Head coach Paul Petrino is a finalist for the AFCA's Comeback Coach of the Year after leading the Idaho Vandals to an 8-4 regular-season record and a berth in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
Petrino is joined as a finalist by Eastern Michigan's Chris Creighton and Colorado's Mike McIntyre.
In 2013, Petrino took over a program that had gone 3-21 in the previous two seasons. While his first two teams didn't show the on-field progress he had in mind (1-11 in 2013 and 1-10 in 2014, the Vandals were making progress elsewhere. By 2015, they went 4-8 with three losses by a touchdown or less to set the stage for the 2016 campaign.