The REAL Coaches Poll: The Top 25 College Football Coaches Rankings (Week Two)

The release of the 2008 edition of the USA Today Coaches Poll got me thinking. Why do the coaches get to vote for the best team, but the players don’t get to vote for the best coach?

I would love to see a weekly ranking of the best coaches in college football today. Sure it doesn’t make much sense in the grand scheme of things, but it sure is interesting.

So, I’ve decided that this college football season there will be a Top 25 for coaches. Sure it is purely subjective at the beginning of the season (much like the other polls), but as the season moves forward so will the poll.

It will work much like the other weekly polls…you lose, you drop. A win over another ranked coach counts for more than a win over an unranked coach, and well…you get the idea.

So without further adieu…The 2008 Top 25 College Football Coaches Rankings (Week Two Edition).

1.    Pete Carroll, USC  BYE  (last week: 1)
2.    Urban Meyer, Florida  beat Miami (FL) 26-3  (last week: 3)
3.    Jim Tressel, Ohio State  beat Ohio 26-14  (last week: 2)
4.    Bob Stoops, Oklahoma  beat Cincinnati 52-26  (last week: 5)
5.    Nick Saban, Alabama  beat Tulane 20-6  (last week: 4)
6.    Les Miles, LSU  BYE  (last week: 6)
7.    Mack Brown, Texas  beat UTEP 42-13  (last week: 7)
8.    Mark Richt, Georgia  beat Central Michigan 56-17  (last week: 8)
9.    Dennis Erickson, Arizona State  beat Stanford 41-17  (last week: 9)
10.  Mike Bellotti, Oregon  beat Utah State 66-24  (last week: 14)
11.  Tommy Tuberville, Auburn  beat Southern Miss 27-13  (last week: 10)
12.  Bret Bielema, Wisconsin  beat Marshall 51-14  (last week: 13)
13.  Gary Pinkel, Missouri  beat Southeast Missouri State 52-3  (last week: 17)
14.  Jim Grobe, Wake Forest  beat Ole Miss 30-28  (last week: 24)

15.  Joe Paterno, Penn State  beat Oregon State 45-14  (last week: unranked)
16.  Skip Holtz, East Carolina  beat No. 8 West Virginia 24-3  (last week: unranked)
17.  Pat Hill, Fresno State  BYE  (last week: 18)
18.  Jim Leavitt, South Florida  beat Central Florida 31-24 OT  (last week: 16)
19.  Steve Spurrier, South Carolina  lost to Vanderbilt 24-17  (last week: 11)
20.  Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech  beat Furman 24-7  (last week: 15)
21.  Mike Leach, Texas Tech  beat Nevada 35-19  (last week: 25)
22.  Bronco Mendenhall, BYU  beat Washington 28-27  (last week: 22)
23.  Mark Mangino, Kansas  beat Louisiana Tech 29-0  (last week: 21)
24.  Rick Nueheisel, UCLA  BYE  (last week: unranked)
25.  Greg Schiano, Rutgers  BYE  (last week: 20)

On the fence: Mark Dantonio, Michigan State beat Eastern Michigan 42-10; Chris Petersen, Boise State BYE; Rich Rodriguez, Michigan beat Miami (OH) 16-6 (last week: 12); Brian Kelly, Cincinnati lost to Oklahoma 52-26 (last week: 19); Phil Fulmer, Tennessee BYE (last week: 23)

Dropped out: Rich Rodriguez, Michigan; Brian Kelly, Cincinnati; Phil Fulmer, Tennessee

The College Football Coaches Ranking will be released every Monday. Your comments will help me shape the rankings each week, so comment and comment often.