College Football Coaches' Rankings: Nick Saban's Stock Soars Further
Week 6 of the 2010 college football season is upon us. So far, there has been teams living up to their expectations, many upsets, and a few teams that seemed to come out of nowhere.
Within the success of a team lies the head coach. It is not only his job to call the plays and recruit, but to be a role model for the young men who move through that institution.
It is very rare that a great coach does not reach some form of success with his team.
That being said, here is a list power ranking the top 25 head coaches through the first five weeks of the season (not all-time rankings).
25. Mack Brown, Texas
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Mack Brown has been one of the most successful coaches in all of college football heading into the 2010 season, but his stock is slowly deflating.
While sitting at the No. 7 spot, Brown and the Longhorns were upset by the unranked UCLA Bruins at home. A week later, they lost to rival Oklahoma.
These two losses resulted in the Longhorns dropping out of the top 25, something unheard of in the Mack Brown era.
These tough losses do not necessarily discredit Brown's coaching abilities, as he has proven to be a winner, but it will be a tough road ahead to regain momentum.
24. Les Miles, LSU
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Although his time-management skills have been suspect in recent seasons, Les Miles has his LSU Tigers ranked No. 12 in the country and 5-0 on the year.
Miles has raked in two wins over top-25 opponents so far, but has yet to face the tough stretch of their conference schedule.
Dark clouds have been looming over the head of Les Miles after failing to meet the high expectations after his 2007 BCS National Championship season, but the Tigers could be back on the prowl in 2010.
23. Mike Riley, Oregon State
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The Oregon State head coach has been known to do more with nothing than most coaches in college football.
In the past four years, Riley has kept the Beavers finishing no lower than third in the Pac-10, while consistently being in and out of the top 25.
Don't let the Riley's 2-2 record fool you, as their two losses came against top-10 teams TCU and Boise State.
Oregon State will likely contend for the Pac-10 crown yet again this year.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
22. Chris Ault, Nevada
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Longtime Nevada head coach Chris Ault has led his Wolf Pack to their best season start in the past decade at 5-0 and No. 21 in the AP Poll.
Ault has recruited well for the 2010 season, paying off with big wins over California and BYU.
Ault should breeze through the schedule until they meet Boise State in late November, in which many think Nevada will be the one team to end Boise State's winning streak.
21. Urban Meyer, Florida
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Times have been somewhat tough for Urban Meyer since the departure of his golden boy Tim Tebow, but the Gators are getting by in 2010.
The Gators were stomped down by the Crimson Tide in Week 5, to account for their only loss of the season, resulting in a No. 14 ranking.
Meyer knows how to win, and the Gators should do just that as the he continues to work out the team's weaknesses.
20. Bill Snyder, Kansas State
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Bill Snyder came out of retirement to coach the 2009 Kansas State squad in which he went 6-6 (4-4 in conference play), enough to place the Wildcats second in the Big 12 North.
With an extremely underrated 2010 team, Snyder has led the Wildcats to a 4-0 start, hoping to be the dark horse in the Big 12 race and improving upon his 146-74-1 record as head coach at Kansas State.
19. Steve Spurrier, South Carolina
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No other coach in the South Carolina program history has won more games in their first five seasons or led the program to four bowl games as head coach than Steve Spurrier.
The extremely experienced head coach has his team sitting at the No. 19 spot in the country after being upset by Auburn in Week 4, but showing tremendous talent in their search to claim the SEC East after a 3-5 conference record in 2009.
18. Bobby Petrino, Arkansas
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Bobby Petrino brought some success to the Arkansas Razorbacks in 2009, posting an 8-5 record and a win in the Liberty Bowl.
The offensive-minded coach is off to a great start this season going 4-1, with their only loss coming at the hands of the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide in a close conference matchup.
Look for Petrino to improve upon his 2009 3-5 conference record this season with his passing game running wild.
17. Randy Shannon, Miami (FL)
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Miami Hurricanes head coach Randy Shannon has been scrutinized since his promotion in 2007 as the program looks to relive the glory days of the past.
While Shannon has gone 0-2 in bowl games, he still helped the 'Canes to a 9-4 season in 2009, and has a team that can finally regain the ACC Title in 2010.
The Hurricanes are 3-1 on the season and ranked No. 13 nationally, their only loss coming on the road to a fierce Ohio State team.
Shannon's defensive background has kept the Hurricanes strong, but mistakes on the offensive side of the ball are still a problem, but showing improvement.
16. Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern
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Pat Fitzgerald and the under-the-radar Northwestern Wildcats have started the season off 5-0, tying his best coaching start from 2008.
Coming off an 8-5 season in which they upset No. 4 Iowa and No. 16 Wisconsin, the Wildcats seem to do consistently well, just not enough to overtake the Big Ten.
Fitzgerald's 2010 team is looking better than previous years, and could break his winless bowl streak (0-2) since his hiring previous to the 2006 season.
15. Gary Patterson, TCU
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Gary Patterson led the TCU Horned Frogs to their first undefeated regular season since 1938 last year and a BCS berth in the Fiesta bowl, ultimately losing to Boise State.
Patterson has the Horned Frogs on track to obtain another undefeated season if the Frogs can get past rising conference foes Air Force and Utah, in hopes of keeping their AP No. 5 ranking.
The impressive head coach also turned down a more lucrative Minnesota head coaching job, staying loyal to his team's success in his era.
14. Kyle Whittingham, Utah
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Kyle Whittingham has the Utah Utes off to a fantastic 4-0 start and breaking into the AP top 10 following Week 5.
While his slate of wins this season over No. 15 Pittsburgh, UNLV, New Mexico, and San Jose are not completely impressive competition wise, the latter three were done in blowout fashion.
Since the promotion to head coach in 2004, Whittingham has led the Utes to six straight bowl game victories, including two BCS Bowl wins.
Coach Whittingham will be looking to continue domination in the Mountain West Conference in 2010, before joining the Pac-10 in 2011.
13. Mark Dantonio/Don Treadwell, Michigan State
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Although unfortunate events have surrounded Mark Dantonio in recent weeks, he set his team up for early success in 2010.
The Michigan State Spartans are rocking a 5-0 record while gaining wins over Notre Dame and then-No. 11 Wisconsin.
The upset over Wisconsin and blowout against Northern Colorado were at the hands of acting head coach Don Treadwell, who is doing an excellent job filling in for Dantonio.
This could finally be the year that Dantonio's team gets over the hump and contends for the Big Ten crown.
12. Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State
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Mike Gundy is riding off two consecutive 9-4 seasons, which is impressive. But Gundy has yet to take down the Big 12 giants Texas and Oklahoma since taking over the head coaching role.
Gundy has the Cowboys off to a 4-0 start as this looks like the year he can finally snag a win against Texas while it is down, hopefully improving upon their already-impressive 6-2 conference record in 2009.
11. Rich Rodriguez, Michigan
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With all the controversy surround Rich Rodriguez aside, he has his Michigan team off to a great start with a 5-0 record.
Through the first five games, he has already matched his total wins for 2009, putting the Wolverines at the No. 18 spot in the nation.
Most notably, Rodriguez makes this list because of his choice at quarterback.
Choosing Denard Robinson over the previous season's starter Tate Forcier as the 2010 starting QB was possibly the smartest move he has made, and it's the reason the Wolverines are 5-0 thus far.
10. Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
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Kirk Ferentz has never been able to pull in the big-time recruits like fellow conference foes Ohio State, Penn State, and Michigan, but he still manages to work with what he has to put the Iowa Hawkeyes in contention every year.
After finishing second to Ohio State (which seems to be the hump he hasn't gotten over lately), Ferentz led the Hawkeyes to a BCS win at the Orange Bowl last season.
Although being upset by a strong Arizona team earlier in the season as their only loss, Ferentz started conference play with a win over No. 22 Penn State, while leading one of the nation's best defenses.
9. Gene Chizik, Auburn
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Gene Chizik was hired before the 2009 season to revive the Auburn program coming off a 5-7 2008 season, in which he did immediately pulling in a 8-5 record with a win over Northwestern in the Outback Bowl.
Chizik looks to improve on his quick turnaround of the program, and is doing it in fashion with a 5-0 record, a current No. 8 ranking, and an upset win over South Carolina in Week 4.
8. Mike Stoops, Arizona
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Mike Stoops inherited a horrible Arizona program in 2004, and after years of rebuilding, the slow process is starting to pay off for the rising head coach.
Stoops has lead his team to a 4-0 start, including a huge win at home over the then-No. 9 Iowa Hawkeyes, and sitting pretty at the AP No. 9 spot heading into Week 6.
In the offseason, the Arizona program lost both offensive and defensive coordinators to other FBS teams, as well as the school's athletic director, but the new hirings have not phased the Stoops era, in fact, things are improving.
Stoops may very well lead the Wildcats to their first-ever school appearance at the Rose Bowl in 2010, granted he can pull out come tough conference wins on the road against Oregon and Stanford.
7. Bo Pelini, Nebraska
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Bo Pelini has his Nebraska Cornhuskers exactly where they need to be this season, sitting high at the No. 7 spot and 4-0 with blowout wins heading into Week 6.
After being one play away from the Big 12 Championship in 2009 and a shutout against Arizona in the Holiday Bowl, expect the Cornhuskers to battle for the Big 12 Championship again and perhaps be in the National Championship race.
6. Bob Stoops, Oklahoma
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Bob Stoops looks like he may be getting his team back in BCS contention coming off win over rival Texas in Week 5.
Stoops has coached consistently good teams at Oklahoma, but has yet to seal a win at a BCS Bowl since their Rose Bowl win in 2002. The Sooners have made five BCS appearances since, and have come out 0-5.
Looking at the remainder of the Sooners' schedule, Stoops has the opportunity to ride their early success and go undefeated for the first time since the 2004 season.
5. Chris Petersen, Boise State
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The Boise State fiasco surrounding their sub-par scheduling seems never-ending, but you can't ignore Chris Petersen's 53-4 record since becoming the Broncos' head coach.
Fresh off a BCS win over TCU in last year's Fiesta Bowl, Petersen led his team to its highest preseason ranking at No. 3, but recently being overtaken by the rising Oregon Ducks and dropping to No. 4.
Expect Petersen to lead the Broncos to a possible second consecutive unbeaten season, and the slight possibility that he might slip Boise State into the National Championship Game.
4. Jim Tressel, Ohio State
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Jim Tressel has consistently coached the Ohio State Buckeyes to winning seasons since his hiring in 2001, and breaking their three-year BCS Bowl game losses with a win over the Oregon Ducks in the 2010 Rose Bowl.
Tressel has the No. 2 team in the country headed down the unbeaten path with a signature win over then-No. 12 Miami (FL) heading into the brunt of their conference schedule.
3. Jim Harbaugh, Stanford
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Jim Harbaugh has completely revamped the Stanford Cardinal program in recent years, leading the team to an AP top-10 appearance before a heartbreaking loss to the Oregon Ducks.
Many doubted Harbaugh's Stanford team heading into 2010 after the departure of Heisman runner-up Toby Gerhart to the NFL, but things are only looking up for the program with blowout wins over UCLA, Wake Forest, and Notre Dame in earlier weeks.
2. Chip Kelly, Oregon
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In Chip Kelly's first head coaching year last season, he became the first Pac-10 coach to earn an outright conference championship in his first season and led the Oregon Ducks to their first Rose Bowl appearance since 1995, and is on the same track this season.
The 2009 Pac-10 Coach of the Year is leading what might be the most explosive and dominating teams in the country after a questionable offseason surrounded by arrests and dismissals of some of his players.
Kelly has the Ducks sitting at the No. 3 spot in the country looking for another berth in the Rose Bowl, if not the BCS National Championship Game.
1. Nick Saban, Alabama
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It is no surprise that the No. 1 head coach thus far is the leader of the team that has been No. 1 since preseason.
Nick Saban led the Alabama Crimson Tide to a National Championship win last season, and is on track to gain another going 5-0 thus far, with signature wins over No. 18 Penn State, No. Arkansas, and No. 7 Florida.
Saban, who had question marks leading up to the season with his young defense, has shown absolutely no weakness on either side of the ball while he looks to gain another undefeated season and consecutive National Championship appearance.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
