Are They Worth It?: Reassessing the 25 Highest-Paid College Coaches

We all owe a debt of gratitude to USA Today for posting the salaries of the country's college football coaches (and the Orlando Sentinel for organizing the numbers so nicely) earlier this week.

Now we know what amount to use when we scream, "You make X million dollars to call THAT on third down!"

But how many of these coaches actually deserve to make what they're making?

I've looked at the top 25 college coaches by salary, scrutinized their backgrounds and evaluated whether they deserve a big raise, a polite pat on the back or a motivating kick in the ass.

Enjoy.

No. 25: Bo Pelini, Nebraska

Salary: $1,851,000

Where he came from: Pelini is the ex-defensive coordinator of the LSU Tigers, where he served from 2005-07, winning the national championship with the Tigs before departing to take over full time in Lincoln.

Prior to that, he was a co-defensive coordinator at Oklahoma in 2004 and at Nebraska in 2003. He's spent time in the NFL as a defensive backs coach for the 49ers and linebackers coach for the Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots.

Is he worth it?: There's never a glut of great defensive minds in college football, so Pelini is far from overpaid and might even deserve a raise. The good news is, as an ex-defensive coordinator in his first head coaching gig in I-A, Pelini isn't likely to get wandering eyes.

But as far as success goes, it all depends on whether Pelini can demonstrate the ability to field a complete team. He's been a great defensive inspiration, evidenced by slugfest wins over Oklahoma and Missouri this year, but the game demands proficiency on both sides of the ball, especially in the point-crazy Big XII North.

He was successful in getting the Cornhuskers to a bowl game after their dreadful 2007 campaign, in which the 'Huskers went 5-7, but he needs to lock down a legitimate offensive coordinator or risk leaning too much on the defense as the bread and butter. Quarterback controversies make for the wrong kind of headlines.

Still, the 'Huskers are still in position to compete for the North title with wins over Kansas, Colorado and leader Kansas State in the coming weeks, all of which are winnable. The trick will be in seeing if that defense is good enough to line up across from the Texas Longhorns if the Huskers break into the championship game.

I'd say for what Nebraska has gotten so far, Pelini is getting paid exactly what he's worth.

No. 24: Al Groh, Virginia

Salary: $1,875,000

Where he came from: Groh is a branch off both the Bill Parcell and Bill Belichick coaching tree, having coached the linebackers for the Cleveland Browns in the mid '90s. He was the defensive coordinator for the New England Patriots.

He then worked for the Jets as linebackers coach, and a moderately successful stint as head coach in 2000. Since 2001, he's coached the Virginia Cavaliers to an 85-89 record, and a 36-32 record in the ACC.

Is he worth it?: He's worth it for schlubs like me, who put food on the table writing "Coaches On The Hot Seat" articles week after week.

But for the Virginia Cavaliers, Groh has been dead weight for most of his tenure. His teams have never taken home a Coastal division title, never competed for the championship, and have settled for coming in second twice, in 2002 and 2007.

The Cavaliers missed a bowl game last year and will likely miss one again this year, sitting at 3-6 with dates against Boston College, Virginia Tech and Clemson still on the schedule.

If the Cavaliers are content to battle for survival every year, Groh's the man. But for near two million dollars a year, that's not bloody likely. Another year of mediocrity, and I imagine Groh will be on the phone with Bill Belichick, chatting casually about the weather in New England.

No. 23: Gene Chizik, Auburn

Salary: $2,000,000

Where he came from: Chizik was the defensive coordinator for the Auburn Tigers in the sunnier years of the Tommy Tuberville era, including the undefeated 2004 season. He also served as co-defensive coordinator for the Texas Longhorns in 2005 and 2006, and then took over for a struggling Iowa State Cyclones program.

Iowa State never truly found its feet with Chizik, and he departed before completing a true stint to take over Auburn after the resignation of Tuberville.

Is he worth it?: Tentatively. Auburn fans have said they think Chizik's understated, CEO-style of coaching is just what the doctor ordered for a program that looked poisoned from top to bottom during the late Tuberville era.

Chizik, a defensive-minded coach at heart, showed an appealing penchant for risk in hiring Gus Malzahn as the offensive coordinator.

Malzahn's hurry-up offenses generated prolific numbers for the Tulsa Golden Hurricane and Arkansas Razorbacks under Houston Nutt, and he's had so-so success in overhauling an Auburn offense that has struggled to find an identity in the defense-conscious SEC.

I like Chizik, in spite of his suspect record at Iowa State (he was not a great recruiter, and will have his hands full in the divisive Alabama scene). The Tigers are bowl-bound again, and they've bounced back from a three-game losing streak.

But the true test is still ahead. After getting shut out in the Iron Bowl last year in the waning days of the Tuberville era, the Tigs need to show they can remain competitive against their biggest rival or risk losing more ground to Saban's recruiting juggernaut.

A close game or even a win will show that Chizik definitely has this team headed in the right direction, and help ensure that all coaches remain settled after years of turnover.

Stability is the guiding principle, even if it comes at two million bucks a pop.

No. 22: Lane Kiffin, Tennessee

Salary: $2,000,000

Where he came from: Kiffin was the head coach for the Oakland Raiders for all of a year and a half, going 5-15 for the hapless Raiders. Prior to that, he coached the tight ends and called the offense for the USC Trojans during their extremely successful years in the early 2000s.

Is he worth it?: No one has divided the college football world quite like Kiffin.

Some love the fact that he's generated headlines for Tennessee in calling out the Florida Gators and alleging violations by Steve Spurrier. Others loathe his fratty brashness, and point out that he hasn't put his money where his mouth is, losing to Florida, Alabama and Auburn at home.

But Kiffin has managed to make the extremely iffy Jonathon Crompton look like a competent passer in Vols victories over Georgia and South Carolina. And he's a damn good recruiter, snatching up terrific offensive players like Bryce Brown, Nu'Keese Richardson and David Oku at the 11th hour earlier this year.

He's put together another great class for 2010 (though he's slacked a bit on addressing the Vols' serious quarterback concerns). But if he can get this team bowling with one more win (and with Ole Miss, Vanderbilt and Kentucky on the schedule, that's likely), he'll have Tennessee headed back in a competitive direction.

Additionally, Kiffin has proved extremely valuable for bringing along his father, Monte Kiffin, to Tennessee.

A charming man and a brilliant, ex-NFL defensive mind, Monte's defensive scheming has kept Tennessee in the game, given the UT offense the crucial time its needed to play catch-up. Monte will continue to field formidable forces (though he comes with a 1.25 million dollar price of his own) as long as he remains in Knoxville with his son.

No. 21: June Jones, Southern Methodist

Salary: $2,000,000

Where he came from: June Jones has been everywhere. He was most recently the head coach of the Hawaii Warriors for eight years, taking the Warriors to their ill-fated BCS Bust of the Sugar Bowl in 2007.

Prior to that, he coached quarterbacks and was the interim head coach of the San Diego Chargers, coached the Atlanta Falcons, coached quarterbacks for the Detroit Lions and Houston Oilers, and even spent some time as a head coach in the USFL.

Is he worth it?: Still deciding. Jones' resignation from Hawaii was shrouded in controversy. He left the Warriors citing a lack of institutional support, despite late promises to raise his salary and improve facilities by the UH administration.

In addition, he ruffled a lot of feathers in changing Hawaii's name from the "Rainbow Warriors" to the "Warriors", and he might find that SMU, a historically run-oriented team since the days of the Pony Express, grows uncomfortable with his pass-happy, Run N' Shoot style of offense.

But the Mustangs, after fielding only one win in Jones' first year, are 5-4 and one win shy of becoming bowl eligible. Good victories over Tulsa and East Carolina, a close overtime loss to Navy, and a fluky loss to Washington State have shown his team will again be competitive against squads within and outside of Conference USA.

Two million is a touch high, but SMU hasn't had a winning season since joining Conference USA. If Jones can get the Stangs into a bowl, get the W, and stay in the headlines for the right reasons, it'll be a sign the hire was a good one.

No. 20: Butch Davis, North Carolina

Salary: $2,100,000

Where he came from: Davis has a great coaching pedigree. He coached the Miami Hurricanes through a difficult period in the mid- to late-'90s, when recruiting violations sapped 31 scholarships from the Canes and barred Miami from the postseason in 1995.

He left the Hurricanes for the Cleveland Browns under befuddling circumstances, after posting a 10-1 record and a Sugar Bowl bid for the Canes in 2000. The recently rejuvenated Browns managed to reach the postseason under Davis in 2002, but he resigned midway through the 2004 season after going 3-7. He's coached the Tar Heels since 2007.

Is he worth it?: Davis is, once again, successfully rebuilding a program that had fallen on hard times.

After failing to reach the postseason in his first season, the Tar Heels finished third in the ACC Coastal division last year, and lost a shootout to the Pat White-led West Virginia Mountaineers in the Meineke Car Care Bowl.

2008 started out rough—the Tar Heels started the season 0-3 in ACC play, and blew a late lead to Florida State—but UNC notched a good win over the Virginia Tech Hokies at Ryan Field two weeks ago and became bowl eligible by beating ACC contender Duke 19-6 at home last week.

Davis has also locked down recruiting in the difficult North Carolina area and has designs on making the UNC football program at least as recognizable as its basketball counterpart. That alone would be worth the price tag.

No. 19: Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech

Salary: $2,100,000

Where he came from: Beamer coached under Bobby Ross and Bill Dooley at The Citadel and Murray State before accepting the head coaching job at Virginia Tech.

The Hokies had only been to a handful of bowls in their first century of existence, but Beamer has built them into a Big East/ACC powerhouse, annually ranked and consistently competitive for ACC titles. In bowl games–well, don't ask.

Is he worth it?: I'd say so. $2,100,000 is actually on the lower end for a coach who has reached the BCS four times since its inception, but that's balanced by the fact that Beamer has been there 20+ years and shows little signs of unrest.

Throw in a couple $100,000 incentives for Beamer finally winning a game as an underdog, and you're looking at a pretty fair contract.

No. 18: Greg Schiano, Rutgers

Salary: $2,250,000

Where he came from: Schiano started out as a graduate assistant at Rutgers before coaching defensive backs at Penn State under Joe Paterno. He spent some time with Dave Wannstedt at the Chicago Bears coaching defense, then headed to Miami for a year to coach defense. He's been at Rutgers since 2001.

Is he worth it?: Well, is the glass half full or half empty?

If it's half full, Schiano's teams have steadily improved since 2001, achieving national prominence after a 9-0 start in 2006 that featured an upset of the No. 6 Louisville Cardinals.

That year, the Scarlet Knights were nationally ranked for the first time since 1976. Schiano also won Coach of the Year after beating Kansas State in the Texas Bowl. He followed up the 2006 year with winning records in 2007 and 2008, securing bids to the International Bowl and Papajohns.com Bowl.

If it's half empty, then Schiano is the highest paid coach in the Big East despite never winning the conference outright, tying for second twice and finishing 5th overall in 2007.

Schiano's abnormally high contract is mostly due to outside attempts to poach him. He has the Rutgers administration over a barrel financially, and is unfairly bleeding them dry.

I'm a glass half-full type guy, but take your pick.

No. 17: Paul Johnson, Georgia Tech

Salary: $2,300,000

Where he came from: Johnson was offensive coordinator for Hawaii, Georgia Southern and Navy, taking over head coaching duties for the Georgia Southern Eagles and winning the 1-AA national championship in 1999 and 2000.

In 2002, Johnson departed for Navy, where he led the Midshipmen to bowl games in five straight years and was 5-1 versus Army.

Johnson took the Georgia Tech head coaching job prior to the end of the 2007 season, helping the Yellow Jackets beat the in-state rival Georgia Bulldogs for the first time since the year 2000 and winning ACC Coach of the Year.

Is he worth it?: Hell yeah, he's worth it. In fact, give this man a raise!

At 9-1, the Yellow Jackets are on the brink of their first ACC title since joining the conference, and their first BCS bowl since its inception.

The triple option has proven beastly to defend, and Johnson has shown success in adapting the system to suit the skill sets of his players.

The Yellow Jackets have three players sitting in the Top 10 in rushing yards for the ACC, and that's no coincidence. Don't be surprised if Johnson is at the receiving end of a major raise when the Yellow Jackets clean up in the Orange Bowl in January.

No. 16: Mark Mangino, Kansas

Salary: $2,300,000

Where he came from: Mangino coached under Jim Tressel at Youngstown State, then under Bill Snyder at Kansas State. He split offensive coordinator duties with Mike Leach at Bob Stoops-coached Oklahoma in 2000 and 2001, then took over the Kansas job in 2002, where he's been ever since.

Is he worth it?: Mangino has led a turnaround of the Kansas Jayhawks football program, ending an ignominous 36-year losing streak to the Nebraska Cornhuskers in 2005 and an eight-year bowl drought in 2003. His 2007 team tied for first in the Big 12 North and beat Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl.

His Jayhawks have visited the postseason six straight times, and the Jayhawks are a win away from the seventh.

Yet they've undergone a befuddling regression on offense and a nasty loss to Kansas State this year, and that sixth win might be hard to come by against Nebraska, Texas and Missouri.

For such a high price, Mangino should probably expect some pressure to maintain Big 12 North relevance. If not, he risks losing support from a fanbase that may have grown inured to success.

Showing that he's able to replace Todd Reesing, the Jayhawks prolific QB and a three-year starter, will go a long way to demonstrating continuity in the program after this year.

No. 15: Houston Nutt, Ole Miss

Salary: $2,500,000

Where he came from: Nutt started out as offensive coordinator for the Oklahoma State Cowboys during the Barry Sanders years. His first head coaching job came at Murray State, where he coached the Racers to back-to-back Ohio Valley conference championships and bids to the 1-AA national championship semifinals.

He was the head coach of the Boise State Broncos for one year, then took over the Arkansas Razorbacks, winning or sharing SEC West titles in 1998, 2002 and 2006. Nutt took over at Ole Miss in 2008, beating the future national champion Florida Gators in the Swamp and 11-1 Texas Tech in the Cotton Bowl.

Is he worth it?: Sure! If you don't mind consistent inconsistency, questionable recruiting tactics and a bad habit of not living up to the hype, Nutt's your guy!

I kid, but only slightly. Nutt has looked a lot better than predecessor Ed Orgeron, who recruited well but couldn't win games.

He returned the Rebels to the postseason in his first year. He is a terrific coach of great running backs (Sanders, as well as Darren McFadden, Felix Jones and Peyton Hillis).

But he is not dependable under pressure. He's a lot more fond of the upset than of meeting or exceeding expectations, and that insecurity seems to have rubbed off on his players.

For so much money, the Rebels need to make sure they're getting what they pay for. Scoring the occasional upset is fine, but for 2.5 million dollars, I would want my team to be a reliable, perennial SEC West contender.

No. 14: Gary Pinkel, Missouri

Salary: $2,500,000

Where he came from: Pinkel was a WR coach at Bowling Green and Washington, taking over as OC for the Huskies for six years. He coached the Toledo Rockets to a conference championship in 1995, and took over at Missouri in 2001.

Is he worth it?: Depends.

Pinkel's teams have won the Big 12 North in back-to-back seasons, and you could sell the argument that the Tigers are only out of contention this year because of what Ndamukong Suh can do to your quarterback.

His is the offensive mind behind the Tigers' extremely prolific pass-heavy spread that led Missouri to Big XII North titles, and he's shown that the system can be successful long term now that Blaine Gabbert is putting up great stats again.

But he would be wise to field a better defense (he's kind of your inverse Bo Pelini), so hiring a coordinator would go a long way to justifying the fact that he makes the most of any Big XII North coach.

This year, he just needs to worry about reaching the postseason; at 1-4 in the conference, it's never a good idea to quit playing in November.

No. 13: Bobby Bowden, Florida State

Salary: $2,500,000

Where he came from: Bobby Bowden has been coaching at Florida State since Moses was in short pants.

Is he worth it?: No, no, a thousand times no.

I like Bowden, I think he's a sweet guy. He gets up, he puts the coffee on, he reads the Bible, living legend, all that.

But when it's time to retire, it's time to retire, 2.5 million a year or no.

Bowden's teams are 0-4 in BCS games in the 2000s. They will likely miss the postseason, putting an end to the nation's longest bowl streak (27 years and, well, no longer counting). The rise of the Florida Gators means the longer Bowden stays, the more ground is lost to the regime in Gainesville.

Players in this generation don't buy the living legend angle (except for maybe CJ Spiller). They just want to win championships, something Bowden's teams are four years removed from doing.

Isn't it enough that they named the field after him, that the boosters are calling for him, that his wife has to step in and defend him?

End the dadgum sadness, please.

No. 12: Rich Rodriguez, Michigan

Salary: $2,500,000

Where he came from: Rodriguez is the architect of the modern day zone-read spread n' shred, and was a successful offensive coordinator/coach at Glenville State, Tulane and Clemson before becoming head coach at West Virginia.

Despite a difficult first season, Rodriguez built the West Virginia Mountaineers into a Big East powerhouse, winning the conference in 2003-2005 and again in 2007.

Michigan hired Rodriguez to succeed Lloyd Carr, forcing an ugly split from the Mountaineers athletic department and a PR disaster to inaugurate his tenure. His team went 3-9 in his first season and is currently 5-5.

Is he worth it?: Sometimes I feel like I'm one of the few patient, level-headed, confident, and even excited Wolverine fans left.

I think Rodriguez was a terrific hire for a program that needed a complete cultural overhaul, and like my colleagues at Penn State, I see no problem in bidding farewell to the fair weather fans or the nostalgists who miss Lloyd Carr.

Carr ran out of gas by the end and couldn't keep the recruiting mojo alive, which is not unforgivable, but is certainly not something to be nostalgic about.

We're seeing that slide into mediocrity play out each week, as Michigan is forced to start walk-ons at safety and middle linebacker, arguably the two most important positions on defense. How many championship programs are forced to do that?

Patience, Wolverine fans. When Michigan starts looking like West Virginia did in 2006 and 2007 (as they have in fits and starts last year and this year), I'll be the first one in line at the Victors Walk.

Go Blue.

No. 11: Mark Richt, Georgia

Salary: $2,900,000

Where he came from: Richt was a graduate assistant at Florida State after playing QB for Miami as a student.

He served for one year at East Carolina as offensive coordinator before heading back to the Seminoles to take over as OC for a wildly successful decade that saw the Seminoles win national championships in 1993 and 1999 and field two Heisman winners.

He took over the Georgia Bulldogs as head coach in 2001 and has served there since.

Is he worth it?: Richt is the longest tenured coach in the SEC, going to bowl games in each of his last eight years and compiling a 6-2 record, including a 2-1 record in the Sugar Bowl. He won or shared the SEC East conference title in 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2007.

But this is the SEC, so we need to revise our expectations. For just shy of three million dollars, Richt's Bulldogs are staring at a 5-4 overall, 3-3 SEC record and blowout losses to Tennessee and Florida, the second straight of such to the Gators.

Still, they're replacing NFL talent at the quarterback and running back position with the departure of Knowshon Moreno and Matthew Stafford, a three-year starter.

I think Richt is worth it. He's only the fifth-highest paid coach in the SEC, which means he's arguably producing at exactly the level he's receiving. In a way, winning an SEC East Title would be overachieving.

It's not a historically cynical or impatient fanbase, so I doubt Richt will face serious pressure unless the Bulldogs face a losing season.

I could be wrong, though. That's what the comments section is for.

No. 10: Bobby Petrino, Arkansas

Salary: $2,900,000

Where he came from: Here, take a look...

1983 Carroll (Graduate Assistant)
1984 Weber State (Graduate Assistant)
1985-1986 Carroll (Offensive Coordinator)
1987-1988 Weber State (WR/TE Coach)
1989 Idaho (QB Coach)
1990-1991 (OC)
1992-1993 Arizona State (QB)
1994 Nevada (OC/QB)
1995-1997 Utah State (OC)
1998 Louisville (OC)
1999-2000 Jacksonville Jaguars (QB)
2001 Jacksonville Jaguars (OC)
2002 Auburn (OC)
2003-2006 Louisville
2007 Atlanta Falcons
2008-present Arkansas

Bobby Petrino has done a little coaching in his time.

Is he worth it?: He's a good coach and has proven he can win at the college level, winning the Orange Bowl with the 11-1 Louisville Cardinals before departing for the Atlanta Falcons in January of 2007.

But the funny business at Louisville—massive attrition since his departure, coupled with a complete breakdown on the field—raises serious questions about his ethics.

It's difficult to say what motivates Petrino, but without intending offense, the Arkansas Razorbacks are not a notoriously terminal position. Three million dollars might be the solution, but that's a tremendous amount of dough to throw at a pile of quicksand.

He's got a stud at quarterback and some surprising performers at the running back position, but the Arkansas faithful have to be holding their breath after each loss. Not the kind of situation to ever find oneself in, especially at such a high price.

I'd say the only way for the Arkansas athletic directors to beat Petrino is to join him—try and get "hand" in the relationship, as George Costanza would say—and make a preemptive move if they sense he's getting restless.

I'd like to see Arkansas succeed. I'm just not sure they can with Petrino.

No. 9: Mack Brown, Texas

Salary: $2,910,000

Where he came from: Stints at Iowa State and Appalachian State, a brief year as the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma (!), head coaching gigs at Tulane and North Carolina, before landing the Texas job in 1997.

Is he worth it?: Every penny and more.

A terrific recruiter in a tough state, Brown hires the best coordinators and runs the cleanest, healthiest program in the country. Jesus Christ Himself wears burnt orange.

He's on a five-game bowl tear since the epic Vince Young scamper to beat USC, and has shown that he can keep up with and adapt to the shifting nature of the game since evolving his offense from the highest-profile use of the zone-read to the pass-heavy spread under Colt McCoy.

He's got his team in position to compete for the national championship, for crying out loud.

And he has a terrific succession plan in place, announcing that defensive coordinator Will Muschamp will take over once he retires. That's a crucial step in guaranteeing long-term stability in recruiting and keeping the talented Muschamp around indefinitely.

The man is a consummate professional, deserving of every karat of that gold toilet seat I've heard so much about.

No. 8: Kirk Ferentz, Iowa

Salary: $3,030,000

Where he came from: After a short stint as the head guy at Maine, Ferentz coached offensive lines at the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens before taking the Iowa job in 1999.

Is he worth it?: Until recently, no. He's never won the Big Ten Championship outright, sharing the title in 2002 and 2004.

He has a 4-3 record in bowls, but missed the postseason as recently as 2007.

He was accused (but ultimately acquitted) of being involved in the cover-up of a rape by one of his players in the 2008 offseason.

This year, he had Iowa knocking on the door of the national championship, but lost at home to Northwestern after injuries to Ricky Stanzi.

Some might say that, like Greg Schiano, Ferentz's high sticker price is the result of wooing efforts by battered NFL teams. As recently as this year, there were rumors that he was headed to the Cleveland Browns.

But he fields consistent, if unexciting, teams, and wins the old-fashioned way: run the ball, play good defense and hang around waiting for the other guy to make a mistake.

In a wonky Big Ten year, no wonder that was the recipe for success. So if Iowa wants to fork over three million plus, far be it from me to contradict them.

No. 7: Urban Meyer, Florida

Salary: $3,400,000

Where he came from: Highly successful positions as head coach at Bowling Green and a record-setting, BCS-busting stop at the Utah Utes before landing Ron Zook's gig at Florida.

Is he worth it?: Is the Pope Catholic? (Ask Urban, he's devout).

At the time of his contract extension, Meyer was the third-highest paid coach behind Pete Carroll and Charlie Weis.

And with Weis likely out the door, it may be time to up the ante again, or risk losing the hawkish coach to his "dream job."

He has the second-highest winning percentage in the country behind Carroll, and is on his way to winning back-to-back national championships.

His temper is what caused global warming.

Any questions?

No. 6: Jim Tressel, Ohio State

Salary: $3,500,000

Where he came from: Jim Tressel comes from Hell Mentor, Ohio and moved to Berea, where his father Jim coached Baldwin-Wallace to a I-AAA national championship.

He coached running backs at Akron, QBs and WRs at Miami of Ohio (the "cradle of coaches"), QBs at Syracuse and Ohio State, then took over Youngstown State, where he won multiple 1-AA national championships.

He took over for the Buckeyes in 2001 following the firing of John Cooper, and holds the best winning percentage record of any Ohio State coach, including a five-game winning streak against Michigan, the longest in history.

Is he worth it?: As a coach? Every bit.

As a playcaller, maybe not so much.

The predictability of Ohio State's offense has cost them in the big games, evidenced by an 0-5 record in games against top five teams since the end of the 2006 season.

This year, Tressel saw his playcalling duties threatened following the high-profile loss to USC in which the Vest played a touch too conservatively.

But with the Buckeyes back in contention for a fifth straight Big Ten title, those calls have largely subsided. Tressel is the Man in Columbus now and forever.

The Senator still has the floor.

No. 5: Les Miles, LSU

Salary: $3,800,000

Where he came from: Miles coached offensive lines at Michigan and Colorado before becoming offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State. After a brief stint with the Dallas Cowboys coaching tight ends, Miles took over the Oklahoma State head job before leaping to LSU after Nick Saban said, "Peace!"

Is he worth it?: I don't know. That's a hell of a lot of money to pay an SEC runner-up two years in a row.

Miles has shown the ability to recruit, and he talks a big game since his days harassing Bob Stoops at Oklahoma State.

But I also get the sense he's built up a bold, go-for-broke reputation he can't sustain. And though I like the act, college football is a sport where you need to back up everything you say, and for two years, Les has been unable to do that.

He can stock the talent, but can he develop it? Will he prove to be a perennial also-ran in the country's toughest conference?

He's got another year to show some progress against Alabama and Florida. After that, the Tigers might be looking to tame that check.

No. 4: Bob Stoops, Oklahoma

Salary: $3,800,000

Where he came from: Stoops is an ex-defensive coordinator at Kansas State and Florida, and took over for the Sooners in 1998.

Is he worth it?: I'm sensitive to coaches who have fallen on hard times without their own doing, so I give Bob Stoops a wide berth.

The Bradford injury was not his fault. The "big-game-losses" reputation—and the consecutive losses to Texas—only take one year, even two good games, to fix.

When you consider it, his teams have faced probably the three most difficult offenses to defend—2004 USC, 2007 West Virginia and 2008 Florida—in the past BCS bowls. In 2006, they lost on a trick play. That's just a tough draw.

For four million dollars, I hope the Oklahoma brass agree. They'd be losing a damn good coach if they listened to the doubters.

No. 3: Nick Saban, Alabama

Salary: $3,900,000

Where he came from: A little from column A, a little from column B.

A former Michigan State head coach, Saban jetted to LSU in 1998, made a stop at the Miami Dolphins, and entered his final resting place in Tuscaloosa.

Is he worth it?: With a win against Florida, he is. The third-highest paid coach in the country needs to be playing in the national championship, plain and simple.

(For the record, I think he will be.)

Saban is an outstanding recruiter and has restored pride in the Tide. An undefeated season in the SEC is an outstanding feat, especially coming off of another near-undefeated season in only his second year.

He brings success (ill-tempered success, but success) wherever he goes. And with the high price tag, he'll surely remain Tide coach long enough to restore stability to a program that's had a rough decade. Worth it all the way.

No. 2: Charlie Weis, Notre Dame

Salary: $4,200,000

Where he came from: Weis is a Parcells/Belichick-bred NFL mind with stints at the New York Giants and Patriots, serving as a receivers and running backs coach and as offensive coordinator before taking the Notre Dame job in 2005.

Is he worth it?: Well, if my sources are correct (and yes, even at the Bleacher Report, you can have sources), not anymore.

Weis is 35-24 as coach of the Irish, with a single win over a top 10 team (over the 2005 Michigan team that would finish 7-5) in his entire tenure. The Irish went 3-9 in Weis' third year and broke even in 2008, beating Hawaii in the Hawaii Bowl.

I actually think he is worth it, for what it's worth. The Irish offense seemed to be clicking this year courtesy of Weis' stud recruits at wideout and Jimmy Clausen's heroic performances in tight games.

But at four million plus per year and with no BCS bowl in sight, the Weis experiment is about to get its funding pulled.

Too bad—I was just starting to enjoy myself.

No. 1: Pete Carroll, USC

Salary: $4,400,000

Where he came from: defensive positions around the NFL, including at the Minnesota Vikings and New York Jets, led to brief coaching gigs at the Jets and Patriots. Carroll unfortunately followed Bill Parcells, who had raised expectations for the New England fanbase, and was fired in 1999.

After a year spent surfing with Mario Lopez and the Copacabana girls in paradise, Carroll was hired by the USC Trojans in 2001.

Is he worth it?: Winning Forever has its price. And some might say Carroll is going through a rough year.

But when two losses is a rough year, you've got yourself a great coach. Every fan in the country looks at the USC program with envy, and with good reason.

The base expectation is a conference championship every year. Carroll only recently started losing games by more than a touchdown.

Should I go on? The guy is gold.

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