My Prediction for 2009 NCAA Football Coach of the Year

As speculation seems to be one college football's most endearing qualities, I would like to take the time to speculate on who might be the likely winner of the 2009 NCAA football coach of the year.

To begin with, let me lay out the criteria I am going to use.

First, the coach has to be from a team ranked in the preseason top 10. I know, preseason polls are about as reliable as warranties from used car dealers, but I have to start somewhere.

Next, the coach has to be from a team that will have shown significant improvement. I realize that this will rule out a team like Utah, who went undefeated last year and was deserving of the national championship, but Utah's coach Kyle Whittingham has already won numerous accolades for the job he did with his team, including the AFCA National Coach of the Year Award.

Finally, he needs to be a decent all-around person. He can't be somebody making the news for recruiting violations, troubles with law, or other actions unbecoming a coach.

Having taken all of these factors into consideration, I am predicting that the 2009 NCAA coach of the year will be Houston Nutt of Ole Miss University.

Ole Miss is ranked #8 in the AP top 25 and #10 in the USA Today poll. If Ole Miss is able to actually wind up in the top 10 by season's end, it will be an astounding accomplishment. Consider the 2007 season, where the Rebels went 3-9 overall and 0-8 in conference play under then coach Ed Orgeron.

To go from there to a top 10 ranking in just two seasons is almost unheard of. The Rebels' improvement last season, for which they posted a 9-4 overall record and 5-3 conference record, is an amazing feat in itself, but to break into the top 10 would be even more astounding.

So assuming the Rebels do as they are projected (which is not a given, I know), their improvement will be as marked as any team in the top 10.

As to the man himself, Houston seems like a generous man whose players do well academically, and he frequently cites his upbringing as a reason for his success in life.

With all these positives, I think that Houston Nutt has a reasonable shot at winning coach of the year. Of course, you still have to play the games first.