COY

There are a lot of candidates this year for Coach of the Year. Nick Saban has his Alabama team back at number one like he seems to every year. Bill Snyder might be the leader in the clubhouse by taking Kansas State from obscurity to number two and controlling their own fate for the national title. Throw in the Kelley's (Brian of Notre Dame and Chip of Oregon) and you've got a crowd. Although their records might be unblemished and they look like the best teams that doesn't necessarily mean their coach is doing the best job. Saban has the most talent in the country hands down, Snyder has the leading Heisman candidate in Collin Klein, Chip Kelly keeps getting jumped in the polls, and if I had to put money on it Notre Dame will stumble down the stretch. For me the coach that has done the best job this year is Bill O'Brien. Now I know most people reading this are going to say I'm a homer but it's true. No other coach in NCAA history has had to deal with what O'Brien has handled. Not to mention the way he has handled it. He took a team decimated by transfers and swirling in bad publicity and actually made them competitive. If Penn State didn't have their sanctions (and Ohio State still did) the Nittany Lions would be in the driver's seat in the Leader's division. He's taken Matt McGloin, a walk-on who couldn't hold the starting job, and made him a legit late round NFL prospect. He's taken an offense that made this fan pull his hair out every week to something that is exciting and fun to watch. Most importantly he has given an otherwise distraught town and given them hope. Most said Penn State wouldn't be back for 10 years if ever. With the leadership of O'Brien we didn't even skip a beat.

-OneTeam