Will Coach of the Year go to John Hufnagel for the Stampeders' dominance, or Chris Jones or Tom Higgins for their impressive turnarounds?

The CFL's Coach of the Year award, the Annis Stukus Trophy, often carries a philosophical challenge for voters; namely, it asks if the top coach is the one whose team won the Grey Cup, the one whose team performed best in the regular season, or the one whose team had the most impressive turnaround? That divide may show up in the voting again this year, as Wednesday saw the announcement John Hufnagel, Chris Jones and Tom Higgins. Hufnagel's Calgary Stampeders put up a league-best 15-3 record and won the Grey Cup, so he's the clear choice by the first two metrics, but this is an award that has sometimes rewarded turnarounds over continued dominance. Who will be picked when the trophy's handed out in Winnipeg on Jan. 21? Here's the case for each coach:

John Hufnagel, head coach and general manager, Calgary Stampeders: Hufnagel looks like the best candidate from this corner. The 15-3 record his team put up in the regular season was incredible, especially considering that they played half the year without reigning CFL most outstanding player Jon Cornish and also lost starting quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell to injury for a short period. Hufnagel's team was dominant in a wide variety of categories on both offence (including leading the league in both yards per pass and rushing yards per game) and defence, and they scored the most points (511) while allowing the second-fewest (347). The Stampeders also put up a dominant win over Edmonton in the West Final and went on to win the Grey Cup. The last three Stukus Trophy winners and seven of the last 10 have been from the team that won the Grey Cup; while that's not always the best logic to follow, it may be this year, given how well Hufnagel's team did despite significant adversity. Hufnagel's been nominated for this award numerous times, but has only won it once (in 2008, his first season as a head coach). Will he pick up his second Annis Stukus Trophy larter this month?

Chris Jones, head coach, Edmonton Eskimos: Jones also has a strong case, especially for those who like to reward major turnarounds. Edmonton went 4-14 last year with Kavis Reed as head coach; this season, Jones' first as a head coach, they improved to 12-6 and made it to the West Final. Jones also had a lot to do with that turnaround, especially on the defensive side of the ball where his scheme (and defensive coordinator Greg Marshall's implementation of it) paid major dividends. The Eskimos allowed a league-low 340 points this season and led the league in numerous defensive categories. The question is if that turnaround is enough for Jones to be recognized over the dominance Hufnagel's team recorded.

Tom Higgins, head coach, Montreal Alouettes: Higgins is a more curious choice here, as his team got off to a disastrous 1-7 start before rebounding to finish 9-9, only one win better than their 8-10 2013 campaign. However, Higgins was facing significant challenges, particularly with the retirement of Anthony Calvillo and the ineffectiveness of presumed successor Troy Smith. The assistant coaches the Alouettes hired midseason and the shift to Jonathon Crompton as starter helped them turn things around, and Higgins definitely deserves a substantial amount of credit there. The team looks to be in pretty good shape now, and they made it all the way to the East Final. However, it's tough to make a case for Higgins over Hufnagel or Jones. We'll see how the voting plays out, though.