for him to win but if you look at things objectively he's a contender.

10. (tie) Bill Lynch, Indiana (22 points) - This one has a story. Lynch was technically an interim coach of sorts, taking over for Terry Hoeppner; when Hoeppner lost his battle with cancer Lynch became permanent head coach, and he's doing great things. At 5-1 he's equalled last year's win total and the Hoosiers are nearly in the top 25.

I like how this list came out—it basically reflected most of the names I was thinking of, and perhaps captured a few I hadn't been paying as much attention to. I will likely update it every week, or at least every other week.