After leading the Knights to their first ever BCS bowl berth and winning the American Athletic Conference outright, George O’Leary was named as one of the eight finalists for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year award.

This is the third time in O’Leary’s career that he was named an Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year finalist and the second time he has been named a finalist since he has been at UCF. The Knights will travel to Glendale, AZ to take on the No. 6 Baylor Bears whose head coach, Art Briles, was also named a finalist for the award.

The list was announced by the Football Writers Association of America and the winner will be revealed Dec. 16 with the official presentation coming on Jan. 4 in Newport Beach, California.