Iowa, Michigan State, Northwestern and Ohio State are a combined 24-1 this season.

As a result, their respective leaders are up for coach of the year honors. Kirk Ferentz (Iowa), Mark Dantonio (Michigan State), Pat Fitzgerald (Northwestern) and Urban Meyer (Ohio State) were among the 20 coaches listed on the Dodd Trophy watch list, which is annually awarded to the nation’s top coach.

Ferentz has Iowa off to its first 6-0 start in six years. His decision to roll with C.J. Beathard at quarterback in the offseason is paying dividends for the emerging Hawkeyes.

Dantonio’s team is off to its best start since 2010 and has withstood a bevy of key injuries to remain unbeaten.

In Fitzgerald’s 10th season in Evanston, the 21st-ranked Wildcats are one of the surprise teams in the B1G after missing a bowl game in each of the last two seasons.

Meyer’s unbeaten group hasn’t lost its No. 1 ranking all year. The defending national champions are owners of the nation’s longest active win streak at 19 games.

Absent from the list was Jim Harbaugh, who has already matched Michigan’s 2014 win total at the midway point of the season.

It was a Michigan man, Lloyd Carr, that was the last B1G coach to receive the award in 2007.