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Alabama head coach Nick Saban talks with Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin during the second quarter of the Southern Miss game. (Vasha Hunt/vhunt@al.com)

With a new quarterback, new offensive coordinator and a host of new starters on defense, it's been said that leading this Alabama team to a 12-1 record and a berth in the inaugural College Football Playoff has been Nick Saban's best coaching job yet.

On Tuesday, it was announced in Atlanta that Saban will honored for his success this season with the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Trophy. The award will be officially announced during Wednesday's Peach Bowl.

It is Saban's first time to win the award, which was was established in 1976 and is named for former Georgia Tech coach Bobby Dodd, one of only three people that have been selected to the National College Football Hall of Fame as both a coach and player.

"It's truly an honor to be selected the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year," Saban said in comments pre-recorded for the announcement. "Coach Bobby Dodd is a legend in the way that he did things -- his leadership, scholarship, integrity and the way that he did things is certainly the way we try to do things here at the University of Alabama. So to get this award is certainly a very humbling experience that we very much appreciate, probably more than you know."

Saban, whose team is in New Orleans preparing to face Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl playoff semifinal, was one of 12 finalists for the award. His opponent this week, Ohio State's Urban Meyer, was also a finalist, along with Florida State's Jimbo Fisher, Baylor's Art Briles, Ole Miss' Hugh Freeze, Mississippi State's Dan Mullen, TCU's Gary Patterson, Georgia's Mark Richt, Missouri's Gary Pinkel, Clemson's Dabo Swinney, Boise State's Bryan Harsin and UCLA's Jim Mora, Jr.

Saban has a career record of 177-58-1 with four national championships -- including three at Alabama, where he is 86-16 in eight seasons. He was named the Associated Press coach of the year and Eddie Robinson Award winner in 2003 and 2008.

Among his moves that led to the Crimson Tide's No. 1 ranking and playoff berth were the hiring of controversial offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin and the choice of little-used backup Blake Sims as starting quarterback.