bleedsmaroonandgold
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I don't know if they release an official list of contenders, but here were my thoughts (in no particular order) on who might have a shot at it.
Urban Meyer: He certainly can't make any claim to being a guy making something out of nothing with the talent he has, but if he runs the table in conference for the second year in a row, he has to be on the list.
Mark Dantonio: Started the season with a great defense and no offense, but showed why he is a great coach when he kept tinkering with the QBs and the offense until he got it rolling. His Spartans probably have the most legitimate claim to the title of "most underrated team in college football."
Gary Anderson: Even my well-documented anti-Wisconsin bias can't keep him off of this list. Everyone likes to assume that a team will have growing pains and take a step back in a new coach's first year. Anderson has managed to do the opposite, and I think it is fairly evident that this year's Wisconsin would mop the floor with Bielema's Badger team last year.
"Country" Jerry Kill: Kill and his staff have shown an ability to make changes and improve. After a disastrous outing against Iowa, and what Limegrover described as some serious "soul-searching" (I think that was the word he used), the offense has added some new wrinkles while still hanging on to its pound the rock mentality, resulting in a winning streak that nobody saw coming, including three upsets as greater-than-touchdown-dogs. His team is probably the weakest of the four teams on this list (though with games against two of them, we certainly have a change to change that), but also the most surprising. With a slightly tougher schedule this year, a lot of pundits seemed to think we would land at last place in the division and be lucky to match last year's 2-6 mark. Now, we are being talked about as a dark horse for the division title (though that status took a hit with Nebraska and MSU's wins).
Urban Meyer: He certainly can't make any claim to being a guy making something out of nothing with the talent he has, but if he runs the table in conference for the second year in a row, he has to be on the list.
Mark Dantonio: Started the season with a great defense and no offense, but showed why he is a great coach when he kept tinkering with the QBs and the offense until he got it rolling. His Spartans probably have the most legitimate claim to the title of "most underrated team in college football."
Gary Anderson: Even my well-documented anti-Wisconsin bias can't keep him off of this list. Everyone likes to assume that a team will have growing pains and take a step back in a new coach's first year. Anderson has managed to do the opposite, and I think it is fairly evident that this year's Wisconsin would mop the floor with Bielema's Badger team last year.
"Country" Jerry Kill: Kill and his staff have shown an ability to make changes and improve. After a disastrous outing against Iowa, and what Limegrover described as some serious "soul-searching" (I think that was the word he used), the offense has added some new wrinkles while still hanging on to its pound the rock mentality, resulting in a winning streak that nobody saw coming, including three upsets as greater-than-touchdown-dogs. His team is probably the weakest of the four teams on this list (though with games against two of them, we certainly have a change to change that), but also the most surprising. With a slightly tougher schedule this year, a lot of pundits seemed to think we would land at last place in the division and be lucky to match last year's 2-6 mark. Now, we are being talked about as a dark horse for the division title (though that status took a hit with Nebraska and MSU's wins).
