Pac-12 coach of the year: Mark Helfrich keeps Oregon going

(This roundtable was conducted before last week's results. Safe to say Helfrich is probably the prohibitive favorite now.)

Sean Reynolds, Block U: Kyle Whittingham. So many people wrote Utah off at the start of the year and yet, here they are, on the cusp of returning to the postseason. A lot of football left, but how many anticipated the Utes would be 4-2 after six - especially with a win over fifth-ranked Stanford and two losses coming by a combined 10 points?

Jack Follman, Pacific Takes: Mark Helfrich - Sure he inherited gold, but he has kept it gold and maybe even polished it a little bit more.

Jason Bartel, AZ Desert Swarm: Jim Mora. UCLA has been so impressive, and doing it all while losing a player....that's one hell of a job to keep that team together. I love what Mora's done there since taking over for Neuheisel.

Josh Schlichter, Pacific Takes: I think three coaches have really stood out this year: Mark Helfrich from Oregon, Kyle Whittingham from Utah, and Jim Mora from UCLA. I think this award should go to the team that looks the most improved compared to the team's recent history (who has done the best job with the least amount of talent), so Whittingham would probably be the favorite right now, but if Jim Mora can find a way to go 2-0 over the next two weeks, he'll probably slide into the top spot for that award.

Trevor Wong, Conquest Chronicles: Mike Leach. I don't think anybody expected Washington State to be in the middle of the pack in a loaded Pac-12 North division by the midseason's point. Even though the USC win on the road still looks average at best looking back at all the circumstances, the Cougars have already surpassed last year's win total and doubled their wins in conference play.