Bulldogs’ Tedford one of eight finalists for Eddie Robinson coach of year award

Fresno State football coach Jeff Tedford, who has the Bulldogs in position to win 12 games in a season for the first time in school history and in the Las Vegas Bowl as the Mountain West Conference champion, is one of eight finalists for the Eddie Robinson coach of the year award.

Alabama-Birmingham coach Bill Clark, UCF coach Josh Heupel, Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly, Army coach Jeff Monken, Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley, Alabama coach Nick Saban and Clemson coach Dabo Swinney also are finalists for the award, which is presented by the Football Writers Association of America in conjunction with the Sugar Bowl.

Tedford also was a finalist for the award last season when leading the Bulldogs to a 10-4 season and victory in the Hawaii Bowl, becoming only the second team in FBS history to go from double-digit losses to double-digit wins in one season. Clark, Monken, Saban and Swinney also were finalists last year.

Kelly and Saban are past winners of the award, Kelly in 2012 and Saban in 2003 and ‘08.

The 2018 winner will be announced on Thursday, Dec. 13, and presented at a reception on Jan. 5 on national championship weekend in the Bay Area.