Ed Orgeron, Nick Saban, Others Named Semi-Finalists for Maxwell Coach of Year
Alabama head coach Nick Saban and USC (interim) head coach Ed Orgeron headlined the list of 16 semifinalists for the Maxwell Coach of the Year Award, according to a release from the Maxwell Football Club on Wednesday afternoon.
Here is the complete list of semi-finalists:
| Nick Saban | Alabama | 10-0 | 13-1 |
| Gus Malzahn | Auburn | 10-1 | 3-9 |
| Art Briles | Baylor | 9-0 | 8-5 |
| Steve Addazio | Boston College | 6-4 | 2-10 |
| Dabo Swinney | Clemson | 9-1 | 11-2 |
| David Cutcliffe | Duke | 8-2 | 6-7 |
| Tim DeRuyter | Fresno State | 9-0 | 9-4 |
| Jimbo Fisher | Florida State | 10-0 | 12-2 |
| Mark Dantonio | Michigan State | 9-1 | 7-6 |
| Gary Pinkel | Missouri | 9-1 | 5-7 |
| Rod Carey | Northern Illinois | 10-0 | 12-2 |
| Urban Meyer | Ohio State | 10-0 | 12-0 |
| Mike Gundy | Oklahoma State | 9-1 | 8-5 |
| George O'Leary | UCF | 8-1 | 10-4 |
| Ed Orgeron | USC | 8-3 | 7-6 |
| Gary Andersen | Wisconsin | 8-2 | 8-6 |
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Saban's Crimson Tide have been No. 1 in the polls from wire-to-wire this season, and currently lead the SEC at 10-0 in pursuit of a third consecutive BCS National Championship (and fourth in five years).
Orgeron's road to becoming a semifinalist has been rockier. He began the year as USC's defensive line coach, but assumed the head job after a 62-41 loss at Arizona State and Lane Kiffin's subsequent firing at the airport.
Since taking over, the Trojans have gone 5-1, and they just debuted at No. 23 in the BCS standings after beating Stanford last week.
According to Paul Myerberg of USA Today, the Maxwell Club announced that Orgeron is the first interim coach to ever be named a semi-finalist:
Other notable inclusions include Duke head coach David Cutcliffe, who has led the Blue Devils to an unthinkable 8-2 record so far this year. His team controls its own fate in the ACC Coastal Division, and with games remaining against just Wake Forest and North Carolina, it stands a very realistic chance of reaching the ACC Championship Game.
Should that become the case, Cutcliffe would become a very strong candidate for the award.
Among the notable omissions are a pair of Pac-12 North coaches, Mark Helfrich at Oregon and David Shaw at Stanford. Of all the coaches whose teams are in the BCS Top 10, they are the only two not named semifinalists.
According to the release, semifinalist voting will begin on Nov. 21st and last until Dec. 2. Finalist voting will begin on Dec. 3 and end on Dec. 15, with the winner being announced on Dec. 17.
Who do you think will win the award? Who do you think should?
Sound off in the comments section below.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
