25 College Football Coaches You'd Hate to Have as Your Boss

Even those lucky enough to work in the college football world sometimes dread going to work—just like the rest of us.

That's especially true when your boss—the head coach—is a difficult man for which to work. No doubt, there are some absolutely wonderful bosses in college football, but we thought we'd name the 25 head coaches that we'd all hate to work for.

So here are the taskmasters who would make even the most diehard college football devotee search for a nice, quiet office job.

Bill Snyder

Sometimes, it's nice to be able to go to your boss and convince him that you might have a different and better idea on how to get things done.

Many bosses are receptive to such ideas, and it's entirely possible that Bill Snyder is one of those guys who'll listen to all comers.

But when your boss is Snyder, who is basically a living legend at Kansas State, simply walking into the man's office has to be an intimidating prospect.

How do you tell the guy you have a better idea? K-State named the stadium after the guy. You honestly think you know better than he does?

Dabo Swinney

Enthusiasm is one thing that Dabo Swinney has plenty of.

But that enthusiasm seemed to run a little short toward the end of last season, particularly in the Orange Bowl against West Virginia.

Swinney may have made too much of a deal about beating Auburn early in the year. Maybe his team was a little too excited when an ACC title seemed all but secure. Maybe an Orange Bowl berth was cause for celebration.

But when your team is absolutely blown out by a team many thought didn't even belong in the BCS, it has to be a complete team failure.

Instead, Swinney fired his defensive coordinator, Kevin Steele, making him the scapegoat.

From Steele's perspective, it probably would have been nice to have a boss who had your back when things didn't exactly turn out for the best.

Al Golden

Not long after Al Golden accepted the job at Miami, the media reports of a culture of NCAA violations began to emerge.

Today, we're all familiar with the sad, slimy saga of Nevin Shapiro and the Miami Hurricanes. But back when Golden was being lured away from Temple, he was in the dark, just like the rest of us.

Now that he knows what he inherited, it's amazing to think that Golden could be having thoughts about the “good old days” at Temple. Seriously, what other time in history would you rather be at Temple than Miami?

But that could very well be the case today. Either way, it can't be a barrel of laughs to be around Golden's office these days.

Doc Holliday

First off, working for Marshall's football program probably isn't tops on anyone's list.

Secondly, working for someone who's a combined 12-13 as a head coach likely won't be too high, either.

But when that coach is named for one of the most famous (or infamous) gunfighters of the Old West, you might start to wonder exactly what you have gotten yourself into.

Skip Holtz

We might have a few living legends on this list. But Skip Holtz appears not because of his status as a legend, but because of dear old dad.

Lou Holtz was the last coach to lead Notre Dame to a national title and is widely revered these days as "Dr. Lou,'' a top college football analyst.

Just the name Holtz is intimidating, but working under the younger Holtz could definitely have some disadvantages.

Skip isn't one to rely solely on his father's name. He has guided South Florida to some impressive wins in his short tenure as head coach But with Skip as boss, you might find yourself working for a man who's working to get out of the shadow of his famous football dad as much as anything else.

Rocky Long

Not long after getting the head coaching gig at San Diego State, Rocky Long decided he was going to set his sights on Boise State, a new member to the Mountain West Conference.

There's nothing inherently wrong with aiming to knock off a team like Boise State. But Long wasn't talking about taking Boise on the field. In fact, he was talking about Boise's field itself.

Long made headlines by being an outspoken voice in favor of the MWC rule banning Boise from wearing all blue uniforms at home because the turf on its home field was blue.

“I think they ought to get rid of that blue turf. I think it's unfair,” Long told the Idaho Statesman.

It might be more fun to work for a guy who whines less about the color of the other team's field and instead focuses on how well his team performs against Boise State.

The Aztecs were beaten by the Broncos 52-35 last season—in San Diego on green turf.

Rich Rodriguez

Rich Rodriguez enjoyed quite a measure of success at West Virginia. Much of that fell by the wayside at Michigan. The program in Ann Arbor proved to be a little too much for Rich Rod to handle.

Rodriguez is now at Arizona, where he hopes to redeem his coaching reputation by rebuilding a down- and-out Wildcats program.

Regardless of what happened at Michigan, Rodriguez is still a big name in coaching, and it's easy to see why more than a few top staffers in the college football world might be drawn to him.

But with the epic failure at Michigan, one has to wonder if Rodriguez truly is the coaching genius people in Morgantown believed him to be.

Gene Chizik

When Gene Chizik was hired as the head coach at Auburn, it was understandable that people asked, “Really? This guy?”

Chizik was, after all, just 5-19 at Iowa State in his only two seasons as a head coach.

After an 8-5 debut season at Auburn, Chizik hit the jackpot with Cam Newton in 2010, guiding the Tigers to the BCS National Championship.

But last season, the Tigers retreated a bit, going 8-5 again. Now Chizik is faced with the prospect of putting his own recruits on the field, and we'll really start to see the rubber meet the road, so to speak.

Chizik was a gamble from the start. After two seasons, he looked like the right man for the job. But people said the same thing about Charlie Weis at Notre Dame after two seasons.

If you're a gambling man, Chizik may be the right boss for you. If you like a safer road, the tried-and-true coaching boss may be a better choice.

Steve Spurrier

Steve Spurrier is one of the more colorful coaches in college football today.

The “Head Ball Coach,” as he's affectionately known, has put together quite a career, with 197 wins to just 75 losses (and two ties). Spurrier also has an ACC title to his credit at Duke and six SEC titles and a national championship at Florida.

Since taking over at South Carolina in 2005, Spurrier has guided the team to its first SEC-East title, and the Gamecocks finished the 2011 season ranked No. 9 in the final AP poll.

But as great of a job as he's done as coach, and as entertaining as he is giving an interview, Spurrier showed a singular lack of backbone when it came to dealing with a problem star quarterback.

Stephen Garcia showed himself to be trouble almost from the moment he set foot on SC's campus. In his tenure at South Carolina, Garcia was suspended an amazing five times, yet he emerged each time unscathed.

Despite admonishments (sometimes public) from Spurrier, Garcia was always welcomed back with seemingly open arms.

Once it became apparent that Garcia could not keep the car between the ditches, so to speak, Spurrier passed the buck on a decision. He allowed administrators to make the call, rather than taking the reins himself and booting Garcia from the team.

The South Carolina media may never admit it, and Gamecocks fans will argue it until they're blue in the face, but Spurrier's unwillingness to kick Garcia from the team after, say, his second or third suspension—much less his fifth—may have been an enabling influence on Garcia.

When things go south, it's better to be working for a guy who takes charge and manages responsibly. Spurrier failed in that regard when it came to Garcia.

And we didn't even talk about the way he deals with people with whom he has disagreements.

Mike Leach

Mike Leach has finally found another college football home after his dismissal under questionable circumstances at Texas Tech.

While we all thought we had heard the last of this story, a central figure—former ESPN analyst Craig James—has decided to run for the open U.S. Senate seat from Texas. Now, the situation has become a part of James's campaign.

So why wouldn't we want Leach as our boss? Assuming he won't lock us in any electrical closets, his firing from Texas Tech and the very public spat that ensued is sure to have a negative effect on anyone. Would you really want to be around during the aftermath of that mess?

Hopefully, Leach will emerge stronger from this ordeal and rebuild Washington State into a proud, winning football program.

Chip Kelly

Does Chip Kelly still have something to prove?

He's had great success over his first few seasons at Oregon, guiding the Ducks to three straight BCS games.

But the pressure is on as Kelly enters his fourth season. Will the pressure to sustain such a high level of success finally get to him?

Kelly has never been the warm and fuzzy type. His disdain and ambivalence toward the media is well-known.

Now, it seems as if working for Kelly is a little like working for the CIA. Talk, and you're in big, big trouble.

Chris Petersen

It might seem a little odd to have Chris Petersen's name on a list such as this. After all, this is the guy who year after year refused to criticize the BCS after repeated snubs.

But if you think about it, Petersen may soon become one of the most difficult people to work for anywhere in the nation.

Under Petersen's leadership at Boise State, the Broncos have posted an FBS-leading 73-6 record.

Boise State has also finished in the Top 25 five of the last six seasons, and four of those years were Top-10 finishes.

With so much success, it's easy to rest on one's laurels. But to sustain this success, a ton of hard work is going to be needed now that the bulk of Boise's talent pool is graduating.

How will Petersen react if the Broncos aren't as lights-out successful? Will he be able to tolerate anything less than a 10-win season (something he hasn't yet faced)?

On top of everything else, we have to keep in mind that Boise State still isn't in a BCS automatic-qualifying conference. To keep up with the Joneses—the LSUs, the Alabamas and the Oregons of the world—requires a lot of extra work.

Ron English

Being the head football coach at Eastern Michigan can't be the easiest thing in the world.

At EMU, the field turf is almost certainly greener elsewhere.

That's especially true if you're English. With a coaching pedigree that includes Lloyd Carr's Michigan, it must be hard for English not to be constantly staring at that giant stadium belonging to the behemoth program of U-M just seven miles to the west.

While being a head coach is great, it wouldn't be a stretch to imagine English longing for the days in Ann Arbor.

Would you want to work for a guy who is 8-28 and wishing he was somewhere else?

Terry Bowden

My, how the mighty have fallen.

After paying his dues in Division II and the FCS through the 1980s and '90s, Terry Bowden—son of legendary Florida State coach Bobby Bowden—finally earned his way to the big time with a job offer from Auburn.

After guiding Auburn to a 20-1-1 record in his first two seasons, Bowden was 26-11 over the next three seasons. After starting 1-5 in 1998, however, Bowden resigned, and headed for the broadcast booth.

But the lure of coaching was too great, and Bowden soon wanted back in. His long journey back began as his career started: in Division II.

Bowden took over at North Alabama, posting a 29-10 record in three seasons.

After the 2011 season, he was offered the head job at Akron, and his return to the FBS Is now complete.

But taking a look back at his years at North Alabama, one can't help but notice a lingering problem. Much like the recruiting woes that led to his downfall at Auburn, Bowden wasn't terribly successful at attracting top Division II talent. Instead, Bowden relied on his name and a steady flow of FBS transfers from (where else) Florida State to maintain UNA's high level of success.

Still, the Lions never made it out of their own region in the Division II playoffs, so we have to ask: How successful was he, really?

It seems as if Bowden took the quick and easy road back to the FBS. Rather than building a solid foundation at UNA, he relied on transfers to get the job done. Will he use the same approach at Akron?

We'll know soon enough. But do you want to work for a guy who constantly has his eye on the next rung up the ladder?

Mark Dantonio

Every now and then, it's nice to know you're doing a fine job.

Sometimes, a simple smile from the boss is all we need to get us through that one particularly difficult day or challenging project.

If you're looking for re-enforcing smiles, you probably don't want a job working for Mark Dantonio.

The head Spartan is famous for his glum and grumpy appearance on the sidelines, and rarely, if ever cracks a smile.

Kevin Wilson

Indiana is a great institution of higher learning, and there are a number of great sports programs in Bloomington of which Hoosiers fans ought to be proud.

The football team isn't one of them.

Apparently, head football coach Kevin Wilson isn't aware that IU football is a laughingstock around the Big Ten. No one in the conference takes the Hoosiers seriously.

Apparently, Wilson wasn't aware just how poorly his program is viewed.

Leave it to talk radio to point it out.

While many people have come to Wilson's side in this spat, saying he did nothing more than defend his program, the fact remains that it looks like a coach getting angry over a couple of sports-talk radio guys being bluntly honest about the sorry state of Indiana football.

Whether you agree with Wilson or not, it's clearly important to stay on his good side.

Mike Gundy

This one is pretty easy.

Mike Gundy has to be one of the most intense guys in college football.

We've all seen his timeless press-conference rant about a less than flattering article written about one of his players. Gundy wastes no time telling the reporter in question what he thought about the article.

The bonus for the rest of us is that it was during a press conference, and there was ample television coverage.

Regardless of what you think about Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman, who wrote the article, Bobby Reid, the subject of the article, or Mike Gundy himself, his message was clear.

He's a man, he's 40 (or was at the time), and if you criticize one of his players, you best be prepared to face his wrath.

The problem was, of course, that Gundy's rant was so embarrassing for Reid that he transferred. We all love people rushing to defend us. But maybe a less public defense would keep people around longer.

Les Miles

Consistency is important in many things, college football among them.

Every day when we go to work, it's helpful to know exactly what is expected, and it's just as important to know what our boss will be doing or thinking on any particular day.

If there's one person in college football who is completely unpredictable, it has to be Les Miles.

Miles has been able to continue the high level of achievement at LSU, but it hasn't always been easy. In fact, the Tigers have had to rely on a few rather unorthodox methods over the past few seasons to win games and championships.

Clearly, what would make working for Miles so difficult would be the constant preparation for the unexpected. It is the unexpected on which Miles and the Tigers thrive.

Urban Meyer

Like Charlie Weis, Meyer doesn't seem to stay put in one place very long.

Meyer has moved on to his fourth program despite having just 10 seasons of head-coaching experience.

Sure, Meyer's Gators were the toast of college football during his tenure in Gainesville, winning two BCS National Championships in his five seasons, Meyer beat what many saw as a hasty retreat from Florida due to “health concerns.”

Apparently, Meyer feels his health issues are under control now, as he has stepped in to take over an Ohio State program reeling from NCAA rule violations and the sanctions that followed.

But wherever he goes, he never sticks around long enough to risk failure. That has led to more than a passing mention of his credibility.

If you decide to work for Urban Meyer, can you honestly say that you believe everything he says?

Charlie Weis

Before Charlie Weis was hired by Notre Dame, he was the offensive genius behind the New England Patriots' three Super Bowl wins (XXXVI, XXXVIII, and XXXIX).

So when Weis came to South Bend, everyone expected an offensive explosion from the Irish.

But after five seasons, the powers that be at Notre Dame had seen enough, and he was unceremoniously fired.

Weis returned to the NFL as the offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs, and played a big part in turning a 4-12 team into a 10-6 AFC West champion.

It wasn't a surprise that another college program came calling. But this time, it was for a position as offensive coordinator. Weis rather surprisingly accepted, and went to work for Will Muschamp at Florida in 2011.

By the time that season was over, Weis had accepted yet another position, this time as the head coach at Kansas.

While Weis appears to be an all-around nice guy, he has one major disadvantage for those who work for him. We never really know where he'll be working next season.

In today's rough economy, it's all about job security, right?

Mack Brown

Despite having a coaching career that stretches back to 1983 at Appalachian State, many might be surprised to learn that despite winning 227 games as a head coach, Mack Brown has won just two conference titles (2005 and 2009, both at Texas).

In his 14 seasons in Austin, the Longhorns have been pretty decent. Sure, there's the 141-39 record and the 2006 Rose Bowl victory that brought the BCS National Championship trophy to Austin. But beyond that, Texas has been pretty underwhelming when it comes to stacking the trophy case.

Of course, 141-39 isn't anywhere close to bad enough to get fired, so Brown will likely remain the head coach at Texas as long as he wants the job.

And therein lies the problem.

Texas has already lost one top assistant—Will Muschamp—due to the fact that Brown simply won't leave. After being named the “head coach in waiting,” Muschamp did a whole lot of waiting. Finally, he was sick of waiting and left for Florida.

If you're offered a job under Brown, it looks as if you have two choices: be satisfied with working for a winning coach at a winning program that doesn't come with a lot of championship rings, or try to find a more upwardly mobile job somewhere else.

Kirk Ferentz

In yet another potential scandal uncovered by Yahoo! Sports, Kirk Ferentz is the central figure in what appears to be a bit of nepotism when it comes to Iowa's hiring practices.

Ferentz's 28-year-old son, Brian, was hired at Iowa and given a salary of $202,400 per year after beating out more than 100 other applicants for the position. Another assistant hired at the same time for a similarly-ranked position is being paid $187,000.

While the Iowa athletic director has stated that Brian is qualified for the position (and he certainly is, given his experience with the New England Patriots), Brian himself has stated publicly that his father—not the AD—offered him the job.

Many of us have had jobs where we have to work next to the boss's kid.

And we all know first-hand how uncomfortable that is.

Bo Pelini

Bo Pelini has given new meaning to “casual Fridays” at Nebraska.

His laid-back wardrobe spills over into Saturdays, as we frequently see Pelini roaming the sidelines on game day in a Cornhuskers hoodie.

But in contrast to his comfortable, casual wardrobe, Pelini has shown himself to have a fiery temper.

Whether it's grabbing one of his players by the face mask and screaming, stalking an official and giving him an earful, or grabbing the headset and yelling at a coordinator, it's clear Pelini is a guy you definitely don't want to cross.

Brian Kelly

When Brian Kelly was hired at Notre Dame, many people believed—or at least hoped—that he would finally bring national prominence back to South Bend.

But like most great accomplishments, achieving them takes time, and Notre Dame fans—Kelly included—have had quite a lot of frustration to deal with over the past decade or so.

Is it any wonder that Kelly, an Irish Catholic and lifelong Notre Dame fan, has a pretty short fuse when it comes to his team's success or failure on the football field?

His sideline antics drew some attention this season, and it's easy to see why. Caution: don't read lips!

Nick Saban

It's no secret that Nick Saban isn't a guy who oozes sugary sweetness.

But Saban brings the grumpy football coach persona to a whole new level.

Even after winning a game, Saban can be a bit of a sourpuss. Imagine what he's like when his team actually loses a game!