Urban Meyer and the 10 Greatest Coaches of the BCS Era

With Wednesday's news that Urban Meyer is stepping down as the head coach at the University of Florida, it got some of us college football fans thinking: Is he the best coach of the BCS era?

At the very least, he's among the handful of great coaches in the game. But where exactly does Meyer stand in the pantheon of great on- and off-field leaders since the 1998-99 season, when the Bowl Championship Series was instituted?

He's won at each stop—Bowling Green, Utah and Florida. He's coached players from Alex Smith to Tim Tebow. And those two national titles with the Gators: can't forget those.

So where does he rank among the greats of the last 12 years? Read on, won't you?

Honorable Mentions

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BATON ROUGE, LA - NOVEMBER 13: Head coach Les Miles of the Louisiana State University Tigers runs on to the field during pregame before playing the Louisiana Monroe Warhawks at Tiger Stadium on November 13, 2010 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Chr

15. Barry Alvarez, Wisconsin

14. Lloyd Carr, Michigan

13. Larry Coker, Miami

12. Mark Richt, Georgia

11. Les Miles, Oklahoma State/LSU

10. Chris Petersen

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GLENDALE, AZ - JANUARY 04: Head coach Chris Petersen of the Boise State Broncos celebrates after defeating the TCU Horned Frogs 17-10 during the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl at the Universtity of Phoenix Stadium on January 4, 2010 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo b

Yes, he's only been a head coach for five years, and yes, Boise State doesn't exactly play the toughest schedule in the country. But Petersen has helped to create an absolute monster program that is a perennial contender for a BCS bowl bid. 

BCS Era record: 60-5 (.923)

BCS Era standout stats: 2 BCS bowl games, 0 National Championships

9. Phil Fulmer

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KNOXVILLE, TN - NOVEMBER 03: Head Coach Phillip Fulmer of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrates a touchdown with quarterback Erik Ainge #10 over the Louisiana Lafayette Cajuns during the second quarter at Neyland Stadium on November 3, 2007 in Knoxville,

The coach who won the first ever BCS championship, Fulmer became an institution at Tennessee after taking over for Johnny Majors in 1992.

BCS Era record: 98-41 (.705)

BCS Era standout stats: 2 BCS bowl games, 1 National Championship (1998)

8. Frank Beamer

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BLACKSBURG, VA - NOVEMBER 04: Head coach Frank Beamer of the Virginia Tech Hokies watches from the sidelines against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Lane Stadium on November 4, 2010 in Blacksburg, Virginia. (Photo by Geoff Burke/Getty Images)

Probably the most underrated coach of his generation, Beamer has made his mark at Virginia Tech with tough defense, amazing special teams and some very talented individual players, including Michael Vick.

BCS Era record: 130-38 (.774)

BCS Era standout stats: 5 BCS bowl games, 0 National Championships

7. Bobby Bowden

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JACKSONVILLE, FL - JANUARY 01: Head coach Bobby Bowden of the Florida State Seminoles is escorted off the field after defeating the West Virginia Mountaineers during the Konica Minolta Gator Bowl on January 1, 2010 at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium in Ja

Bobby Bowden spent an amazing 44 seasons as a head coach—34 of them at Florida State—before retiring after the Seminoles' win in the 2010 Gator Bowl.

BCS Era record: 108-46 (.701)

BCS Era standout stats: 6 BCS bowl games, 1 National Championship (1999)

6. Mack Brown

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AUSTIN, TX - SEPTEMBER 25: Head coach Mack Brown of the Texas Longhorns during a game against the UCLA Bruins at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on September 25, 2010 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

The highest salaried coach at a public institution, Brown has been at Texas since 1998. During that time, he has coached names like Ricky Williams, Vince Young and Colt McCoy and been a huge success...well, until 2010.

BCS Era record: 133-34 (.796)

BCS Era standout stats: 4 BCS bowl games, 1 National Championship (2005)

5. Nick Saban

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BATON ROUGE, LA - NOVEMBER 06: Head coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide watches a play during the game against the Louisiana State University Tigers at Tiger Stadium on November 6, 2010 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The Tigers defeated the Crimson

During the BCS era, Saban has coached at Michigan State, LSU and Alabama in addition to a brief stint in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins, so it's fair to say he's gotten around. But he's played a big role in turning around several programs, won everywhere he's been and has become a staple near the top of the college rankings.

BCS Era record: 105-35 (.750)

BCS Era standout stats: 4 BCS bowl games, 2 National Championships (2003, 2009)

4. Bob Stoops

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COLUMBIA, MO - OCTOBER 23: Head coach Bob Stoops of the Oklahoma Sooners looks on against the Missouri Tigers at Faurot Field/Memorial Stadium on October 23, 2010 in Columbia, Missouri. The Tigers beat the Sooners 36-27. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty

Stoops has built himself a powerhouse in Norman, winning seven Big-12 titles and earning two Walter Camp National Coach of the Year awards.

BCS Era record: 128-31 (.805)

BCS Era standout stats: 8 BCS bowl games, 1 National Championship (2000)

3. Urban Meyer

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TUSCALOOSA, AL - OCTOBER 02: Head coach Urban Meyer of the Florida Gators looks on from the sidelines during their game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium on October 2, 2010 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Imag

Since the institution of the BCS, Meyer has been a huge winner at Bowling Green (2001-02), Utah (2003-04) and, finally, Florida (2005-present), before announcing on Wednesday that he's stepping down.

BCS Era record: 103-23 (.817)

BCS Era standout stats: 4 BCS bowl games, 2 National Championships (2006, 2008)

2. Pete Carroll

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SAN FRANCISCO - DECEMBER 26: Head coach Pete Carroll of the USC Trojans celebrates after defeating the Boston College Eagles during the 2009 Emerald Bowl at AT&T Park on December 26, 2009 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

Yes, there were plenty of sketchy goings-on at Southern Cal under Carroll, the coach who made stars of Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush and more. But his success and numbers on the field, at least at the college level, speak for themselves.

BCS Era record: 97-19 (.836)

BCS Era standout stats: 7 BCS bowl games, 2 National Championships (2003, 2004)

1. Jim Tressel

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IOWA CITY, IA - NOVEMBER 20: Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Jim Tressel looks on from the sidelines during pre game warm ups at the University of Iowa Hawkeyes NCAA football game at Kinnick Stadium on November 20, 2010 in Iowa City, Iowa. Ohio State won

Hired by Ohio State from I-AA Youngstown State following the 2000 season, the 58-year-old Tressel makes for a slightly surprising No. 1, especially coming from this self-described "Michigan man."

But with the most BCS bowl games, seven AP top-10 finishes (with another one on the way this season) and a national title to his name, he narrowly edges out the other competitors.

BCS Era record: 105-22 (.827) in Division I, 132-33 (.800) in all divisions

BCS Era standout stats: 8 BCS bowl games, 1 National Championship (2002)