Big 12 coach of year candidates: 1, Snyder. 2, Gundy. 3, Tuberville.
Published: 11/13/2012 2:49 PM
Last Modified: 11/13/2012 4:43 PM
During Mike Gundy’s Monday morning guest appearance on a Sirius/XM radio show, it was mentioned to him that Kansas State is in the same position this season that Oklahoma State was in last season.
The Wildcats are unbeaten in November and, in all likelihood, need only to win remaining regular season games to clinch a spot in the BCS championship game.
Gundy (whose team stumbled last season at Iowa State) was asked if there was any advice he might give to Kansas State coach Bill Snyder in regard to handling everything that goes along with being in “this” situation.
I can’t remember exactly how Gundy answered the question, but I love how he prefaced his response.
Gundy said something along the lines of he would never presume to give Snyder advice because Snyder is one of the best coaches the college game has ever seen. Translated: The old-school guy doesn’t need any advice. This isn’t his first rodeo.
Gundy won national coach of the year honors last season, but he wasn’t the Big 12’s coach of the year. The league’s coach of the year was Snyder.
With roughly 75 percent of this season in the books, who will be the Big 12’s next coach of the year?
The list of candidates is short.
No. 1 seed: Snyder, Kansas State: The Wildcats were picked sixth -- sixth! -- in the Big 12’s preseason football poll and now they are ranked first in the BCS standings. Props to the lone person who gave the ‘Cats a first-place vote in the league poll. Is there another coach on earth who could come close to doing what Snyder is doing in Manhattan? He should be the runaway favorite for Big 12 coach of the year.
No. 2 seed: Gundy, Oklahoma State: This was supposed to be a transition year since Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon, the cornerstones of a 12-1 Fiesta Bowl campaign, are playing in the NFL. The transition was more hazard-laden than anticipated. The Cowboys, picked fourth in preseason, have won four Big 12 games with three different starting quarterback. Is it possible Gundy and his assistants are doing a better coaching job this season than last season?
No. 3 seed: Tommy Tuberville, Texas Tech: Weren’t you worried about Tuberville’s job when the Red Raiders closed last season with five consecutive defeats? Tech upset Oklahoma in Norman, then fell completely out of sight, losing 41-7 to Iowa State, 52-20 to Texas, 66-6 to OSU, 31-27 to Missouri and 66-42 to Baylor. Tuberville got the program pointed back in the right direction. The Red Raiders, picked ninth in preseason, are 7-3 with two games remaining.
The rest, in no particular order:
Art Briles, Baylor. Yes, the offensive numbers are impressive in year one minus RGIII, but the Bears have won only one Big 12 game.
Bob Stoops, Oklahoma. The standard is high at OU and the Sooners -- picked to win the Big 12 -- committed the injustice of lost two home games to teams that are currently unbeaten. They’re a game-and-a-half game behind K-State in the standings. A strong finish could vault Stoops into the top three on this list.
Mack Brown, Texas. The third-place Horns have bounced back nicely, but a UT coach can’t be a candidate for coach of the year in a season when his team gets trucked by OU.
Dana Holgorsen, West Virginia. The unranked Mountaineers have lost four straight since a 5-0 start carried them to No. 5 in the national rankings. A hint that trouble loomed ahead came when West Virginia had to score 70 points to survive Baylor.
Iowa State, Paul Rhoads. He’s doing another good job of maximizing assets, but the Cyclones aren’t bowl-eligible yet.
Gary Patterson, TCU. The Frogs hit a rock or two -- on and off the field -- during their maiden voyage through the Big 12.
Charlie Weis, Kansas. Weis isn’t doing the worst coaching job in the Big 12. In fact, he deserves credit. The Jayhawks are in last place, but they’re competitive enough to give opponents fits. That wasn’t the case for KU under a different coach last season.
Written by
Jimmie Tramel
Sports Writer
