Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin talks with Florida coach Will Muschamp, left, after Florida’s three-point win in early September in A&M’s first Southeastern Conference game.Six SEC coach-of-year possibilities
Alabama’s Nick SabanPlatform: After losing 13 of 22 starters from last season’s BCS champions, the Crimson Tide ascended to the top after an opening rout of Michigan and are on the doorstep of a third BCS title in four years.Stump speech: “We had a young team coming back. We really only have nine seniors on the team, and a lot of people had new roles. For this team to go back to the national championship game is a little unprecedented.”Florida’s Will MuschampPlatform: Muschamp inherited a sizable mess from Urban Meyer and went 7-6 last season, but he is 11-1 this year with a resume like no other with wins over Texas A&M, LSU, South Carolina and Florida State.Stump speech: “We shot ourselves in the foot too many times in Jacksonville. Otherwise we would be sitting here undefeated. That’s the bottom line. Our resume speaks for itself. We’ll play anyone anywhere.”Ole Miss’s Hugh FreezePlatform: Ole Miss was the worst of a 12-team SEC in 2011 and was expected to be 14th this year. Freeze’s Rebels defeated Auburn, Arkansas and Mississippi State, and they played Texas A&M and LSU close.Stump speech: “I knew that we had some challenges, and the first thing was getting them to care and to play with great attitude and effort. I can tell you that in all 12 games, we have played with attitude and effort.”South Carolina’s Steve SpurrierPlatform: After guiding the Gamecocks to a record 11 wins last season, Spurrier is on the verge of matching it despite playing down the stretch without quarterback Connor Shaw and tailback Marcus Lattimore.Stump speech: “We still are trying to win the SEC. We beat Georgia and lost two after that, so we’ve pretty much had identical years. If we win our bowl game, we’ll have the exact same year we had last year, which isn’t bad.”Texas A and M’s Kevin SumlinPlatform: The Aggies were picked fifth in the SEC West and dropped a heartbreaking opener to Florida, but they rebounded to win 10 of their last 11 games, including a memorable 29-24 upset of top-ranked Alabama.Stump speech: “We accomplished a lot without a bye week, and it was important to finish what we started. I’m particularly happy for the seniors, who came into a new league with new coaches and won 10 games for the first time since 1998.”Vanderbilt’s James FranklinPlatform: The notion that Vandy wouldn’t equal last season’s six-win success was shattered when the Commodores reeled off six straight to finish 8-4. Only Dan McGugin in 1904-05 had a better two-year start.Stump speech: “It’s significant that we built on last year. We won six games and went to a bowl, and this year we’ve won eight games and still have one game left. They take pride in doing the little things, and so far so good.”
The Southeastern Conference football championship game between Alabama and Georgia this past Saturday came down to four points or 5 yards, depending on the measurement system.
Determining the SEC coach of the year is every bit as chaotic and close.
Six league mentors have provided legitimate reasons to claim the honor, and that doesn’t even include Georgia’s Mark Richt, who guided the Bulldogs to the East title and came within a whisker of knocking off the Crimson Tide. Alabama’s Nick Saban, Florida’s Will Muschamp, Ole Miss’s Hugh Freeze, South Carolina’s Steve Spurrier, Texas A&M’s Kevin Sumlin and Vanderbilt’s James Franklin have all overseen special seasons.
Missouri’s Gary Pinkel believes Sumlin or Franklin should get the award.