As the 2008 season approaches, many teams are vying to play for the BCS Championship in Miami. One of the most important determining factors for these teams is the man who is running the show.
Here's a look at the five coaches who are the best men to lead their respective schools to the 2008 BCS Championship in Miami come January 2009.
5. Mark Richt, Georgia - BCS Championships: None
Although Richt has yet to reach, let alone win, the BCS Championship Game, he has led Georgia to great success in his tenure. The winner of two SEC Championships and three appearances in the Sugar Bowl, Georgia fields its most talented team in recent memory, looking to make a push for the second national title in school history.
Along with being a great leader, Richt is a great motivator, spurring a phenomenal run by the ‘Dawgs at the end of last season, sparked by "The Celebration" during their clash with rival Florida.
During his time at Georgia, Richt has overseen a defense that has improved every season since his arrival. He has been a great recruiter, bringing in Georgia stars such as QB David Greene, WR Reggie Brown, and Heisman hopeful HB Knowshon Moreno.
Richt is determined to lead the "Dawgs through the nation's toughest schedule to win the SEC Championship and possibly win his first BCS Championship as a head coach.
Previous Success: Mark Richt was the offensive coordinator under Bobby Bowden at Florida State from 1990-2000. Richt coached Heisman Trophy winners QB Charlie Ward (1993) and QB Chris Weinke (1999) and helped the Seminoles win the 1993 and 1999 National Championships.
4. Jim Tressel, Ohio State - BCS Championships: 1 (2002)
Although Tressel has had the misfortune of running into SEC juggernauts Florida and LSU the past two years in the BCS title game, he is still one of the best coaching minds in the game today.
A two-time winner of the Woody Hayes Award, Tressel coached 2006 Heisman Trophy winner QB Troy Smith and holds a 73-16 record at Ohio State, as well as a 6-1 mark against archrival Michigan. In addition, Tressel has won four Big Ten Championships and has had two different winning streaks of 19 games, in 2002-2003 and 2005-2006, respectively.
Ohio State looks to win their fourth straight Big Ten Championship and to make a third appearance in the BCS title game in as many years. This time around, Tressel will make sure the Buckeyes walk away national champions.
Previous Success: Jim Tressel was the head football coach at Division I-AA Youngstown State from 1986-2000. During his tenure at Youngstown State, Tressel led the Penguins to four national championships, the most recent title coming in 1997. Youngstown State made an impressive 10 trips to the playoffs in Tressel’s 15 seasons as head coach.
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3. Urban Meyer, Florida - BCS Championships: 1 (2006)
Urban Meyer has quickly made a mark on the landscape of college football as the head man of the Florida Gators. Meyer is 31-8 as Florida’s “Ol’ Ball Coach,” including a dominating 17-1 record at home in “The Swamp.”
In January 2007, Meyer led the Gators to a shocking 41-14 upset of heavily favored No. 1 Ohio State in the 2006 BCS Championship Game, Florida’s second national football title. Although Florida failed to defend their title the following season, Meyer coached 2007 Heisman Trophy winner QB Tim Tebow, and Florida finished third in the NCAA in scoring offense, averaging 42.5 points per game.
With the addition of USC transfer Emmanuel Moody at the running back position, the 2008 Gators’ offense seems even more potent than the 2007 version and is loaded for a run at a second BCS title in three seasons.
Previous Success: Urban Meyer coached 2004 Heisman finalist QB Alex Smith and the Utah Utes to a victory over the Pittsburgh Panthers in the 2005 Fiesta Bowl. Utah was the first team from a non-BCS conference to appear in, and win, a BCS bowl game since the creation of the Bowl Championship Series in 1998. The 12-0 Utes finished the 2004 season ranked No. 4 in the AP poll.
2. Bob Stoops, Oklahoma - BCS Championships: 1 (2000)
I think Bob Stoops is underrated. He doesn’t get enough credit for his track record. Granted, Stoops has been anything but good in BCS games recently, but here's the thing—Stoops has led Oklahoma to four BCS games in the past five seasons. That's incredible, regardless of whether you win them or not!
Many coaches haven't even reached four BCS bowl games in their entire career, let alone in a five-year stretch.
In addition, Oklahoma has the most wins (97) of any BCS school over the last ten years, which also happens to be Stoops' entire tenure at Oklahoma. Whether or not he can win the BCS games, he does get his team there consistently.
Besides, Oklahoma is overdue for a BCS bowl game victory. They haven’t won a BCS game since a 34-14 drubbing of Washington State in the 2003 Rose Bowl.
With the talent Oklahoma fields this season, as well as Stoops' great coaching ability, look for Oklahoma to win whatever BCS bowl game they appear in—possibly the BCS Championship Game.
Previous Success: As the defensive coordinator of the Florida Gators, Stoops helped drastically improve a team that surrendered 62 points to Nebraska in the 1996 Fiesta Bowl. The Gators won their first football national title in 1996 with Stoops running the defense, defeating rival Florida State 52-20 in the Sugar Bowl.
1. Pete Carroll, USC – BCS Championships: 1 (2004)
Pete Carroll is the best college football coach in the game today. Carroll’s USC teams have simply dominated the Pac-10 Conference and college football since he took over Southern Cal in 2001. Carroll’s Trojans have reached a BCS game for six consecutive seasons, brandishing a 5-1 record in those games.
In addition, Carroll has also led USC to a school-record 34-game winning streak (2003-2005) that was finally snapped with a 41-38 loss to Texas in the 2006 Rose Bowl. The three-time Pac-10 Coach of the Year has also coached three Heisman Trophy winners: QB Carson Palmer (2002), QB Matt Leinart (2004), and HB Reggie Bush (2005).
Although Pete Carroll has only one BCS Championship to his credit, he also won the 2003 AP National Championship. The split title with the LSU Tigers resulted from LSU winning the 2003 BCS Championship and the AP Poll declaring USC the 2003 National Champions.
Looking ahead to 2008, the Trojans are in the hunt to claim their seventh straight Pac-10 Championship and their first BCS Championship since 2004, despite having a new starting quarterback in Mark Sanchez. With Pete Carroll running the show at USC, I expect them to be frontrunners for the BCS Championship when the season kicks off.
Previous Success: Pete Carroll was the head coach of the New England Patriots in the National Football League from 1997-1999. Carroll shined as the New England coach in 1997, finishing with a 10-6 record and winning the AFC East Division Championship.
The aforementioned names are, in my opinion, the five best coaches in college football today. If you feel that I left off some deserving coaches, feel free to comment or leave feedback. I will gladly defend my list and/or give credit where it’s due.
Statistics courtesy of ESPN.com
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about 1 month ago
All of those are excellent choices...good article man.
I'm a huge fan of Oregon's offensive coordinator Chip Kelly--he is a masterful football mind.
about 1 month ago
I'm perplexed. How can Bob Stoops be considered a coach in a better situation than Jim Tressel this season. Stoops hasn't been right since Kansas State ran him outta town in the 2003 Big 12 title game.
from about 1 month ago
Hasn't been right? His Oklahoma teams have been good since then. Since that loss to Kansas State, Oklahoma is 42-12, both regular and postseason. Granted, he hasn't won a BCS game since then, but that's not because of his coaching. Thanks for the feedback!
about 1 month ago
Good list, but I must agree with Tate. Stoops at 2 seems way too high.
from about 1 month ago
Here's my reasoning for Stoops at #2. Stoops vs. Richt. Stoops has won a national title. Stoops vs. Meyer. Urban Meyer is very good. If he continues his success, he's number two on this list in a few years. Stoops has been consistently good longer than Meyer. Do I believe that Meyer will be better than Stoops? Absolutely. Urban just isn't there yet, in my opinion. As for Stoops vs. Tressel, I believe that Stoops is better at adjusting to what the opponent throws at him. Although he hasn't been good in BCS games as of late, you can't tell me that Tressel has been much better the past two BCS title games. Tressel is a great football mind, but he looked completely lost as he watched Florida and LSU run all over his Ohio State teams. However, I can see why you'd put Stoops lower on your list and I can live with that. Thanks for the feedback and keep reading!
about 1 month ago
It is too bad some readers have to ruin a good article for everyone.
Nice list, though.
about 1 month ago
If Ohio State loses to USC in a blowout akin to Florida or LSU, watch for Tressel to drop off that list. Otherwise, great read
from about 1 month ago
I disagree. While the general public will blast Tressel for underachieving in big games, Tressel still will have a chance to do something no Big Ten coach (Bo, Woody included) has ever done: Win three consecutive outright Big Ten titles. Regardless of your opinion towards Tressel, Ohio State, or the Big Ten, that would be a feat worth a lot of respect.
about 1 month ago
1. Pete Carroll
2. Urban Meyer
3. Jim Tressel
4. Bob Stoops
5. Les Miles
about 1 month ago
You listed David Greene as an example of good recruiting by Richt. David Greene was part of the Donnan administrations efforts. Now Richt did take DJ Shockley to UGA as he left FSU
from about 1 month ago
Thanks for correcting that! D.J. Shockley was a very good player who flourished under Richt. I regret the error.
about 1 month ago
Decent list. Stoops, if for no other reason than longer sustained success, deserves to be ahead of Meyer. As for Stoops v. Tressel, well, check out David Wunderlich's excellent article on that very subject:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/35450-jim-tressels-record-at-ohio-state-and-his-similarity-to-bob-stoops
Richt is easily the best coach without a national title. My one beef is that the article says he's a "great leader" and "great motivator." Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think his motivational and emotional leadership skills were one of the biggest knocks against him until last season. In 2007 he finally loosened up his hold on the team; he relinquished playcalling duties and, as stated, told his team to have a little more fun out there.
In previous seasons it seemed like Richt, and by extension his team, were a little tense and not loose during big games. Maybe that's the one adjustment he needed to make to put the Dawgs over the top.
from about 1 month ago
Thanks for that link, it was a good read and it shed some light on the comparison between Tressel and Stoops. As you mentioned, the lack of good leadership was a knock on Richt...until last season, as you also pointed out. I based the viewpoint I mentioned in my article mostly on what he did last season for the 'Dawgs. Georgia was a sinking ship until he encouraged the team to have some fun and go out and play. I agree with you that that adjustment may push the 'Dawgs over the top and give Richt his forst title. Let's let UGA get through that schedule first. Thanks for the feedback!
about 1 month ago
wow, no surprises here
about 1 month ago
Excellent list...I think you're dead on. I can't say I'd even suggest any changes.
Having said that, I do believe that you have to look at schools too when handing out coaching accolades. Some schools are just more condusive to success because of money, fan base, location, in state competition etc...
For example, Spurrier could be as good as any coach on your list if he were in the right situation, which is not what he has at Carolina...no offense intended.
from about 1 month ago
No offense taken. That's a very good point. Spurrier was much better at Florida, where the money and fan base were greater. However, Spurrier did build Florida's program, basically from scratch. Although his assets aren't as great at South Carolina, the Gamecocks have underperformed under Spurrier. Spurrier is a better coach then he's showing and he needs to prove it by making South Carolina a contender in the SEC. Thanks for the feedback and your opinion! Keep reading!
about 1 month ago
Mark Richt is overrated. Give Chris Peterson that talent and he's winning 'ships.
1. Carroll
2. Tressel
3. Meyer (I wanted to put him in that second spot, but I know Tressel deserves it...for now)
4. Miles (Nipping at the top 3 whether you like him or not)
5. Stoops (I think this is the year that dictates whether he's a top shelf coach or not)
from about 1 month ago
Although I entirely disagree with your assessment of Mark Richt, Peterson is a good football coach, I'll five you that. As for Les Miles, I don't think he is or ever will a great football coach. Good? Yes. Great? No. Who was the best team in college football in 2006? It wasn't Florida or Ohio State. It wasn't Michigan or USC. It was LSU. WHy didn't LSU win the national championship? Miles was outcoached by both Tommy Tuberville (who would make my Top 10) and Urban Meyer. Miles squandered that talented team. Even worse, he's lucky he won the title last year. Miles managed to underperform with that LSU team for a second straight season. Luckily, college football was so out of whack last season, the Bayou Bengals were able to get in and beat Ohio State. he does have a champiobnship, I give him that. However, Miles just can't use the talent he has to the fullest. This limits him and only makes him a good coach. Thanks for the feedback!
about 1 month ago
Carroll should not be one. He is nothing but a good recruiter. With the talent USC has, there is no excuse for them to not win the National Championship every year - which they do not. Urban Meyer is far away the best college coach right now.
from about 1 month ago
No excuse not to win the National Championship every year, eh? You do know that winning the national championship is pretty hard, don't you? The guy won one outright, won the AP vote another time, and lost in arguably the greatest championship game every played. Nobody else comes close to those results.
about 1 month ago
Dan and Edmon:
Give Miles a few more years to prove himself. Remember, when he was Oklahoma State the best thing he did was beat Oklahoma. He may prove great over time, but to put Miles on the list now is saying too much based on a few years' success.
Richt was key to FSU's success in the 90's (just look at what happened there after he left), and as soon as he got to Georgia they got good in a hurry. He hasn't won a national championship, but he's been right on the cusp of playing for one twice. If he wins it this year, he's solidly in the top 5.
Not sure why this year alone would dictate whether Stoops is a top shelf coach. His run of sustained success in the BCS era is second only to USC's (still, OU's run started two years before USC's). He's got a bad bowl streak going, but that doesn't negate the incredible regular season success they've had over the past 8 years.
about 1 month ago
My list. Same names, different order.
1) Pete Carroll - need I say more? no, but i will. he has such a proven track record of demolishing the PAC-10, a little bump in the road known as "OSU down in sunny Cal" will be all that SHOULD stand in his way this year
2) Tressel - he's made it there so often it's hard not to put him at #1 as having the best shot of returning, alas, Pete Carroll is the man right now in college football and will probably keep Tressel from embarassing himself again this season in the championship
3) Meyer - anyone who can lead the Utes to perfection and a BCS bowl win is gotta be on up there. now if weren't for that darn tough SEC schedule, hey, we might see him in the big game as often as Tressel
4) Richt - maybe now that he has learned some valuable lessons, this will be his year. he just couldn't quite get over the hump, but i really think, after seeing the conclusion of last season, that he has it now
5) Stoops - would/should be higher, but i think he ruined himself winning it all in his first rodeo. i think it's hard to repeat when you get it right the first time around
from about 1 month ago
"3) Meyer - anyone who can lead the Utes to perfection and a BCS bowl win is gotta be on up there. now if weren't for that darn tough SEC schedule, hey, we might see him in the big game as often as Tressel"
Fear not. The SEC is bound to be a mediocre conference yet again, eventually. It wasn't all that long ago that they were rated as the worst or second-worst BCS conference. Their current cycle of dominance will come to an end at some point.
from about 1 month ago
at which point one or two teams will dominate like usc and ohio state in their respective conferences, like fsu did for so long, thus creating an even larger headache when you have at least 3 major teams undefeated at the end of the season
don't think it's gonna happen. not with the coaches in the SEC. not with the recruits who are going there. it's gonna take a long time for the SEC to become mediocre. the only way i see the SEC becoming mediocre is if all the coaches and the teams with all their rich tradition go to others conferences. how many national championship coaches does the big 10 have? or big 12? or pac-10? have 42% of their coaches won NC's? 5 out of 12! and if UGA plays its cards right then the SEC may have half of their teams with a coach who has won a national championship next season!
about 1 month ago
Agreed....good list. And what do Tressell, Urban Myer, Bob Stoops (and for that matter Les Miles, Bo Pelini of Nebraska, Ron Zook of Illinois) have in common? (add the late Bo Schembechler, Paul Brown (who won ohio states first national championship) Lou Holtz,and even John Gruden to the list..)
All are from roughly the same region in the Buckeye state.... raised in a 60 mile area between Youngstown Akron and Cleveland. Even the SEC teams that won the last two championships did it with Coaches raised in Ohio.
Ohio might not always win the national championship, but WOW can it raise coaches.
about 1 month ago
What about Dennis Erickson? He's won everywhere, Idaho,, Washington State, Miami (Nat. Champ.), Oregon State(hadn't had a winning season in a couple of decades, he took them to a #4 ranking and a BCS bowl victory). I believe he's been named AP coach of the year 2 times. I think I would have to put him on your list ahead of 2 or 3 people. Hell, he can put himself ahead of one of em in a couple of months when the sure to be favored Dawgs come to the desert. No disrespect for anyone on your list they are all great coaches, so is he.
from about 1 month ago
Dennis Erickson is a great coach and I appreciate you mentioning him. He's worthy of respect and accolades. However, would you take Erickson over Urban Meyer or Pete Carroll to coach your college football team today? Erickson has Arizona State on the rise, but I don't see him in the same league as Carroll, Stoops, Meyer, Tressel, and Richt currently, pertaining to this season. Now if Erickson can beat Richt when the Sun Devils face the Bulldogs this fall, Erickson will enter the conversation. Thanks for the feedback and keep reading!
about 1 month ago
The winningest coach over the last 10 years is Mack Brown(see link below). Stoops at 2 is laughable. His NC team was recruited by someone else and the embarrassing losses to SC, Biose & WVA were largely his fault as those teams were packed with talent. He laso has his team on probation as we speak. He is WAY overrated.
about 1 month ago
here's the link...
http://football.stassen.com/cgi-bin/records/calc-wp.pl?start=1998&end=2007&rpct=30&min=5&se=on&by=Win+Pct
about 1 month ago
Anyone else think that Pete Carroll, as a coach, you know x's and o's guy, is overrated? I mean the teams to whom he has managed to lose with all of this offensive talent, is amazing. I agree that he is a fantastic recruiter, but as a gameplanning guy I think that Stoops, Tressel, and Urban are vastly superior and would have 3-4 titles under their belt if they had SC's talent, however I am aware that they may not be able to land the talent that Petey-boy does. I just wanted to point out that Carroll has more in common with John Cooper than he does Bear, Woody, Rock or Royal.
from about 1 month ago
1. "I mean the teams to whom he has managed to lose with all of this offensive talent, is amazing." Sorry but Carroll is a defensive coach.
2. Being a good recruiter has everything to do with being a good coach.
3. To win 3-4 titles in a span of 7 years is ridiculous...and pete carroll came within inches of winning 3 in a row, so i don't understand ur reasoning.
4.U r overlooking a huge variable when u say,"I think that Stoops, Tressel, and Urban are vastly superior and would have 3-4 titles under their belt if they had SC's talent" By having USC's reputation (constantly being at the top of the polls) u take evryone's best shot...for pac 10 teams, a win against USC is like a national championship victory...
5. Lastly, again regarding the qoute in #4...what is stopping those coaches from recruiting as well as PC? They r major programs, so whats the excuse...u say "SC's Talent" like its simply handed to the Trojans...re-read #2 and have a nice day
from about 1 month ago
Johnny-
"By having USC's reputation (constantly being at the top of the polls) u take evryone's best shot"
You don't think OSU, Oklahoma, and Florida takes everyone's best shot?
"To win 3-4 titles in a span of 7 years is ridiculous...and pete carroll came within inches of winning 3 in a row"
We are talking about BCS Championships, right? USC only has one of those and although they lost, both Tressel and Stoops have more BCSNC appearances than Carrol. They are all sitting equal with 1 BCS title each.
about 1 month ago
i think we will see just how tough that PAC 10 is at the arizona state beatdown by the dawgs in september. when that happens we will understand why carroll is dramatically over rated. as for recruiting, name one school with in 1000 miles of usc that really stands a chance in the by far largest recruiting territory in the country.
about 1 month ago
It's one thing to get outcoached when you face similar talent (or better) like OSU did when they faced Florida and LSU. It's another when you get beat by a Non-BCS conference team, such as Boise State, and trounced by West Virginia (with an interim coach, Boise State). This is after a month of preparation. If that isn't a reflection of coaching, I don't know what is. You may chalk that up to rare circumstance, but, do we need to bring up the demolishing that USC gave OU in the title game or how OU did not show up in the title game against LSU. What was the last significant bowl win that OU has had against a premier opponent.
I find it hard to believe that the number 2 coach does not have a winning record in bowl games.
about 1 month ago
sigh...Longhorn trolls.
about 1 month ago
only an idiot would think a coach who gets embarrassed every time he play in a BCS game is the second best coach in the country. "Big game" Bob is living off something that happened 8 years ago with someone elses recruits. Most overrated is more like it.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/35751-college-footballs-seven-most-overrated-coaches
from about 1 month ago
John, next time you consider sharing a thought...just don't.
about 1 month ago
How in the world can you leave Les Miles off of this list. Who else in the U.S. could have taken the L.S.U. team and win it all over the powerful Ohio State blinkeyes? That took a great coach and assistants working together to do what they did when no one thought possible. Give the man his due.
about 1 month ago
Would love to here your thoughts on why Mack Brown would not be top 5. He has a NC, he has 10 win seasons each year. granted, OU and Stoops have have got the best of he and UT the past 10 years (at least the majority) ... but its hard to argue with NC and 10 win seasons. What criteria where you considering .... Stats or hunches?
about 1 month ago
The key to making this list is to have one meltdown after another in BCS games (see little Bobby Poops).
about 1 month ago
You're right...Mack Brown deserves to be on this list instead of Stoops, seeing as how Mack's won way more BIG XII championships then those lousy Sooners. Seriously, if Mack was better then Bob Stoops, you'd figure that his Longhorns would have more conference championships under their belt. How can you put a guy who can't even win his own conference without the help of Superfreak Vince Young on the list ahead of a guy who, year in and year out, dominate the conference. Also, Mack has had a lot of talent to work with seeing as how Texas is the premier state for recruiting. This also leads to another point, that worthless Bob Stoops fellow has also been able to come into Texas and come away with some of Texas' finest...for example, Adrian Peterson. Get off the bong and start thinking...sure, Stoops' teams have underperformed in BCS bowls, but he's made it there a hell of a lot more then Mack Brown...and that should definitely count for something. Mack Brown needs to win a couple more XII championships before he should even be in the same breath as Bob Stoops.
about 1 month ago
Thats true, Poops brought AP to Norman and then wasted his talent. He gets stuffed by USC and limps around on a bad hammy for 3 years and then goes to the pros and goes nuts. Nice work pooopsy. Only an injury allowed the sooners to back in to the big 12 title 2 years ago. And what did they do with that title? Lose to a non BCS team THAT HAD NEVER BEATEN A RANKED TEAM. Putting pooops ahead of Tressel or Meyer is a laugher and evrybody knows it. Id say mack is top 10 not top 5 by the way. Thats ok, the more the media strokes pooops the bigger his embarrassments seem to be.Hey, isnt his program on probation as we speak??? LOL
about 1 month ago
Once again, you're right. It's Stoops' fault that AD keeps getting hurt. It's Stoops fault that AD broke his collarbone. However, I do agree that Stoops shouldn't be ahead of Meyer or Tressel, even though I think it's close between Stoops and Tressel. Another thing I don't understand is why the NCAA is more harsh with violations such as illegal benefits than things like weapons charges, assault, and marijuana charges. Everybody knows that collegiate football players get extra benefits everywhere, not just Oklahoma or USC.
about 1 month ago
Stoops isnt in the top 5 come on everybody knows that if he doesnt have better talent he isnt going to win he will be out coached (see Boise State)
about 1 month ago
i would put mack brown to replace mark richt. Brown has won 1 ring vs 0 for Richt. And stoops is way too high at #2. My order would be:
1. Carroll
2. Meyer
3. Tressel
4. Stoops
5. Brown
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