HOUSTON – The Bear Bryant All-Time Coach of the Year fan bracket has reached its final stage, with Bob Stoops and Nick Saban emerging as the last two standing from an original field of 40 seasons.
The social media-driven tournament, conducted through Instagram voting, has drawn participation across generations of college football fans, blending modern dynasties with historic coaching achievements.
Stoops, representing his 2000 national championship season at Oklahoma, advanced through a competitive half of the bracket that featured multiple blue-blood programs and legacy coaches.
Opening the competition as the No. 5 seed, Stoops’ opening-round win over Mark Mangino was followed by a win over Bill McCartney, a relatively narrow quarterfinal win over Joe Paterno, and a semifinal win over Gene Stallings.
Two-time Bear Bryant National Coach of the Year award winner Nick Saban, whose 2003 national championship season at LSU and 2020 national championship season at Alabama were represented, has been a consistent favorite throughout the tournament as the No. 2 seed.
After edging the legendary Lou Holtz in the opening round, Saban picked up a lopsided win over Larry Coker in the second round before picking up wins over Curt Cignetti and Mack Brown in the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds.
Voting for the championship is being conducted via Instagram Stories on the Bear Bryant Awards account (@bryantawards).
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