The Top 10 Active College Football Coaches

College football has produced some of the most brilliant minds to ever coach the game of football. You can name coaches like Paul “Bear” Bryant, Bud Wilkinson, Tom Osborne, Bo Schembechler, Woody Hayes, and others to the list of the best coaches ever.

In this ranking I am sharing with you who I feel are the top 10 active coaches over the past five or so years.

If you have any comments, or if you have your own top 10 list of active coaches, please share them in the comments below.

Without further ado, I present to you my top 10 list of active College Football Coaches (FBS division only).

No. 10: Mike Bellotti, Oregon

Winning Percentage: 67.84 percent

Conference Titles: Two

National Championships: None

Record Last Five Years: 41-21

Overall Record: 116-55

Taking over the head coaching job at Oregon after Rich Brooks left, Mike Bellotti has been very solid for the Ducks. He is the winningest coach in Oregon Duck history with 116 wins. He led Oregon to conference titles in 2000 and 2001.

No. 9: Paul Johnson, Georgia Tech

Winning Percentage: 72.96 percent

Conference Titles: None

National Championships: None

Record Last Five Years: 44-18 (Navy and Georgia Tech)

Overall Record: 116-43

Took over at Georgia Tech after the 2007 season. Came from Navy. The two seasons prior to Paul Johnson arriving at Navy, the Midshipmen suffered two straight 10-loss seasons. Johnson amassed a 45-29 record at Navy. In 2008 he led Georgia Tech to a win over rival Georgia and a 9-4 record.

No. 8: Joe Paterno, Penn State

Winning Percentage: 74.95 percent

Conference Titles: Three

National Championships: Two

Record Last Five Years: 44-18

Overall Record: 383-127-3

Joe Paterno is the winningest coach of all time in FBS football history. He has won 383 games in 42 seasons at Penn State. He has led his team to two national championships and three conference titles. He has been with Penn State for over 50 years as a coach. Took over head coaching duties in 1966.

No. 7: Nick Saban, Alabama

Winning Percentage: 68.83 percent

Conference Titles: Three

National Championships: One

Record Last Five Years: 49-17 (LSU and Alabama)

Overall Record: 111-50-1

Nick Saban led LSU to a National Championship in 2003. After the 2004 season he left for the NFL for two seasons. In 2007 he took over a distraught Alabama program that had been mired in scandal and controversy, leading them to the SEC championship game in 2008. Overall he has a coaching record of 111-50-1 in 13 seasons as a college coach.

No. 6: Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech

Winning Percentage: 65.97 percent

Conference Titles: Six

National Championships: None

Record Last Five Years: 52-15

Overall Record: 219-112-4

After a brief six-year stint at Murray State, Coach Frank Beamer has been at his alma mater ever since. He led the Hokies to an appearance in the BCS Title game in 1999. He has amassed 219 wins and six conference titles while coach at Virginia Tech.

No. 5: Jim Tressel, Ohio State

Winning Percentage: 73.99 percent

Conference Titles: Five

National Championships: One

Record Last Five Years: 51-12

Overall Record: 218-76-2

In just his second season (2002) at Ohio State, Jim Tressel led the Buckeyes to their first national championship in over 24 years. He has won 83 games and five Big Ten titles as the Buckeye coach.

No. 4: Mack Brown, Texas

Winning Percentage: 66.72 percent

Conference Titles: One

National Championships: One

Record Last Five Years: 56-8

Overall Record: 201-100-1

Mack Brown has become the Longhorns' second-winningest coach with 141 wins in 11 seasons at Texas. He led the Horns to the 2005 National Championship and eight straight 10+ win seasons. Since his arrival at Texas, the Longhorns have not had a season with fewer than nine wins.

No. 3: Bob Stoops, Oklahoma

Winning Percentage: 81.96 percent

Conference Titles: Six

National Championships: One

Record Last Five Years: 54-13

Overall Record: 109-24

Bob Stoops took over a dismal Oklahoma program in the late 1990s. He has since won 109 games for the Sooners, becoming the fastest coach to win 100 games in his career. He has led Oklahoma to one national title (four appearances) and six conference championships in his first 10 years as a head coach.

No. 2: Pete Carroll, Southern California

Winning Percentage: 85.44 percent

Conference Titles: Seven

National Championships: Two*

Record Last Five Years: 59-6

Overall Record: 88-15

Pete Carroll took over a USC program that was coming off probation and a terrible stretch in its program history. He has since won 88 games and a shared or outright national championship two times. He has led the Trojans to seven straight conference titles.

No. 1: Urban Meyer, Florida

Winning Percentage: 83.00 percent

Conference Titles: Two

National Championships: Two

Record Last Five Years: 56-9 (Utah and Florida)

Overall Record: 83-17

In just his seventh year as a head coach, Urban Meyer led the Florida Gators to their third national championship in school history. It is their second title under Urban Meyer. He has won 44 games and two SEC titles in his four seasons at Florida.