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Why is this news?: Urban Meyer named semifinalist for Coach of the Year, Orlando Pace potential NFL Hall of Famer

All the big Ohio State news in one place.

Urban Meyer has made the list of semifinalists for the Maxwell Coach of the Year award.
Urban Meyer has made the list of semifinalists for the Maxwell Coach of the Year award.
Hannah Foslien/Getty Images

"Orlando Pace, T - 1997-2008 St. Louis Rams, 2009 Chicago Bears"

- SI Wire

The Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2015 has released the 26 modern-era candidates on Wednesday, and making the cut was former Ohio State offensive tackle Orlando Pace. This year marked the first time that Pace was eligible to be nominated for the Hall of Fame, which a tremendous honor and well-deserved for the mountain of a man.

Pace played for the St. Louis Rams for the majority of his career before finishing his playing in the NFL with the Chicago Bears in 2009. Among some of the other names to be nominated in their first eligible year were Junior Seau, Kurt Warner, and Edgerrin James. Congratulations to Orlando, and I'd expect him to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame soon.

Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer has been named to the 2014 Maxwell Football Club Collegiate Coach of the Year Award semifinalist list, along with 19 fellow head coaches across the college football landscape. Despite having to start a redshirt freshman at quarterback because of Braxton Miller re-injuring his right shoulder right before the season, Meyer has directed this year's Ohio State team to a 9-1 record, and has the Buckeyes competing for a Big Ten championship, along with a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Coach Meyer represents the Big Ten, along with Wisconsin head coach Gary Andersen. Considering both of those teams are now projected to meet in the Big Ten championship game, it makes sense. Other semifinalists include Nick Saban from Alabama, Rich Rodriguez from Arizona, Todd Graham from Arizona State, Jimbo Fisher from Florida State, Doc Holliday from Marshall, and Dan Mullen from Mississippi State, among others.

"6. Ohio State - Urban Meyer: $4,536,640"

- USA TODAY

Staying with the Urban Meyer theme, USA TODAY released a list of the top paid head coaches in the country on Wednesday. Including total pay and max bonuses, the list breaks down the highest amounts from top to bottom. Alabama head coach Nick Saban has the highest total pay with $7.1 million, followed by Michigan State's Mark Dantonio ($5.6 million), Oklahoma's Bob Stoops, Texas A&M's Kevin Sumlin, and Texas' Charlie Strong (all three with $5.0 million).

Coach Meyer comes in at a somewhat distant sixth place, which means Ohio State might be getting the most bang for their buck. Coach Meyer can earn up to a $550,000 bonus, provided he meets the standard set in his contract. It's interesting to see a Big Ten coach paid more than coach Meyer, but Dantonio has been with Michigan State for some time and has had quite a bit of success, all things considered.

"The Walter Camp Football Foundation selected Ohio State's J.T. Barrett and Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon as "Players to Watch" for the Walter Camp Player of the Year award, the fourth-oldest college football award in the nation."

- Big Ten.org

Ohio State redshirt freshman quarterback J.T. Barrett has another award watching his progress this season, adding to his growing mountain of accolades he's earned so far this season. Barrett was selected, along with Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon, as a "Player to Watch" for the Walter Camp Player of the Year award, given annually to the (you guessed it) player of the year in college football. Last season's winner was Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston.

Barrett is the only freshman named to the watch list, and has accounted for a school-record 38 total touchdowns this season, which is tied with Oregon's Marcus Mariota for the national lead and is more touchdowns through 10 starts than any other FBS quarterback in at least the last 10 years. A list of five finalists will be announced on Wednesday, Dec. 3.

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