Penn State football: Bill O'Brien an Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year award finalist

Penn State head coach Bill O'Brien already won the Big Ten coach of the year award, but he was named a finalist for a national coach of the year award on Monday.

O'Brien was selected as a finalist for the 2012 Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year award which is selected by the Football Writers Association of America. O'Brien was one of nine finalists, joining Utah State's Gary Andersen, Northern Illinois' Dave Doeren, Notre Dame's Brian Kelly, Ohio State's Urban Meyer, Florida's Will Muschamp, Stanford's David Shaw, Kansas State's Bill Snyder and Texas A&M's Kevin Sumlin.

In his first season with Penn State, O'Brien led the Nittany Lions to an 8-4 record including 6-2 in the Big Ten. After opening the season 0-2, O'Brien and the Nittany Lions won five straight games. The Football Writers Association of America has selected a national coach of the year since 1957. Former Penn State coach Joe Paterno won the award three times.