money Is Josh Heupel a better choice for SEC coach of the year than Kirby Smart or Lane Kiffin?
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney on Monday suggested that South Carolina's first-year coach Shane Beamer should be considered for SEC coach of the year.
If an ACC coach can nominate someone for an SEC award, then we can, too.
And there's no shortage of options this year, including Josh Heupel, Tennessee's first-year coach who inherited a depleted roster and an ongoing NCAA investigation left by the previous coaching staff.
Georgia coach Kirby Smart is the frontrunner for the award. Ranked No. 5 in the preseason polls, the Bulldogs (11-0, 8-0) are ranked No. 1 and favored to win the national championship. They're powered by college football's best defense since 2011 Alabama.
But if voters don't like the idea of casting their ballot for a frontrunner or the coach of a team that was projected to be among the nation's best, several sleeper candidates emerge.
The Vols (6-5, 3-4 SEC) have secured bowl eligibility ahead of their regular-season finale against Vanderbilt (2-9, 0-7) on Saturday (3:45 p.m. ET, SEC Network) at Neyland Stadium.
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On this edition of "The Volunteer State," Blake Toppmeyer of the USA TODAY Network and the News Sentinel's John Adams and Adam Sparks consider Heupel's candidacy for SEC coach of the year, and they offer their picks as it stands today.
Sparks and Toppmeyer favor Smart for their top choice.
Sparks lists Heupel as his No. 2 choice, while Toppmeyer says his No. 2 selection would be a second-year SEC West coach exceeding expectations, like Lane Kiffin, Sam Pittman or Mike Leach.
Adams says the award should go to the coach who wins the Egg Bowl. If Ole Miss wins, it likely is bound for the Sugar Bowl. If Mississippi State wins, it would finish second in the SEC West after being picked to finish seventh.
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Blake Toppmeyer is an SEC Columnist for the USA TODAY Network. John Adams is a senior columnist for the Knoxville News Sentinel. Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat writer for the News Sentinel. If you enjoy their coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it. Also, you can subscribe to The Volunteer State podcast for free so you won't miss an episode, or check out SEC Football Unfiltered, another podcast from Toppmeyer and Adams.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee football: Can Josh Heupel really win SEC coach of the year?
