Lovie Smith won a national coach of the week award

Can you believe Lovie is the top coach in college football this week?

Well, it’s true.

Lovie Smith was named the Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week on Monday afternoon after Illinois’ 24-23 win over No. 6 Wisconsin on Saturday.

Smith made it seem like he was in a good mood during his Monday press conference, and this will certainly help.

It was also certainly deserved. The win ended Illinois’ nine-game losing streak to Wisconsin, a 12-year drought of beating a ranked Big Ten opponent, let everyone rush the field, and was the biggest upset in the conference in 40 years.

From the press release:

“Last week the nation was stunned when South Carolina defeated Georgia, and this week Coach Smith and his team pulled off an equally huge upset,” said Jim Terry, chairman of the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation. “This was a historic win for the Illinois program. Leadership and preparation is critical in a game where your team comes in as a 30-point underdog. Coach Smith kept this team focused and pulled off a win Coach Dodd would have admired.”

Congrats, Lovie!