How Your Favorite SEC Football Coach can Win 2016 SEC Coach of the Year

In 3 sentences or less, I’m going to tell you what each head coach must do to win 2016 SEC Coach of the Year, and let’s make it interesting by ranking them by most likely to win the award.

The 2016 SEC football season is fast approaching, and we are left with unknowns and speculations until Tennessee plays Appalachian State September 1st. The offseason is often times spent discussing the coaching staff. What they did do in recruiting and what they didn’t do in recruiting, how they handled off field incidents, what they said in a spring conference regarding the starting left tackle are all topics of discussion around the SEC water cooler.

So, who wins 2016 SEC Coach of the Year?

That is a great topic of discussion and I firmly believe there is a possible scenario in which any head coach in the SEC could win the 2016 SEC Coach of the Year award. Remember, I said possible, but I didn’t see every coach had an equal chance.

I’m going to give you in order the least likely to the most likely coaches to win 2016 SEC Coach of the Year, and tell you what I think each coach will have to in order to win the award in 3 sentences or less.

14. Derek Mason, Vanderbilt- To say expectations are low for Vanderbilt is being kind. If Vandy can rank in the top half of the SEC in total offense, and the Vandy defense can carry the team to a 9-win season, I can see Coach Mason winning 2016 SEC Coach of the Year. That might win him coach of the decade.

13. Barry Odom, Missouri- Odom comes into a very rocky situation, and I don’t see this year being a best case scenario. First year head coach Barry Odom will have to lead Mizzou to a 10-win season and an SEC East crown to win 2016 SEC Coach of the Year. Unifying the team after last year should be enough to even give him consideration.

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12. Mark Stoops, Kentucky-

The task of winning this award would seem to be much tougher for Stoops since he is coming off a disappointing season in relation to preseason expectations. Stoops can turn Towles into a star, and make that offense a force to reckoned with in the SEC. If he parlays that with a win against Florida and a 9-3 record, expect Mark Stoops to be given serious consideration.

11. Kirby Smart, Georgia- Unlike the first 3 coaches on this list, expectations are high in Georgia, and Kirby Smart will have to exceed those expectations. Kirby Smart wins 2016 Head Coach of the Year if he goes undefeated in the SEC East, and good luck beating both Florida and Tennessee. I also think they would have to win at Oxford against Ole Miss, with a win total of 11 games.

10. Bret Bielema, Arkansas- If this is the year that Arkansas breaks through and wins the SEC West, I think it is automatic that he is rewarded for it. Even if Arkansas doesn’t win the SEC West, I believe going 2-1 against Ole Miss, Alabama, and LSU with a 10-2 overall record could result in Bielema winning the award. If they change the criteria to most entertaining press conferences, Bielema will absolutely win.

9. Kevin Sumlin, Texas A&M- Texas A&M Head Coach Kevin Sumlin is coming into metal chair sitting in the Texas sun type of hot seat in the fall. Kevin Sumlin would need to of course win the SEC West, and that would mean elevation graduate transfer Trevor Knight. If Texas A&M fails to win the SEC West, I think Sumlin’s Aggies would definitely have to handle Tennessee, and finish with 11 wins.

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8. Dan Mullen, Mississippi State-

The storyline for Dan Mullen is there for a great 2016 SEC Coach of the Year campaign. His team would need to improve their win total from last year, and winning 10 games would also mean that he beat the big boys he’s struggled with so much in the past. If Mississippi State can do that after losing the best quarterback in school history, then that catapults Dan Mullen to the top of this list.

7. Will Muschamp- Some may think Muschamp is a little to high on this list, but the East is wide open. After the South Carolina debacle last year, if Muschamp’s Gamecocks finish 2nd in the SEC East, I’d expect him given to be given consideration. Win total minimum would still be 9 games in order to win 2016 SEC Coach of the Year.

6. Gus Malzahn- It is pretty simple to tell you what Gus has to do to win the award. Him and his Auburn Tigers would need to match their 2012 campaign that saw them go 12-2 and win an SEC Championship.

5. Hugh Freeze- Hugh Freeze and Ole Miss have the talent to win enough games on the field for Hugh Freeze to be the 2016 SEC Coach of the Year. Say Hugh Freeze helps take Ole Miss to the next level, and they win 11 regular season games and go to the SEC Championship. That may be enough on the field, but the off field distractions will have to cease.

4. Les Miles- It’s pretty simple for Les and LSU, win them all. I don’t think anything other than that will get Les Miles some head coaching hardware. The expectations are that high, but if he can just get LSU fans to stop hating him, I think we could give him SEC Coach of the Decade.

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3. Jim McElwain- McElwain won it in his first year at Florida and the last coach to win SEC Coach of the Year in back to back years since Nick Saban in 2008 and 2009. Florida was a quarterback away from making real noise last year, but it will take Florida going undefeated like Saban did in 2009 for him to win the award again this year.

2. Butch Jones- Unlike McElwain, I think Butch Jones has the real talent to go undefeated this year. I think winning the SEC East will be seen as a breakthrough for Tennessee and Butch Jones will be recognized as the 2016 SEC Coach of the Year. With the pressure Coach Jones will be under going into this year, the feat would be considered that much more impressive.

1. Nick Saban- Go Undefeated. Win it all. Has he done this before?

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