Georgia Football: Is Mark Richt Really One of the Better Coaches in the Country?

Rankings are always fun to read because they spark a lot of talk between peers. Last week, Sporting News came out with list which ranks all the college football FBS coaches, and Georgia head man Mark Richt was fairly high on the list as he came in 14th. Richt is right in between Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio (No. 13) and BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall (No. 15).

So here’s the question: Is Richt one of the better coaches in all of college football? If one were to look at his record and his accomplishments, then the answer to the question is "yes."

But the one thing he hasn’t done is something that Bulldog fans have wished for since 1981, and that is win a national title. They have been close a couple of times (2002 and 2007), but they would have that one loss that would keep them from a shot at the crystal ball.

So another question has to come into play: Is Richt the best coach in the SEC? I think the majority would say no because of Nick Saban, who has won a national title at LSU and two at Alabama. In fact according to the list, there are three SEC coaches who are ranked higher than Richt, and they are Saban (who is ranked No. 1 overall), Les Miles and Steve Spurrier—all three coaches have won at least one national title during their career.

Richt may not be the best coach in the SEC, but nobody can deny what he has done in the conference since his arrival in 2001. With his two SEC titles in the first five years at the job, Richt was one of only six coaches in history to accomplish that feat. He is also one of five coaches in SEC history to have four consecutive 10-win seasons.

Credit has to be given to Richt from a national standpoint as well. He is only one of seven men in Division I-A history to record 102 or more wins in his first 11 seasons. He is also only one of seven men to record 90 or more wins in his first nine seasons. He is also a staggering 38-10 when playing in an opponent’s stadium and 44-8 against non conference opponents.

What it comes down to is this: Mark Richt may not be the best coach in the country. But he has done a lot in his 11 years at Georgia, and that’s why the experts do consider him as one of the best coaches in all of college football. His teams have had their share of hiccups here and there, but the reality is the Bulldogs have always been in the hunt for a SEC title, which is the primary goal anyway.

Will Richt ever win a national title in Athens? That’s still a work in progress. But as long as Richt still has the desire to coach, don’t be surprised if the Bulldogs break through one year and win one of the most prestigious prizes in all of sports.