The 10 Most Impressive College Football Coaches This Season

As the college football regular season draws to a close this weekend, it's the time of year when many coaching vacancies open up. But for some coaches, it's negotiating season after finishing a successful campaign.

This list is all about the coaches who exceeded expectations and either brought their programs to new heights or back to national relevance in 2015.

Some factors taken into account for this list were overall team performance, strength of schedule, ability to overcome difficult circumstances, expectation vs. actual performance and improvement from last year.

Without further ado, let's take a look at some of the coaches who had excellent 2015 campaigns.

Honorable Mention

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Nick Saban did not quite crack my top 10, despite leading the Crimson Tide to an 11-1 season and the SEC Championship Game.

Three coaches will receive an honorable mention for their efforts this season, but Nick Saban, Larry Fedora and Ken Niumatalolo did not make my list of most impressive coaches this year. Before any Alabama, North Carolina or Navy fans click away in disgust, allow me to justify my decisions.

Nick Saban worked his usual magic in 2015, leading the Crimson Tide to a No. 2 ranking with the possibility of playing for Saban's fifth National Championship if they can defeat Florida on Saturday. The only reason he is left off this list is because of his own success, as it is expected his Crimson Tide will compete for championships each year.

So as great as Saban was in 2015, he does not make the cut largely because Alabama's success was expected.

In Fedora's case, North Carolina had one of its best seasons in school history, and much of that is due to Fedora's leadership. However, its early-season loss to rival South Carolina has not only hurt the team in the polls but on this list as well. If the Tar Heels are able to shock Clemson on Saturday, then look for Fedora to get some Coach of the Year votes this season.

Navy rose to new heights in 2015, largely because of senior quarterback Keenan Reynolds and head coach Ken Niumatalolo. The Midshipmen have only lost two games all season, road contests to Notre Dame and Houston, and would have been playing for a conference crown if not for their loss to the Cougars.

Unfortunately, these three coaches could not make the cut, but the ten coaches who did are a mix of the usual suspects along with some fast-risers in the coaching ranks.

10. Pat Fitzgerald

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After two consecutive 5-7 seasons, Fitzgerald guided the Wildcats to a 10-2 regular season record.

Northwestern had only one 10-win season under Fitzgerald's tenure entering this year, but the Wildcats reached that plateau in 2015 behind a stifling defense that held opponents to less than 21 points in nine of their contests.

While Northwestern did fail to play well in its biggest conference games of the year (losses to Michigan and Iowa), they did pull off a huge upset in Week 1 as they took down potentially playoff-bound Stanford by a score of 16-6.

Fitzgerald has the Wildcats poised for future success as well, as they will return starting quarterback Clayton Thorson, running back Justin Jackson and leading tackler Anthony Walker in 2016.

9. Tom Herman

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In his first year at the helm, Herman has led the Cougars to the American Athletic Conference Championship game.

One of the smartest offensive minds in all of college football, Herman turned quarterback Greg Ward Jr. into one of the most dynamic players in the country. If not for a late-season loss to Connecticut, the Cougars would likely be competing for a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Despite that loss, Houston is ranked No. 19 in the country and could end up higher if it defeats Temple in the AAC Conference Championship.

Houston locked up Herman for five more seasons with his newly restructured deal, so Cougars fans can look forward to watching his high-powered attack for years to come.

8. Matt Rhule

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In three seasons at Temple, Rhule has taken the Owls from a bottom-dweller to a Conference Championship contender.

The Owls have been a program on the rise under Rhule's tutelage, improving from a two-win team to a 10-win team in just three seasons. Temple took ninth-ranked Notre Dame down to the wire in Philadelphia and earned a victory over No. 21 Memphis this season.

Once a laughing stock, the Temple Owls have positioned themselves as an American Athletic Conference contender for years to come. Rhule will likely have quarterback P.J. Walker and running back Jahad Thomas back next season, so Temple could be even better next year.

7. Clay Helton

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Helton's leadership of the Trojans through a tumultuous season has placed USC in the PAC-12 Championship Game.

Five games into the season, USC was quite possibly in more disarray than any other program in the country. However, since Helton took over for Steve Sarkisian, the Trojans have been playing inspired football, going 5-2 and earning a spot in the Pac-12 Championship game.

Helton's success was rewarded when his interim tag was removed last week, and USC hopes it has found one of the rising stars in coaching. One thing is certain, the USC players were thrilled when they learned Helton was there to stay, so he is clearly well-liked in Los Angeles.

There will be no doubting his ability as a coach if his Trojans can pull the upset over Stanford on Saturday.

6. Jim Harbaugh

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Harbaugh brought the Wolverines back to national relevance quicker than most people would have guessed with a 9-3 regular season.

Entering the season, the Michigan Wolverines were not believed to be much of a threat in the Big Ten, but they quickly proved their doubters wrong by utilizing their staunch defense en route to a 9-3 campaign. The Wolverines featured one of the toughest defenses in the country, one that had a five-week stretch in which they allowed just 14 points.

So how did Michigan rebound from a 5-7 campaign last season? It's obvious Harbaugh's presence was a big factor in Michigan's improvement, as he brought the physical mentality he had instituted with the San Francisco 49ers back to college.

Expectations will be high in Ann Arbor next year, and with Harbaugh in charge with another year of his recruits coming in, the Wolverines will be a contender for the Big Ten Championship in 2016. 

5. Gary Patterson

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The Horned Frogs battled injuries in key positions throughout the season, but still found a way to go 10-2 in a difficult Big 12 Conference.

While TCU was ranked No. 2 entering the season, the Horned Frogs suffered a variety of injuries to players in key positions which led them to falter twice during the regular season. TCU's defense possibly went through more linebackers than any other team in college football history, eventually resorting to using undersized safeties in the middle of the defense.

Yet the Horned Frogs continued to fight and eventually came within a two-point conversion of being Big 12 Champions.

While there is some disappointment in Fort Worth that their Trevone Boykin-led squad will not be contending for a National Title, the Frogs can take solace in knowing they will continue to find themselves near the top of the Big 12 as long as Gary Patterson is in charge.

4. Jim McElwain

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McElwain took a Gators program that was struggling to make bowl games, and brought them to the SEC Championship Game in his first year.

Jim McElwain finds himself high on this list because he was able to put his team in the SEC Championship game after losing his starting quarterback six weeks into the season. While Florida's offense was brutal to watch for much of the second half of the year, it has an excellent opportunity to finish the regular season strong with a win over Alabama.

McElwain instituted a hard-nosed defensive mentality which kept the Gators afloat in many of their games, a mentality that helped hold eight of their opponents to 14 points or less.

If Will Grier returns next season, he will almost certainly be an upgrade in the passing game, which can help elevate Florida into championship contention in 2016.

3. Bob Stoops

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After a disappointing 2014 campaign, Stoops has the Sooners poised to make the 2015 College Football Playoff.

The Oklahoma Sooners ended the 2014 season as one of the most disappointing teams in the country after their performance against Clemson in the Russell Athletic Bowl. It's safe to say Bob Stoops didn't let that feeling of disappointment carry over into 2015, as his Sooners were one of the most dominant teams on both sides of the ball in 2015.

Even with a stunning loss to Texas on their resume, the Sooners are positioned to make the College Football Playoff this season. Baker Mayfield's development was the main key for Oklahoma's resurgence this year, but Stoops kept his team poised throughout the daunting Big 12 gauntlet.

It seems likely that Stoops will continue to keep Oklahoma in the national spotlight with his excellent recruiting ability and the experience he has gained over the years in Norman.

2. Kirk Ferentz

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Ferentz has led the Hawkeyes from being unranked in the preseason to No. 4 nationally entering the Big 10 Championship Game.

The Iowa Hawkeyes are 12-0. That's right, 12-0. Sure they didn't play either Michigan school or Ohio State, but the Hawkeyes made it through their Big 10 schedule unscathed, which included road trips to Wisconsin and Northwestern.

Iowa now has a chance to compete for a CFP National Championship but must first take down Michigan State in the Big Ten Championship. The Hawkeyes rode a balanced offense and a solid defense to their undefeated campaign and hope that formula will continue to work as they approach their most important games of their season.

Regardless of how Saturday's game turns out, the Hawkeyes have had one of their best seasons in school history, and that is due in large part to the man in charge, Kirk Ferentz.

1. Dabo Swinney

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Swinney has kept the Tigers on track all season long, and have an opportunity to clinch a College Football Playoff bid with a win over North Carolina on Saturday.

I get it, the ACC was not a dominant conference by any means this season, but Clemson still made it through its schedule unscathed, something they had been unable to do in the past. With a Heisman contender at quarterback, Swinney and his Tigers are the top-ranked team in the country despite losing a multitude of talent to the draft last season.

Swinney has kept his team focused despite their top ranking, and he is proving himself to be an excellent game-planner while also displaying an aptitude for showing off his dance moves. With a few more wins this year, Clemson could take home its second National Championship in school history.

If that were to happen, who knows what dance moves Dabo could bring out to celebrate.