Award season is a pretty good time when your favorite team has a player like Troy Smith. He was named finalist for the Maxwell Award this week, an award that annually goes to the best overall player in college football. Think of it kind of like the Heisman's little brother I suppose.He's joined by Brady Quinn of Notre Dame and Ray Rice of Rutgers as finalists for the award. I think Troy's got a pretty good shot at this one.
Jim Tressel was also nominated for an award. He's one of three finalists for the George Munger Award, which annually goes to the best college football coach in America. He's joined as a finalist by Charlie Weis of Notre Dame and Greg Schiano of Rutgers. I have no idea what Charlie Weis is doing up for an award like this, but Schiano worries me. It wouldn't really surprise me to see him win this award over Tressel. What he's done with Rutgers is pretty remarkable.
These award will be announced December 7th on ESPN's college football awards show.
More: 2006 Maxwell, Bednarik & Munger Awards Finalists - Ohio State Official Site
Comments (Page 1 of 1)
How is Wake Forest's Jim Grobe not a finalist for coach of the year? He took a team with 2 straight 4-7 finishes that was picked last in the Atlantic Division of the ACC and led that team to a 10-2 regular season and the Atlantic Division title. He dealt Bobby Bowden his only shut-out at home in 31 seasons at FSU. Wake Forest had never won more than 8 games in one season, and it set a record with 7 weeks (and counting) as a nationally ranked team. All of these accomplishments came without starting QB Ben Mauk and RB Micah Andrews at the third-smallest school in the nation to play Division I in all its sports. Rutgers has accomplished great things this year, but it is a big state school with a bigger fan base, bigger stadium, more money in the football program, etc. ND and OSU have had good years...at perennial powerhouse programs with some of the best recruits in the nation. How can any of those three be compared to Grobe? At the least, he should be a finalist for the award. Wake never
How is Wake Forest's Jim Grobe not a finalist for coach of the year? He took a team with 2 straight 4-7 finishes that was picked last in the Atlantic Division of the ACC and led that team to a 10-2 regular season and the Atlantic Division title. He dealt Bobby Bowden his only shut-out at home in 31 seasons at FSU. Wake Forest had never won more than 8 games in one season, and it set a record with 7 weeks (and counting) as a nationally ranked team. All of these accomplishments came without starting QB Ben Mauk and RB Micah Andrews at the third-smallest school in the nation to play Division I in all its sports. Rutgers has accomplished great things this year, but it is a big state school with a bigger fan base, bigger stadium, more money in the football program, etc. ND and OSU have had good years...at perennial powerhouse programs with some of the best recruits in the nation. How can any of those three be compared to Grobe? At the very least, he should be a finalist for the award. Wake never gets any respect...
I agree that Jim Grobe should be nominated for any and all national coach of the year awards. What he's done at Wake Forest is remarkable. Honestly, Wake Forest?! Football?! Before Grobe, nobody would have put "Wake Forest" and "football" together without the word "sucks." But a nomination is where it ends. Schiano wins. Hands down. As bad a program as the Demon Deacons have had, nothing compares to the depths of the Scarlet Knights program. Considering how far they've come, so fast, Rutgers' turn-around is unfreaking believable. Yeah, I know they're in the Big East. I'm pretty sure there's a couple of all girls high schools in that mid-major disguised as a big time football conference, but the ACC is pretty sorry this year too. When someone mentions a big ACC or Big East match-up does anyone not think basketball? Now, Charle Weiss. The simple explanation is the media fascination with "the genius" or "Little Tuna," as Brent Musberger has taken to calling him. A side note: I'm willing to organize a fund to buy-out Brent's contract and pay him enough to never annouce another football game... ever! Back to the genius. Since coming to ND, who have his teams beaten? USC did get lucky last year, but they took them to the woodshed last night. Michigan hammered them at home. OSU spanked them in the desert. ND will be good, but the guy hasn't won anything yet and don't even think about handing me that Commander-in-Chief trophy blah-blah-blah. One last thing. Sorry Tress, although I'm a life long Buckeyes fan; I gotta pick Schiano. Tressel's a classy guy... he'd probably agree.
I am a life long Ohio State fan and think Jim Tressel is one of the top five college coaches. I think he is worrthy of some of the nominations. Where are GREG SCHIANO and JIM GROBE ??? They both are certainly worthy of at least a nomination. As hard as I might try, I an unable eo see how Charlie Weis is nomminated for any award. He has jad his butt kicked bt BOTH of the quality teams he has faced this year. But then it is Notre Dame after all, I should not be surprised as Notre Dame is always over rated. Brady Quinn would not even set a sniff of the Heisman playing on any other team.
seriously?...charlie weis is continually out coached... last year in the fiesta bowl it appeared as if tressel was toying with him at times... is he playing video game football?... why does he go for it on every fourth down?... rutgers was an amazing story, if jim tressel wasn't jesus incarnate i would say schiano deserves it, becuase he has been building this program, he is not having a one hit wonder type of season. i beleive they won 10 games last year. grobe should have definately gotten the nomination over weis.. that is a slap in the face to the integrity of these awards when programs who are national media darling get clearly undeserving nods.
GO BUCKS !
I laugh so hard when I see nitwits saying the things about Charlie Weis. Just so you remember Charlie ran the offense for the New England Patriots, he has 4 Super Bowl rings and now he is at Notre Dame. I would rather have 1 super bowl ring then 10 national championship rings. Remember also nitwits, it does not take a very smart individual to go to USC, Michigan etc, try going to Notre Dame, first you neeed SAT about 1500 Vs USC 750. Of course anyone without a brain that can play football goes to those schools. Still laughing about Charlie.
Charlie Weis is a good coach. He is not the national coach of the year this year, or anywhere close to it. He lost both of the high-profile games he played this year (USC and Michigan). His team also has been carried by a Heisman candidate and playing the three service academies. There is no way Weis should be up for coach of the year this year when Wake Forest has the same record without anyone close to the Heisman race, a huge fan base, or a storied tradition that makes recruiting a formality. Grobe has done a far better job this year than Weis has; there is no denying that. By the way, Wake Forest is a pretty good school as well, not a large state school like the ones you are criticizing. Also, football players at Notre Dame do not need a 1500 - regular students can get in with something less than that, and every school in the country cuts football players slack. Finally, the NCAA minimum SAT score is 800, not 750. You should get your facts right (and a grip on reality) before you make such harsh comments.
Hey, Jesse James... I'm laughing about Charlie too. As in, isn't it comical that he is nominated for coach of the year? As for your arguement, I'm not sure how Weiss' Super Bowl rings, as an ASSISTANT, have any bearing in his nomination for national college HEAD coach of the year. Then your ridiculous rant about SAT scores just leaves me stratching my head. How are SAT scores of players relevant to how they are coached? Here's the facts. Notre Dame, because of it's national cache, always has and always will attract top football talent nationwide. If what you're saying is true about the impressive mind power of ND recruits, an idiot could lead the ND brainiacs to a national championship season. But Charlie's no idiot, he's a genius. Imagine that. A genius coaching other geniuses. Brilliant! No other team stands a chance. Might as well forget the season and just hand the national championship to the Irish. The pollsters tried to do that by giving them an undeserved #2 ranking to start the season. Fortunately, pre-season polls mean very little and the "nitwits" of the other college football programs decided to have a season anyway. Nitwits like me watched the games and saw which teams are better than others and which coaches took their teams to the next level. That's right, the games! Weiss has not won big games at the collegiate level. He will, in time, but we're talking about an award for the best college coach this season. ND fans have whined for years about their tough academic standards, but they fail to acknowledge the inherent advantages (national following, NBC contract, program rich in tradition, etc). I'm all for my team, Jesse, but you're running with blinders on when it comes to on-field results. The facts are: 2 two-loss regular seasons and this year's losses were blow-outs. That is not coaching your team to the next level. Besides Tressel, Schiano, and Grobe...Urban Meyer and Chris Peterson (Boise State) led their teams to improved regular seasons and probable BCS bowl games. It's not about pedigree, potential or SAT scores. It's about "coaching up" your team and 4th down Charlie comes up short...again.
Schiano wins coach of the year, but I think ol' Jimmy Tressel is a very close second. Granted, it's nice to have Smith, but not only is the defense new, its not a liability. They're tough, nasty and tough!
I give a nod to Weis for his teams so far. No extra praise, he's done ok. I think they'll be tough year in and year out when he gets his guys in there.
OSU is on their way to another NC!
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One thing that sets Jim Grobe apart from the three coaches nominated for the Munger Award is that he does not coach one of the three players nominated for the Maxwell Award. This raises the question of who is worthier: a coach who has recruited and groomed a superstar or a coach who continues to win despite losing his starting quarterback and running back?
To be sure, recruiting a star player is a mark of a great coach or at least a great program. But Grobe is the star of Wake's incredible season. His genius on the field and his inspirational leadership off the field has been the primary force behind each win. It is a shame that the Maxwell Club could not recognize this.