College Football Rankings: Top 50 College Football Coaches for 2011
One of the toughest questions to answer in all of sports: how much does a coach impact a college football program?
Do you judge them by wins and losses?
By continued progress in a historically bad football college?
How about their record in bowl games?
Is the team taking care of business in the classroom?
All of these questions must be brought up when assessing head coaches. The cream rises to the crop and while others bounce from job to job, the top coaches are firmly entrenched in their school.
The debate among fans rages on...who are the top head coaches heading into 2011?
50. Gary Pinkel
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Pinkel is the model of consistency for a college head coach.
He spent 10 seasons with the Toledo Rockets and posted a 73-37 record.
Since 2001 Pinkel has been the head honcho for the Missouri Tigers. In the highly competitive Big 12, he has gone 77-49, while going 3-4 in bowl games.
The highlight of his career came when the Tigers went 12-2 in 2007, with a victory in the Cotton Bowl.
49. Mike Gundy
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Gundy has gone 47-29 in his six years as head coach at Oklahoma St.
The problem is the lack of BCS bowl games on his resume. He may have a 3-2 record in bowl games, but his biggest win was the Alamo Bowl.
But Gundy is better known for his infamous outburst on a student newspaper in '07.
"I'm a man, I'm 40!!!!!!!"
48. Frank Solich
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Solich should be on this list based off the 58-19 record at Nebraska.
But unreal expectations led to his firing.
Now he is the coach at Ohio University and has been quite successful.
He’s gone 40-36 and has been to three bowl games, while making the Bobcats a team that’s consistently in the mix for the MAC Championship.
47. Troy Calhoun
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After a stint as offensive coordinator for the Houston Texans, Calhoun took over as head coach of the Air Force Falcons in 2007.
His record is a solid 34-28 and has never allowed his team to lose more than five games in his four seasons in charge.
He has a 2-2 record in bowl games.
46. Turner Gill
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Gill was able to resurrect the Buffalo football program and used that success to land the head coach at Kansas.
Having success in Lawrence is hard to come by for the football team, and Gill found out in route to a 3-9 inaugural season.
But Gill went 2-10 in his first season at Buffalo and just needs the patience of fans to trust him and his ability.
45. Ken Niumatalolo
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Niumatalolo has brought Navy back to respectability.
The longtime Navy assistant has accumulated a 27-14 record as head coach and a 1-3 bowl record.
It's hard to recruit the most talented players to the program, and Niumatalolo has excelled at working with what he has.
He has also never lost a game against top rival Army.
44. Houston Nutt
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Having top 20 finishes in his first two years earned Nutt some job security, but after Ole Miss’ 2010 season...the hot seat is warming up.
Despite landing Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli, the Rebels finished 4-8, with two of those wins over Tulane and Louisiana-Lafayette.
They lost to FCS Jacksonville State and to Vanderbilt at home by two touchdowns.
Nutt has proven to be a good coach, but he needs to have a successful 2011.
43. Joker Phillips
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He's been with this program as a player or coach for more than 20 years, so there's no denying he understands the culture.
Phillips went 6-7 in his first season as head coach at Kentucky, culminating in a loss in the Compass Bowl.
Phillips has a lot of potential and will be a success for UK.
42. Bronco Mendenhall
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Mendenhall has done wonders for the BYU program.
A 56-21 career record is terrific, but finishing ranked in four of his six seasons is spectacular for a mid-major.
He sports a 4-2 record in bowls, and has a dominating 39-9 record in Mountain West play.
41. Jeff Tedford
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This past season was the first losing one of Tedford’s tenure.
Cal lost seven of its last 10, getting blown out by Nevada, USC, Oregon State, and Stanford. The Golden Bears could not beat Washington at home in the final game, with a bowl berth at stake. Cal struggled with offense and QB play...Tedford’s areas of expertise.
But he has had sustained success with the program since taking over in 2002, posting a 72-42 record with a 5-2 record in bowl games.
Tedford currently ranks second for most career victories at Cal.
40. Bret Bielema
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Bielema has really made his mark on the Wisconsin Badgers since taking over in 2006.
The record speaks for itself: 49-16.
He has infused a sort of toughness in their defense that was previously no-existent before.
His 2-3 bowl record is something that needs to improve, but Bielema has steadily made Wisconsin one of the best run programs in the country.
39. Bobby Petrino
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He may be a top 50 coach, but Petrino is extremely overrated.
He has essentially parlayed one 12-1 season at Louisville into an NFL head coaching gig and an SEC job after that.
Once he bolted from the Atlanta Falcons mid-season in one of the most unprecedented moves in coaching history, he hasn't proven the Arkansas faithful that he is worthy.
This year he had a top prospect in Ryan Mallett, yet still ended up losing three games. There were plenty of head scratching calls in the Sugar Bowl loss to the Buckeyes.
38. Ron Zook
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He may best be known for the website fireronzook.com, but after a failed stint as head honcho at University of Florida he has landed on his feet with the Fighting Illini.
After two dreadful seasons of 2-9 and 2-10, Illinois has gone to two bowl games in four years including a Rose Bowl and a victory in this year's Texas Bowl.
The "Veer Option" offense is exciting to watch and pretty effective for his team.
37. Mike Sherman
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Sherman had a terrific career with the Green Bay Packers, going 57-39 as head coach, before landing with the Aggies.
He has done a splendid job of picking up Texas A&M from the dead.
The team has gone from 4-8, to 6-7, to 9-4 in his three seasons culminating in a Cotton Bowl appearance in 2010.
He is a great X's and O's guy that is under the radar in most coaching discussions.
36. Jimbo Fisher
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He had the daunting task of taking over for the legendary Bobby Bowden.
By all accounts year one was a success as the Seminoles posted a 10-4 record and Chick-Fil-A Bowl victory.
His inaugural campaign marked FSU's first 10-win season since 2003 and first appearance in the ACC Championship Game since 2005.
35. Pat Hill
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Hill has been a great model of consistency for the Fresno St. Bulldogs. He has compiled over 100 wins in his career and gets his team to a bowl game seemingly every season.
Although fans would like to see an upgrade on his 4-7 bowl record, Hill is one of the best coaches in the WAC and has been for 14 years.
Stability has been the key for Fresno.
34. Paul Johnson
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Johnson has been able to sustain success at all levels of college football.
He started his career with a 62-10 record and two 1-AA Championships at Georgia Southern.
Then he went to Navy and really turned around the program, appearing in five bowl games in six seasons.
Now he is the head man at Georgia Tech. This year the Yellow Jackets disappointed with a 6-7 mark, but don't forget about his 11-3 record and Orange Bowl appearance just a year ago.
33. Greg Schiano
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The Rutgers football program is a good example of how to build a program from the ground up. Schiano inherited a team that was in shambles and it showed in his first two years (3-20).
But since then the team has made steady improvement and reached the 11 win plateau in 2006.
He is great at producing running backs and Ray Rice is the proof in the pudding.
32. Butch Davis
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Davis has had quite a career.
He compiled a very impressive 51-20 record at Miami that helped him grab the Cleveland Browns head coaching gig.
Like most coaches in Cleveland he was ultimately fired, but is the only coach to get the Browns into the playoffs since they returned to the NFL in '99.
Now he leads the Tar Heels of North Carolina. The basketball crazed college has started to pay attention to a football team that's gone to three straight bowls.
Now he if can only minimize the scandals...
31. Mike Riley
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Riley has been a much better head coach in college than the pros. Riley coached the Chargers from 1999 to 2001 and finished with a record of 14–34.
After an unsuccessful run of 8-14 in 97-98 with the Oregon St, his second stint as head coach has a success.
Since ’03 he has gone 61-40 and has solidified the Beavers football program.
30. Bill Snyder
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He is one of the longest tenured coaches in all of college football, without the four year hiatus from 05-09.
The numbers tell Snyder's story. A 149-80-1 record, 83-63-1 in conference play and 6-6 bowl game record.
He is a mainstay at Kansas St. and a great example of a coach that keeps a program in stable condition.
29. Brady Hoke
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The new head coach at Michigan worked very hard to reach the position he is in.
Hoke led Ball St. to a 12-1 record in 2008 and first Top 25 ranking in school history.
He then went on to lead San Diego St to it’s first nine win season since the 70’s and led his team to a victory over Navy in the Poinsettia Bowl.
Good luck with the anxious Big Blue fan base.
28. Larry Blakeney
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This might be a controversial pick but Blakeney gets major points for being the head coach of Troy since 1991.
Troy went made the transition from D-II to D-AA to D-1 in the span of his career.
Now his team has won two bowl games and has upset a top 25 team.
The huge amount of progress throughout his career is something that shouldn't go unnoticed.
He has a 161-82-1 career record at Troy.
27. Al Golden
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Another coach that brought back a MAC team from the dead, Golden parlayed his success at Temple into the head-coaching job at Miami.
The 17-8 record impressed the Hurricanes in his last two seasons at Temple.
He will vault up these rankings with an impressive showing at Miami.
26. Pat Fitzgerald
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When he was hired at the ripe age of 31 he was the youngest coach in the Big 10 Conference and in NCAA Division I-A football by five years. Lane Kiffin is now the youngest head coach.
After a rocky start, Fitzgerald has made Northwestern into a legit contender in the Big 10. He has a career record of 34-29 and has made three straight bowl games.
The next step is actually winning one.
For the Wildcats, the expectations have risen because of Fitzgerald.
25. Kyle Whittingham
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After leading the Utes to a victory in the Fiesta Bowl in 2004 Urban Meyer bolted to Florida. Whittingham has racked up an impressive resume with Utah since then.
He has a 58-20 record and 6-1 career record in bowl games. The highlight of his career came in 2008 as his team went a perfect 13-0 after winning the Sugar Bowl.
24. Chris Peterson
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With a record of 49-4 since 2006, Petersen is all about taking care of business at Boise St. The Broncos are a mid major powerhouse.
He's won four out of five conference titles and would probably be considered for a National Title Game in the future if their schedule went a little deeper than playing teams in the WAC.
Or if his field goal kicker was a bit more reliable.
23. Dennis Erickson
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This guy has got to have the longest coaching resume of any current head coach.
Erickson was the head football coach at the University of Idaho (1982–1985, 2006), the University of Wyoming (1986), Washington State University (1987–1988), the University of Miami (1989–1994), and Oregon State University (1999–2002).
Erickson was also the head coach of two teams in the NFL: the Seattle Seahawks (1995–1998) and the San Francisco 49ers (2003–2004), where he tallied a mark of 40–56.
During his stint at Miami, Erickson's team won two national championships, in 1989 and 1991.
He is now soaking up the sun with the Arizona St. Sun Devils.
22. Mike Stoops
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Stoops was in charge of bringing a team that had fallen on its face back to respectability.
The progress being made is solid, and the Arizona Wildcats are surely a team to watch in 2011.
His 40-45 record doesn't wow you, but his team has made three consecutive bowls and will be one of the favorites in a strong PAC 12 in 2011.
Keep an eye on Stoops and his Wildcats.
21. Tommy Tuberville
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Tuberville was the 2004 recipient of the Walter Camp and Paul Bryant Coach of the Year awards after Auburn's 13–0 season. He is also the only football coach in Auburn history to beat in-state rival Alabama six consecutive times.
He didn't miss a beat in his first season as the Texas Tech head coach. The team went 8-5 and earned a trip and a win in the TicketCity Bowl.
Tuberville is 118-65 in his career and 85-40 with Auburn.
How does a coach with that kind of record get shown the door after one 5-7 season?
20. Randy Edsall
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The head coach of UCONN since 1999, Edsall parlayed his first BCS appearance into the head gig at Maryland.
Edsall endured some ups and downs in his Huskies career, but the team jumped from the A-10, to independent, to the Big East under his watch.
His team made four consecutive bowls and Edsall holds a 3-2 career mark in postseason play.
He has a great idea of what he wants to do and should bring a winning attitude to a Terps program that had become stale under Ralph Frigen.
19. Mark Dantonio
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The defensive minded Dantonio has been a success at both stops in his head coaching career.
He lifted the Cincinnati Bearcats from the grave and took them to a bowl game in two out of his three seasons at the helm.
Now with Michigan St., he has had great success.
His record stands at 33-19 after an outstanding 11-2 season and share of Big 10 title. He even suffered a heart-attack mid-season and was able to bounce back within a few weeks.
18. Lane Kiffin
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The youngest coach in college football has had quite a ride in his limited sample size.
He was head coach of the Oakland Raiders for a little over a year before Al Davis decided enough was enough, finishing with a 5-15 record.
He was then head coach at Tennessee. When he was calling out Tebow and other SEC coaches he went 7-6 and made the Chick-Fil-A bowl.
Somehow that opened the door for the illustrious USC gig.
In a year where the players had nothing to play for, Kiffin still managed to win eight games.
Say what you want about the guy, but he obviously is doing something right and has the Trojans going in the right direction.
17. Steve Sarkisian
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This slot for Sarkisian is based on the potential for his 2011 team and beyond.
He took over an incredibly awful Washington team and has made them a credible foe in only two seasons.
With the last month consisting of all must win games in 2010, the Huskies ran the table and even beat heavily favored Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl. The same two teams had met earlier in the season and Nebraska won in a romp.
The constant improvements give fans in Washington something to really get excited about it.
16. Will Muschamp
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Ok so he may not have any head coaching experience. But he has an impressive resume for an assistant coach.
Muschamp gained a reputation both for his stout defenses and his excited and fiery demeanor during games and practice.
In his second season at Auburn, Muschamp was a finalist for the 2007 Broyles Award for the most outstanding assistant coach in college football.
The University of Texas had previously announced that Muschamp would succeed Mack Brown as head coach of the Longhorns, and had designated him as the "head coach in waiting."
Now he takes over one of the most illustrious programs in the sport. Expect big things right away.
15. Mark Richt
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Richt has been the Georgia head coach for the last 10 seasons. That makes him the longest tenured coach in the entire SEC.
That’s impressive enough.
His 96-34-career record solidifies his spot in the top 15.
14. Bo Pelini
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He has done a great job of turning around the Cornhuskers but had a rocky end to 2010.
Nebraska went from having a double-digit lead in the Big 12 championship game to the losing the Holiday Bowl against six-win Washington.
He also got into a bit of controversy after he was seen screaming his lungs out in freshman QB Taylor Martinez’s face.
The first two seasons in the Big 10 will be very important for Pelini, but I think 2011 will be a memorable one in Lincoln.
13. Brian Kelly
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Kelly has been working his way up the ladder since starting his head coaching career at Grand Valley St in 1991. He accumulated a 118-35-2 record and two championships.
Next it was Central Michigan. He took them from outhouse to penthouse in only three seasons and even got his team to a bowl game before departing to Cincinnati.
As a Bearcat he became one of the most popular figures in the entire city.
He went an incredible 34-6 at U.C. and went to the Orange Bowl and Sugar Bowl in back-to-back years. Many wonder if the Bearcats would have stayed perfect in 2009 if Kelly didn't leave for Notre Dame before the Sugar Bowl.
Now he is at his dream job and posted a solid 8-5 record and Sun Bowl victory in his first year. He is trying to bring this storied program back to prominence and is off to a great start.
Expect even more progress to be made by the outstanding motivator that is Kelly.
12. Gary Patterson
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One of the hottest college football coaches in the game has to be Patterson.
He has a 98-28 record with TCU and is coming off an undefeated season and victory in the Rose Bowl.
The Rose Bowl marked the second BCS Bowl game in as many years for Patterson and the Horned Frogs.
He even got TCU to upgrade conferences by accepting a bid to the Big East in 2012.
11. Les Miles
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Miles had a 28-21 record at Oklahoma State before accepting the opening at LSU.
Miles had instant success.
In just his third season coaching the Tigers he won his first National Title.
He may eat grass and make plenty of questionable coaching decisions...but he gets the job done, amassing an impressive 62-17 record at LSU over six seasons.
10. Joe Paterno
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He has been the coach of Penn St. since 1966 and has compiled an absurd 401 wins to only 134 losses.
A lack of consistent Top 10-caliber success in recent years is the only thing keeping Paterno from ranking higher.
Joe Paterno and the Nittany Lions have captured two Big Ten championships and have won four of the last five bowl appearances.
He wins the lifetime achievement award on this list.
9. Kirk Ferentz
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Since taking over the Hawkeyes in 1999, Kirk Ferentz has turned the Hawkeye Football program around after the legendary Hayden Fry left him with absolutely nothing.
His first season he only won a single game, but has won two Big Ten Championships and five Bowl games, (including a BCS Orange Bowl win) since.
That's big-time progress.
8. Steve Spurrier
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After spending three years coaching at Duke, Spurrier took over at Florida in 1990 and turned the Gators into a college football powerhouse going 122-27-1 during his time there.
His Gators went 12-1 in 1996, and defeated rival Florida State 52-20 in the Sugar Bowl for Spurrier's lone National Championship.
After two mediocre years with the Washington Redskins, Spurrier returned to the college sidelines for South Carolina in 2005.
He is 44-33 with the Gamecocks and has an overall career record of 186-73-2.
"The ole' ball coach" is one of the best in the game.
7. Nick Saban
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He previously coached at Toledo, Michigan State, and LSU racking up a 92-41-1 record while winning the 2003 BCS National Championship at LSU.
After a failed head coaching experience with the Miami Dolphins, Saban returned to the college sidelines, as the head man at Alabama, with a bang.
He won the National Championship last season and has gone 43-11 in four seasons with the Tide.
'Bama is always a championship contender with Saban at the helm.
6. Chip Kelly
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One of the most innovative and non-conventional offensive minds in the game resides at Oregon.
Kelly may be the best offensive mind in college football today.
He has gone an incredible 22-4 in two years as head coach of the Ducks. He was a last second field goal away from possibly already having a championship under his belt.
The sky is the limit for Kelly and expect Oregon to be a powerhouse for as long as he is around.
5. Frank Beamer
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In the last seven years Beamer has led the Hokies to four conference championship wins and in all seven seasons he had a winning record.
He also has four BCS bowl game appearances. Having a record of 198-95-2 at VT makes him one of the top coaches in the sport.
Beamer has been the coach since 1987 and has provided maximum stability for the program.
4. Gene Chizik
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The up-and-coming Gene Chizik has solidified his spot in college football's elite with Auburn's national title.
Auburn's hire of Chizik was a bit of a head-scratcher as he struggled at Iowa State.
Chizik turned things around in Auburn after only one season, going 8-5 and winning the Outback Bowl.
In 2010, with Cam Newton at his side, and a stingy defense leading the way, Auburn was the best team in college football. The Tigers went 14-0 and won the National Championship.
3. Mack Brown
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Mack Brown began his career at Appalachian State and then Tulane as few may remember.
Brown had mild success with both schools before taking over at North Carolina in 1988 and turning the Tar Heels into a consistent bowl team and contender in the ACC.
Brown left UNC after the 1997 season to take the head coaching position at Texas where he was known in his first few years as a guy that couldn't win the big one.
Brown, along with QB Vince Young, led the Longhorns to the 2005 National Championship over USC.
His record of 133-34 record with four BCS Bowl appearances (3-1) for the Longhorns is nothing short of amazing.
2. Jim Tressel
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The sweater vest has really racked up the awards over the years.
He won 12 "Coach of the Year" awards, 4 Division I-AA National Championships and 1 Division I-A National Championship.
Seven Big Ten conference titles, 5-3 record in BCS Bowl games, and 9-1 against Michigan.
Impressed?
The 106-22 record at Ohio St. is unbelievable, and worthy of a top spot on this list.
1. Bob Stoops
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The 129-31 record says it all.
Stoops was awarded the 2000 Paul "Bear" Bryant Award and the 2000 and 2003 Walter Camp Coach of the Year for "Coach of the Year."
One National Championship, EIGHT BCS bowl appearances and six Big Twelve titles in 12 seasons with the Sooners.
The Sooners go into the 2011 as my favorite to win the championship and having a coach like Stoops is a huge reason why.
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