First-year Fresno State head football coach Jeff Tedford is earning many accolades after leading the Bulldogs to a 9-4 record and first place in the Mountain West’s West division.

Last season, before Tedford, the ‘Dogs finished with a 1-11 record. The 8-win improvement over last year is the best in the nation.

On Tuesday, Tedford was named a Regional Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association. There are five regional coaches of the year for each football division, and they will be honored at the American Football Coaches Awards on Jan. 9 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The other four winners are Scott Frost from the University of Central Florida; Kirby Smart from Georgia; Paul Chryst from Wisconsin; and Matt Campbell from Iowa State.

Also on Tuesday, Tedford was named a finalist for the 2017 Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award, presented on behalf of the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), in conjunction with the Allstate Sugar Bowl.

The other finalists are Bill Clark from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Frost; Lane Kiffin from Florida Atlantic University; Jeff Monken from Army; Lincoln Riley from Oklahoma; Smart; and Dabo Swinney from Clemson.

The winner will be announced on Dec. 14, and the official presentation reception will be on Jan. 6 in Atlanta in conjunction with the College Football Playoff National Championship.

Tedford was named the Mountain West Coach of the Year on Nov. 29.

On Nov. 16, Tedford was named one of 16 semifinalists for the George Munger College Coach of the Year Award, which is presented yearly by the Maxwell Football Club. Finalists are announced on Dec. 11, and the winner is announced on Dec. 27.