After two seasons as Notre Dame coach, Brian Kelly decided he wasn't spending enough time doing the best part of his job: coaching players.
Kelly changed that in 2012, and he shuffled his staff. Then, with Kelly more in tune to his team and the assistants in synch with the head coach, Notre Dame went from unranked to top ranked.
For leading the Fighting Irish to the BCS championship game for the first time, Kelly was voted Associated Press coach of the year on Wednesday.
Kelly received 25 votes from the AP college football poll panel. Penn State's Bill O'Brien was second with 14 votes.
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Kelly is the first Notre Dame coach to win the AP award, which started in 1998.
Bound for Wisconsin
Gary Andersen publicly pledged his allegiance to Utah State not long ago. Now he's on the verge of becoming Wisconsin's coach.
Wisconsin reportedly will hire Andersen to replace Bret Bielema, who left the Badgers earlier this month to take the Arkansas job.
The news about Andersen broke Tuesday night and neither Utah State nor Wisconsin had anything official to announce. The delay is at least in part tied to laws in Wisconsin that require a state job to be posted for at least two weeks before it can be filled. The two-week posting was up at the end of business on Wednesday.
Shaw staying
Stanford coach David Shaw agreed to a ‘‘long-term contract extension’’ that will keep him with his alma mater beyond the two years left on his remaining deal. The announcement ends speculation about Shaw becoming the latest Cardinal coach to make the leap to the NFL . . . — at least for now. New athletic director Bernard Muir said the ‘‘agreement provides added stability and reassurance that David will be at the helm to secure our football program’s long-term sustained success.’’ No. 8 Stanford (11-2) will play in the Rose Bowl against Wisconsin on Jan. 1. Western Illinois hired longtime Minnesota-Duluth coach Bob Nielson to replace Mark Hendrickson. Hendrickson was fired after a 3-8 season . . . Two of the three men accused of assaulting Wisconsin running back Montee Ball this summer pleaded guilty to battery charges, but both were given a chance to avoid prison.
Oregon in trouble?
Oregon is likely headed toward a hearing with the NCAA committee on infractions after it could not resolve an investigation of the football coaching staff’s use of a scouting service, according to Yahoo! Sports . . . Oklahoma State will open the 2014 season with a neutral site game against Florida State at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas . . . The FCS championship game is staying at FC Dallas Stadium in Frisco, Texas for at least three more years . . . Texas has the most valuable program in the nation, according to Forbes Magazine. The magazine said the Longhorns are worth $133 million. Michigan ($120 million) was No. 2, followed by Notre Dame ($103 million).