Winning the Big One: The Top 12 Current Big Game Coaches of the BCS Era

Who is really the best when it comes to the big game? Perhaps applying a formula to the records of the top names in the college coaching ranks will make it easy to tell.

The records of each coach in question going back to 1998 (the first year of the BCS) will be examined. Their records in BCS bowl games, other bowl games, and in contests against their top two rivals will be weighted equally. The three winning percentages will be averaged to determine the "Big Game Winning Percentage" or "BGWP."

Coaches must have taken a team to at least one BCS bowl game to merit consideration. However, all their seasons at the FBS level will be included in their scores, even if one of the schools they coached at did not make a BCS bowl. Conference championship games are not considered, as the championship game doesn't exist in all conferences. However, if the school played one of their two rivals in the championship, it does count towards rivalry game statistics.

Finally, coaches must have been at a school through the 2009 season, even if they won't be returning. Breaks (or trips to the NFL) don't disqualify a coach from consideration, but being out of coaching in 2009 does. For example, Pete Carroll is included, but Tommy Tuberville is not.

May the best coach win.

12) Jim Tressel

BGWP .616

Jim Tressel comes in just ahead of fellow Big 10 coach Kirk Ferentz, who scored a .601.

Tressel is 4-3 in BCS games, 1-1 in other bowls. His manhandling of Michigan (8-1) and similar mastery of Penn State (6-3) are the reason for his high score and inclusion on the list.

11) Joe Paterno

BGWP .625

One of the few coaches included whose experience goes back to the beginning of the BCS era (and well beyond it, even if the numbers don't qualify for the formula) Paterno has a huge sample size.

Paterno's BCS record is 1-1, but it is his 5-1 bowl record that really stands out. JoePa is 4-8 against the Buckeyes since 1998, but he has had great success (9-3) against Michigan State, which buoys his score.

A look at Paterno's numbers in another era (beginning in the late 1970s, perhaps) might put him near the top of a similar list.

10) Butch Davis

BGWP .639

Butch Davis is the first multi-school coach on the list. He's a perfect 1-0 in BCS games, dating back to his Miami days. Otherwise he has a 2-2 bowl record. His record against rivals Florida St./Virginia Tech at Miami, and NC State/Duke at North Carolina comes in at 5-7.

Watch out for Davis and the Tar Heels this season. There are a lot of folks saying that this percentage may improve in 2010.

9A) Les Miles

BGWP .667

Les Miles is another multi-school coach who makes the list. His numbers at Oklahoma State weren't exactly stellar, going 0-4 against Texas and 2-2 against Oklahoma in the annual Bedlam game.

However, Coach Miles more than makes up for his numbers in Stillwater with his resume in Baton Rouge. Miles is 7-3 against Auburn and Ole Miss combined.

Factor in a 2-0 BCS record with a 3-3 bowl mark and you see why Les Miles in on the list.

9B) Mack Brown

BGWP .667

While Mack Brown had good numbers at North Carolina, only the games at Texas count in this one, as he started in Austin in 1998.

Brown is 3-1 in BCS games, 5-3 in non-BCS bowls, and turns in an impressive 15-9 mark against Oklahoma and Texas A&M. Hence, he's tied with Les Miles at number nine.

Had it not been for Colt McCoy's arm injury this January, Brown's score might be a bit higher.

8) Mark Mangino

BGWP .681

You can say what you want about Mangino and his exit from Kansas, but he sure did turn the Jayhawks around.

His marks against Missouri and Nebraska aren't great at a combined 6-10, but there's a 2-1 bowl record, coupled with a win in his only BCS appearance.

There's not a huge sample size here, but Mangino got the job done when he could.

7) Mark Richt

BGWP .685

Were it not for Florida's dominance in the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, Mark Richt might well have been in the top five of this list. He is 2-7 against the Gators, but an 8-1 record against Georgia Tech salvages his rivalry record.

Richt is 2-1 in BCS games and 5-1 in other bowls. Not too shabby.

6) Nick Saban

BGWP .693

Here's another multi-school coach. This one can boast a national title at two different schools. Nick Saban is 2-1 in BCS games and 3-2 in other bowls.

At LSU, Saban went 7-3 against Auburn and Ole Miss. At Alabama, he's 6-0 in matchups with Auburn and Tennessee.

Saban will be able to stay in Tuscaloosa just a long as he wants with numbers like that.

5) Pete Carroll

BGWP .749

It helps that USC represents the Pac Ten in the BCS just about every year. During Carroll's stay in Los Angeles, the Trojans were 6-1 in the big bowl games. In other bowls they went 1-1.

Against Notre Dame and UCLA, Carroll and the Trojans were a combined 16-2.

Let's see if incoming coach Lane Kiffin can match those numbers.

4) Chris Petersen

BGWP .833

Boise State has been fighting for national respect for the last few years. Chris Petersen's big game record suggests that they should have it.

Petersen is undefeated in BCS games at 2-0. His "other" bowl record is 2-2. Against rivals Idaho and Nevada, Petersen is undefeated at 8-0.

You can question the schedule and the strength of the rivals, but the two BCS wins speak for themselves. Petersen is a deserving member of this list.

3) Bobby Petrino

BGWP .845

Petrino got his one BCS win (against no losses) when he led the Louisville Cardinals to an Orange Bowl win. At Louisville, he was a perfect 10-0 against Kentucky and Cincinnati.

At Arkansas, Petrino is 1-3 against Ole Miss and LSU. However, his overall bowl record is 3-1, which boosts his percentage.

Let's see if he can get the Razorbacks to prominence the same way he elevated football at Louisville.

2) Urban Meyer

BGWP .865

You had to know that Urban Meyer would be on this list. He's undefeated in BCS games, between Florida and Utah. A lone loss to Michigan stands against two non-BCS bowl wins.

In rivalry games, Meyer is equally hard to beat. He (as a Ute) was perfect against Utah State and BYU. In Gainesville, he's perfect against Florida State and has dropped a mere game to Georgia.

What else can you say? Meyer comes in at No. 2.

1) Kyle Whittingham

BGWP .900

If it's surprising that Urban Meyer isn't the top ranked coach in his list, it shouldn't surprise you that the coach who does take the number one position was his understudy while Meyer was at Utah.

Kyle Whittingham is undefeated in bowl games. He has also won a BCS game. If it weren't for the pesky BYU Cougars, he would be undefeated in rivalry games as well. Against Utah State and BYU, Whittingham is 7-3.

When Meyer left, everyone expected the program at Utah to take a step backwards. Instead, it may have even improved. Kyle Whittingham is a solid No. 1 on this list of big game coaching excellence.