College Football 2011: The 10 Coaches Who Did the Most with the Least

Every year, teams start off at square one with the same record as everyone else. The difference is, some coaches find their rosters loaded with talent, while others know they have a project on their hands.

As teams begin to navigate their way through their schedule, those with tremendous talent give themselves a shot at playing in a BCS game. Those without a wealth of talent find themselves with two choices: find a way to get the most of their players or fall into mediocrity.

Last year, these ten coaches found a way to get every last ounce of effort out of their team.

Utah: Kyle Whittingham

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EUGENE, OR - SEPTEMBER 19: Head coach Kyle Whittingham of the Utah Utes works the sidelines in the third quarter of the game against the Oregon Ducks at Autzen Stadium on September 19, 2009 in Eugene, Oregon. Oregon won the game 31-24. (Photo by Steve Dy

Since taking over in 2005, Whittingham has done a terrific job in not only making Utah a competitive program but turning them into a dark horse team to go to the national championship.

In his six seasons at Utah, Whittingham was guided the Utes to six bowl games, winning five of them. His most impressive victory was a BCS victory over Alabama.

Utah and Whittingham will now make the move to the Pac-12 and it will be interesting to see how he is able to adjust to playing tougher competition. Whittingham will have to help his players dig even deeper to remain in the BCS discussion.

Michigan: Brady Hoke

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ANN ARBOR, MI - APRIL 16: Head football coach Brady Hoke during the annual Spring Game at Michigan Stadium on April 16, 2011 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)

Brady Hoke now finds himself in a program that will not lack talent. Hoke, Michigan's new head coach, has spent the past eight seasons coaching for Ball State and San Diego State and has been able to get his players to play above and beyond their limits.

Early in his career, Hoke was able to take Ball State from a sub .500 team and left them in 2008 after leading them to a 12-1 season.

Hoke didn't stop there. Once leaving Ball State for San Diego State, Hoke helped improve a team that went 4-8 in 2009 and got them to 9-4 in 2010.

If you're a Michigan fan and you like trends, then the Brady Hoke hiring should be something that has you giddy for the 2011 season.

Navy: Ken Niumatalolo

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COLUMBUS, OH - SEPTEMBER 05: Head coach Ken Niumatalolo of the Navy Midshipmen checks the clock during a game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium on September 5, 2009 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)

Ken Niumatalolo is a coach that has to deal with a pressure that only three schools in the nation have to deal with. While coaching at Navy, Niumatalolo understands and embraces the fact that his players have a bigger priority then Saturdays.

Despite football coming second, Niumatalolo has led Navy to four straight bowl games and is a career 27-13 at Navy.

In 2010, Niumatalolo helped the Midshipmen gain victories over Wake Forest, East Carolina and Notre Dame. Not bad for a program that has a more important calling.

Oregon: Chip Kelly

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GLENDALE, AZ - JANUARY 10: Head coach Chip Kelly of the Oregon Ducks looks on during their 22-19 loss to the Auburn Tigers during the Tostitos BCS National Championship Game at University of Phoenix Stadium on January 10, 2011 in Glendale, Arizona. (Pho

I know what you are thinking, how can Oregon coach Chip Kelly be found on this list. While Kelly has done a terrific job at bringing in some top talent in his two years as head coach, he also has done an outstanding job at getting the best out of the talent that was already at Eugene.

Between 2005 and 2008, Oregon averaged a rank of No. 26 in recruiting.

While Kelly has done a great job in the past two years, he has been able to mold the talent that former coach, Mike Bellotti, brought into town and has taken Oregon to a Rose Bowl and National Championship.

Boise State: Chris Petersen

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LANDOVER, MD - SEPTEMBER 06: Boise State Broncos head coach Chris Petersen watches from the sidelines against the Virginia Tech Hokies at FedExField on September 6, 2010 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Geoff Burke/Getty Images)

Chris Petersen has continued to move the Boise State program forward every year he has been the head coach there. After taking over in 2006, Boise State's football program has taken off and not looked back.

Over the past three seasons, Petersen is 38-2 and has won two bowl games, including the Fiesta Bowl.

While Boise State is not a hotbed for recruiting, Petersen continue to churn out winning teams and will continue to be a hot name with any coaching vacancies.

TCU: Gary Patterson

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PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 01: Head coach Gary Patterson of the TCU Horned Frogs holds the Rose Bowl Championship Trophy after defeating the Wisconsin Badgers 21-19 in the 97th Rose Bowl game on January 1, 2011 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Jeff Gross/

Another coach that has taken a mid-major to the national stage is TCU coach Gary Patterson. Patterson took over at TCU in 2001 and has taken the program from a 6-6 team to last years 13-0 Rose Bowl championship squad.

Much like Chris Petersen, Patterson has been winning with good talent but not blue chip level recruits. Over the past three years, TCU has gone 36-3 and been to two BCS games.

Oregon State: Mike Riley

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PALO ALTO, CA - NOVEMBER 27: Head coach Mike Riley of the Oregon State Beavers walks on to the field for their game against the Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium on November 27, 2010 in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

A coach who year-in and year-out gets the best out of his team is Oregon State head coach, Mike Riley. When the 2010 season began, Riley and the Beavers had high expectations of their team. An early season injury to star receiver James Rodgers had the chance to derail the Beavers, but Riley kept on pushing.

Despite failing to make it to a bowl game, Oregon State still had victories over Arizona, Cal and USC and managed to give Oregon a run for their money until late in the game.

One other thing about Riley that you don't see from other programs is the aggressiveness in their scheduling. The Beavers opened 2010 with TCU, Louisville and Boise State. Not many other schools look to open the season with that kind of schedule.

Maryland: Randy Edsall

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COLLEGE PARK, MD - JANUARY 3: Randy Edsall speaks as he is introduced as the University of Maryland Terps new head football coach during a press conference on January 3, 2011 at the Byrd Stadium in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty

Now the coach at Maryland, Randy Edsall had quite a run at the University of Connecticut and took the program to the Fiesta Bowl in 2010.

While the Huskies basketball program is elite, the football program has been a lesser known entity on the east coast.

Edsall helped turn around that perception by leading Connecticut to three straight 8-5 season, which included a Big East championship and a BCS Bowl birth.

UCF: George O'Leary

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AUSTIN, TX - NOVEMBER 07: Head coach George O'Leary of the UCF Knights watches his team struggle against the Texas Longhorns on November 7, 2009 at Darrell K Royal - Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas. Texas won 35-3. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Im

When you think of football in Florida, you begin to think of Florida State, the Gators and Miami. A team that doesn't come to mind is Central Florida.

Since taking over in 2005, George O'Leary has brought some credibility to the program and in his six seasons as head coach is 45-44 overall. He has also led the Knights to their only four bowl games in program history.

In 2010, O'Leary led a team that did not have one five star player on it to victories over Marshall, Rice, Houston and then SMU for the Conference USA Championship. The Knights capped off the year with a victory over Georgia in the Liberty Bowl.

Nevada: Chris Ault

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LAS VEGAS - OCTOBER 02: Nevada Reno Wolf Pack head coach Chris Ault watches his players take on the UNLV Rebels at Sam Boyd Stadium October 2, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Nevada Reno won 44-26. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Chris Ault has been at Nevada for a long time now and one thing that has remained consistent is the level of play Ault gets out of his team.

Since being hired in 1976, Ault has only coached a sub .500 team three times and helped guide them to a very impressive 2010.

In 2010, Nevada was able to defeat Cal, BYU and most impressive was their overtime defeat of Boise State. Nevada tied a school record with 13 wins, going 13-1.

For a team that lacks the big names and top end recruits, Chris Ault continues to get the job done and 2010 was no exception.