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Florida football: Dan Mullen in the mix for Bobby Dodd Trophy, but he won’t win

By Matthew Clark

GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 28: Head coach Dan Mullen of the Florida Gators looks on before the start of a game against the Towson Tigers at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on September 28, 2019 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)
GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 28: Head coach Dan Mullen of the Florida Gators looks on before the start of a game against the Towson Tigers at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on September 28, 2019 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images) /
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The midseason watch list for the Bobby Dodd Trophy and Florida football has representation.

In just his second year, Florida football coach Dan Mullen has the Gators in the top 10, nationally and competing for the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division.

That, plus other things, was enough to put Mullen on the midseason watch list for the 2019 Bobby Dodd Trophy — awarded to the national coach of the year.

In all, 22 coaches were named to the watch list, released by the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation.

There were five coaches each from the Big Ten and SEC while the Pac-12 had four coaches on the list. The Big 12 and AAC had three and two coaches on the list, respectively.

Coaches are ranked based on a metric including team performance and academic progress rate.

Mullen has Florida football at 6-1 and ranked No. 9 nationally going into Saturday’s game at South Carolina. His academic progress rate score is 975 — one of the highest of the 22 on the list.

In fact, his score is third in the SEC behind Auburn’s Gus Malzahn (982) and Alabama’s Nick Saban (984).

The 2019 Dodd Trophy Midseason Watch List:

  • Paul Chryst — Wisconsin (Big Ten)
  • Mario Cristobal — Oregon (Pac-12)
  • Sonny Dykes — SMU (American)
  • Herm Edwards — Arizona State (Pac-12)
  • Kirk Ferentz — Iowa (Big Ten)
  • Luke Fickell — Cincinnati (American)
  • P.J. Fleck — Minnesota (Big Ten)
  • James Franklin — Penn State (Big Ten)
  • Jim Harbaugh — Michigan (Big Ten)
  • Bryan Harsin — Boise State (Mountain West)
  • Tom Herman — Texas (Big 12)
  • Brian Kelly — Notre Dame (Independent)
  • Gus Malzahn — Auburn (SEC)
  • Dan Mullen — Florida (SEC)
  • Ed Orgeron — LSU (SEC)
  • Chris Petersen — Washington (Pac-12)
  • Matt Rhule — Baylor (Big 12)
  • Lincoln Riley — Oklahoma (Big 12)
  • Nick Saban — Alabama (SEC)
  • Kirby Smart — Georgia (SEC)
  • Dabo Swinney — Clemson (ACC)
  • Kyle Whittingham — Utah (Pac-12)

The winner of the Bobby Dodd Trophy will be announced in Atlanta during the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

Now, is Mullen going to win it?

Barring leading Florida football to the national championship this season, it’s not likely. These kinds of awards are reserved for coaches who either blow everyone away or have a great, feel-good story to tell.

To me, the favorites are Sonny Dykes at SMU — I mean, the Mustangs haven’t been nationally ranked in decades and here they are — and Arizona State’s Herm Edwards — people used to snicker about Edwards coaching in college, but now, not so much.

I think Matt Rhule at Baylor is another favorite, but it’s really hard to say.

Don’t get me wrong, I like Mullen and think he has done a great job with the program, but I know how these things go. I would love for him to win, but it’s just not likely unless a lot of other things — like a national championship — happen.

But, if you’re Mullen and Florida football, it is great to even be mentioned on this list. I think Urban Meyer was the last Gator coach to be on the list, so just let that resonate for a second.

Regardless, Mullen is our coach and we’ll take him.

Next. Herbstreit tabs Gators to win the SEC East. dark

No. 9 Florida football will take on South Carolina at noon Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia.

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