Stop us if you've heard this one before: Urban Meyer is not a finalist for a coach of the year award.
The Football Writers Association of America announced its five finalists for the 2016 Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award on Tuesday. They are: Western Michigan's P.J. Fleck, Penn State's James Franklin, Colorado's Mike MacIntyre, Washington's Chris Peterson and Alabama's Nick Saban.
From sportswriters.net:
“This is an especially strong field of candidates,” said FWAA President Mark Anderson of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “Each one of these coaches could win the award and probably would in most other seasons. They all set the bar extraordinarily high, and whoever does win Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year will further honor the great man for whom we present this award.”
The only previous winner in the group is Saban, who has his team poised for a fifth national title in eight years. He claimed the FWAA Coach of the Year Award previously in 2008 (at Alabama) and in 2003 (at LSU), when the Tigers claimed a piece of the national title. Petersen has been a four-time finalist while at Boise State in 2006 and ‘08, ‘09 and ‘10.
The winner is set to be revealed on Dec. 15. Iowa's Kirk Ferentz won the award last season while Meyer took it home in 2004 after leading Utah to a 12-0 season.
Guess taking the youngest and most inexperienced team to the College Football Playoff one year after losing 12 NFL Draft picks doesn't get you what it used to.
