The Zook Awards Bylaws

Each week, we will accept nominations throughout the weekend for the most incompetent coaching performances of the week. The nominations may include youtube videos or links to illustrate how bad the coaching was and discussion will take place in the comments section. Every Wednesday, we will announce the winner(s) for that week.

• There may be 1 or 2 co-winners. These coaches will receive 10, 8, or 6 points depending on how incompetent they were. Automatic winners must receive at least 8 points. There may also be 1 or 2 runners-up (for a total of no more than 3 coaches) that receive 3 or 4 points each. An unlimited number of runners-up may receive 1 point each provided there is general consensus that they are Zookworthy. Note that it is not necessary to lose a game to be considered for a Zook Award.
  

• There is an exception made to the above when there are more than 2 automatic winners in a given week (see below). There can be as many automatic winners as that week's games warrant. The automatic winners are determined by the clauses listed below.
  

• Mississippi State clause: The Mississippi State clause states that if a coach is fired as the direct result of the game, he is an automatic winner that week. [Until the end of 2007, this clause also stated that a coach was an automatic winner if they coached a major team to a loss at the hands of Mississippi State. This part of the clause was to be rescinded if/when MSU turned their program around which they did by going 8-5 and winning a bowl game in 2007. Congratulations Coach Croom! We wish you the best of luck in the future!]. Origin of clause: Mississippi State 38, Florida 31, Oct 23, 2004. MSU was ranked #117 out of 117 teams in the computers, having lost to 1-AA Maine earlier in the season. Zook was finally fired the following Monday.

• Out-Zooked clause: The Out-Zooked clause states that if you coach a game so poorly that you are upset by a Ron Zook coached team, then you are an automatic winner that week. Note that this would not include a 1-AA team which would presumably be an underdog to Illinois but only teams that were favored against Zook. Origin of clause: Illinois 23, Michigan State 20, Sept 30, 2006. Michigan State was 3-1 and favored by 26 points. Instead they gave Illinois its first Big 10 win since 2004 (worst of all at home). After the game, Zook's "classy" Illini players started a brawl with the Spartans by trying to plant their flag at the 50 yard line. Eventually, Michigan State finished the season 4-8 and John L. Smith was fired on Nov 1.

• Jeff Bowden clause: The Jeff Bowden clause states that you are an automatic winner if your inept gameplan leads a traditional powerhouse to get blown and and shut out or otherwise completely embarrassed at home. Origin of clause: Wake Forest 30, FSU 0, Nov 11, 2006. At 8-1 entering the game, it wouldn't have shocked a lot of people that Wake won but no one expected powerhouse FSU to lay a goose egg, especially given that Wake's 4 ACC wins that season had been by a combined 17 total points. Days later, Jeff Bowden was forced to resign as offensive coordinator.

• Hawkins-Carr clause: The Hawkins-Carr clause states that if you lead a top 25 school or otherwise traditional power to an upset at the hands of a 1-AA team (or even a very lowly rated 1-A team), you are an automatic winner for that week. Note that this would not include a poorly rated 1-A team such as Duke or Vanderbilt losing to a 1-AA team. Origins of clause: Montana State 19, Colorado 10, Sept 2, 2006 and Appalachian State 34, Michigan 32, Sept 1, 2007. Colorado was coming off a Big XII north championship and had high expectations for incoming new head coach Dan Hawkins at the time. Hawkins has been on the hot seat ever since. Even that was nothing compared to the shocker that App State pulled on Michigan in the season opener of Lloyd Carr's final season. This game is the only time a division 1-AA team has ever beaten a team ranked in the AP poll, much less a team that was in the top 5.

• Bowl Game Award Presented By Larry Coker: Each year, one Zook Award will be given out for the entire bowl season. This special award has been named in honor of Larry Coker and his stunning 40-3 blowout loss to an LSU team without their starting QB. Coker's Miami players subsequently started a brawl in the tunnel with the LSU players.

• The Lane Kiffin Preseason Award: Starting in 2009, we hand out a preseason award for the coach with the biggest display of incompetence in the preseason. It is named after inaugural winner Lane Kiffin who displayed an unnatural level of ignorance of NCAA rules while unnecessarily making false slanderous statements about opposing coaches that resulted in violations against his own program and him having to issue public apologies to the opposing coaches.

• Postgame Comment Bonus: If a coach compounds a Zookworthy performance by making a complete idiot out of himself at the post-game press conference, they can be awarded an additional point. Examples: "Rex was open", "We've got a long way to go, but we're close.", "I felt like they [Tenn] thought we were gonna try to get points.", or Tommy Bowden throwing his starting QB Cullen Harper under the bus or ridiculously claiming that he'd never had a team block a kick against him before or actually asking Nick Saban for coaching advice after getting his ass kicked by Saban's Bama team.