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Helton has guided the Trojans to a 9-3 record and their first Rose Bowl berth since 2009. The team got off to a 1-3 start, but all three losses were on the road against Top 25 teams, and the eight-game win streak that the team has rattled off since is its longest since 2008-09. During the win streak, USC knocked off No. 21 Colorado and No. 4 Washington to climb up to a No. 9 ranking in the College Football Playoff.
The Trojans also went undefeated at home for the first time since 2008. Since being named the permanent USC head coach last October, Helton has not lost at home (6-0 this year, 9-0 overall).
Under Helton's tutelage this year, Adoree' Jackson and Zach Banner earned first team All-American honors. Jackson, Banner and Chad Wheeler earned Pac-12 first team honors as well, as Jackson was named USC's first Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year since Rey Maualuga in 2008.
The winner will of the Bear Bryant Coach of the Year Award will be announced on Jan. 11, 2017 during the awards banquet in Houston at the Toyota Center and will be broadcast FOX College Sports.
