Ranking Every Power Five College Football Conference by Head Coaches
The 2015-16 college football coaching carousel has officially ground to a halt. When Texas-San Antonio hired LSU assistant Frank Wilson Friday, the final FBS head coaching vacancy was filled. The NFL also filled its final head coaching opening when the Tennessee Titans hired Mike Mularkey as their new leader.
With 27 vacancies now filled, it’s unlikely, barring a surprise, that we’ll have any more head coaching openings this winter. The college landscape has shifted somewhat, and it’s a good time to look at how each Power Five league shakes out following the changes. So that’s what we’re doing. The leagues are ranked by the collective power of their head coaches, with factors like recent success and national titles won factored in. Here we go...
5. Pac-12
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The Pac-12 had only one job turnover in 2015, but it was a big one. Steve Sarkisian was fired by USC following alcohol-related issues, and the Trojans eventually elevated interim coach Clay Helton to the full-time role. He joins a very talented group of coaches. At Stanford, David Shaw is entrenched after leading the Cardinal to their third league title in the past four seasons. Oregon finished 9-4 this season, but Mark Helfrich owns a national title game appearance.
UCLA took a step back to an 8-5 record in 2015, but that came after a pair of 10-win seasons under Jim Mora Jr. In Arizona, Rich Rodriguez and Todd Graham have the Wildcats and Sun Devils on the right track. And the same can be said for Cal, which went from 1-11 to 8-5 in three seasons under Sonny Dykes’ watch.
Mike Leach had an excellent season at Washington State, taking the Cougars to a 9-4 record and a Sun Bowl win over Miami. And across the state, Chris Petersen is one of the most respected coaches on the West Coast at Washington. And don’t forget about Kyle Whittingham, who has 19 wins in the last two seasons at Utah.
Overall, the Pac-12 has a deep, respected roster of head coaches.
4. Big 12
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It was a quiet season for the Big 12 on the coaching carousel. Iowa State was the only program to make a change after a pair of late-game meltdowns finally convinced the Cyclones they’d had enough of Paul Rhoads. Hiring Toledo’s Matt Campbell was a solid get for one of the toughest jobs in the Power Five.
The top of the league is strong, as well. Bob Stoops owns a national title, and while the Orange Bowl was a disappointment, he made Oklahoma nationally relevant again following an 11-1 regular season and a College Football Playoff berth. Art Briles put together another 10-win season at Baylor, where he’s done an amazing job turning a downtrodden program into a legit national title contender.
At TCU, Gary Patterson has established himself as one of the nation’s best coaches. In 15 seasons at TCU, the Horned Frogs have won at least 10 games 10 times and won six league titles. He’s the third-longest tenured coach in America behind Stoops and Iowa's Kirk Ferentz. Over the last two seasons, TCU is an impressive 23-3. Oklahoma State was routed in the Sugar Bowl, but it was just another 10-win season for Mike Gundy. Kansas State finished 6-7 this season, but Bill Snyder is one of the nation’s most respected coaches, taking the Wildcats from one of the game’s worst programs to a nationally-known program.
At Texas, Charlie Strong hasn’t gotten it going yet following a 5-7 record this season, but he has tremendous resources and a great track record at Louisville. And at West Virginia, Dana Holgorsen showed improvement with an 8-5 mark this season. Altogether, the Big 12 has a solid group of leaders.
3. Big Ten
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The Big Ten saw significant change in its coaching ranks this season and filled its vacancies both internally and externally. The shuffle started before the regular season even began, with Illinois firing Tim Beckman following an investigation into his treatment of players. Bill Cubit was named as interim coach and was eventually hired as Beckman’s replacement. At Minnesota, Jerry Kill stepped down at midseason following health issues, but interim Tracy Claeys quickly became his full-time replacement.
Rutgers canned Kyle Flood following a scandal-filled season that included his three-game suspension for attempting to influence a player’s academic eligibility and replaced him with Ohio State defensive coordinator Chris Ash. Maryland cut ties with Randy Edsall and replaced him with Michigan defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin.
They join a league that has multiple nationally respected coaches. Urban Meyer led Ohio State to a national title in 2014 and also has won a pair of titles at Florida. Jim Harbaugh led Michigan to a 10-win season in his first season in Ann Arbor and is clearly on the right track. Kirk Ferentz is the second-longest tenured coach in America, one day behind Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops, and led Iowa to a resurgent 12-2 season this fall.
Mark Dantonio has had an excellent run at Michigan State, leading the Spartans to their first College Football Playoff appearance this season. Meanwhile, at Northwestern, Pat Fitzgerald is entrenched and enjoyed a bounce-back 10-3 season following a pair of 5-7 seasons. At Wisconsin, Paul Chryst led the Badgers to another 10-win season, but at Nebraska, Mike Riley’s honeymoon is already over following a 6-7 debut.
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2. ACC
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The ACC has gained some much-needed respect over the last three seasons. Thanks to commissioner John Swofford’s well-timed maneuvers during conference realignment, the ACC went from a candidate to be picked apart to a steady member of the Power Five, taking down the Big East in the process with additions that included Pitt and Syracuse.
The league also got stronger on the field. Florida State won the final BCS National Championship, the ACC’s first since 2000, and then made the first College Football Playoff. This fall, Clemson was No. 1 from the first College Football Playoff poll through the national title game and made believers of many by taking Alabama to the wire in a 45-40 defeat.
2015 was also an offseason of change in the ACC. Four programs changed leaders, and it’s easy to argue that all four upgraded. Miami finally had enough of Al Golden, firing him following a program-worst 58-0 loss to Clemson and scoring a coup by attracting alum Mark Richt home after he was fired by Georgia. Virginia Tech had fallen into a rut under Frank Beamer, and Justin Fuente’s hiring should bring a jolt of offensive energy. Mike London simply wasn’t getting it done at Virginia, and the Cavaliers did a surprisingly good job by attracting Bronco Mendenhall away from BYU.
Scott Shafer’s hard-nosed approach wasn’t working for Syracuse, so the Orange went in an entirely different direction with Dino Babers, fresh off a MAC title with a high-powered offense at Bowling Green.
At the top of the league, Clemson’s elevation of Dabo Swinney to its head job seven years ago has paid off handsomely. The Tigers have won at least 10 games in five consecutive seasons and came within a quarter of winning the program’s first national title since 1981 this season. Rival Florida State and Jimbo Fisher were a bit down this season, but “down” is 10-3 two years after a national title, which isn’t too shabby.
Following an 11-win season, Larry Fedora has North Carolina headed in the right direction, and North Carolina State has made two consecutive bowls under Dave Doeren. And how can you ignore the incredible job that David Cutcliffe has done at Duke? From top to bottom, the ACC has an excellent collection of head coaches.
1. SEC
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Alabama’s 2015 national title was only the latest proof of what everyone already knew: Nick Saban can coach. The Crimson Tide’s win over Clemson was Alabama’s fourth national title under Saban, and including his national title win at LSU, Saban now has a title ring for every finger and one for the thumb. He has the most national titles of any active coach, two ahead of Urban Meyer.
"If anything, it's trying to always be able to overcome the obstacles to continue to be that successful," he told ESPN.com's Chris Low. "That's what is always on my mind, knowing what it's going to take, whether it's in recruiting, staff or internal attitude and chemistry, to be able to accomplish what we all want to accomplish."
At LSU, Les Miles survived a late-season scare to keep his job. He also owns a national title win.
South Carolina downgraded in star power when Steve Spurrier retired in the middle of a 3-9 season, eventually hiring former Florida coach Will Muschamp as its new leader. And Georgia tired of Mark Richt following three consecutive seasons out of the SEC title game, hiring Saban’s defensive coordinator, Kirby Smart, as its new head coach. Gary Pinkel stepped down following a very successful run at Missouri, which elevated defensive coordinator Barry Odom to the head coach position.
Bret Bielema has led Arkansas to two consecutive seasons that ended with a bowl win, and Butch Jones has Tennessee on the right track after doing the same thing. The Magnolia State is in good hands with Hugh Freeze at Ole Miss and Dan Mullen at Mississippi State, and Jim McElwain did an excellent job with a 10-win season in his debut at Florida. A pair of fast-paced offenses are looking for more in 2016, with both Kevin Sumlin at Texas A&M and Gus Malzahn at Auburn feeling some heat following poor 2015 finishes.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
