Big 12 Coach of the Year should have been.......
- Thread starter MountaineerWV
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Sark has the best case as he made the playoff and beat Bama on the road. Gundy managed to knock off OU, but had 2 real pitiful loses, so I could see the argument between Brown and Gundy. But Brown didn't beat anyone of significance during the regular season himself. Hence, I just don't see how either deserve consideration over the coach of the conference champion, play off representative, and the team with the most impressive OOC win.
Which coach got the MOST out of their team with the expectations put on them? That would be Neal Brown. Picked 14th, Predicted to be fired. Ends up winning 9 games. Texas preseason #1 in the conference, OK State preseason pick #7.
Predicted to be 14th because TCU, TTU, Pitt, and Baylor were all predicted to be better than they turned out this year. I guarantee if preseason prognosticators knew that WVU was only going to play 3 FBS teams with more than 6 total wins, that 14th place prediction goes right out the window.
Brown certainly did better than expected. But a coach with his best win, given bowls do not factor in, being against either a 6-6 TTU team or 6-6 UCF team being the coach of the year? I'll concede he deserves it more than Gundy, but I still think the coach with the high expectations who met and or exceeded all those expectations likely deserves it more than a guy who did marginally better than expected. And make no mistake, WVU was only marginally better as even last year's team finishes better than 6-6 against this year's significantly downgraded schedule.
Brown certainly did better than expected. But a coach with his best win, given bowls do not factor in, being against either a 6-6 TTU team or 6-6 UCF team being the coach of the year? I'll concede he deserves it more than Gundy, but I still think the coach with the high expectations who met and or exceeded all those expectations likely deserves it more than a guy who did marginally better than expected. And make no mistake, WVU was only marginally better as even last year's team finishes better than 6-6 against this year's significantly downgraded schedule.
I’m more impressed with Lance Leipold at Kansas and what he’s accomplished with that roster.
Everyone points to prognosticators picking WVU 14th as reason to celebrate. I look at them as idiots. How can they possibly pick 4 G5 schools ahead of WVU in their inaugural season at the P5 level? And yes, I thought it was stupid from the day they predicted it. If anything, it was an intentional slap in Neal Browns face and obviously indicative of the general consensus of how “insiders” feel about Brown at this level. That said, I’m glad he could shove it back in their faces
The problem that Wvu had with the preseason prognosticators is very little recognizable names. No one knew who Garret Greene was and some of the other players on our team. I won't be surprised to see us somewhere near the top of the conference in the eyes of these Nostradamus's coming into the 2024 season. The respect Greene earned in itself will give Wvu a boost in the preseason rankings regardless of whether we are actually a better team or not.
Regardless of the Leipold vs Sark debate, neither Gundy nor Brown were clear favorites. I agree Gundy doesn't have much of a case for it, I just disagree with the OP premise that Brown has a much better case.
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