Conference Realignment: Power Ranking the 'New' SEC Coaches

If there is one thing for certain in the mess that is conference realignment, it is that Texas A&M will be going to the SEC.

The Aggies have repeatedly said that they will not be going back to the Big 12 even if the conference becomes viable again.

Much has been made about their record in big games and against the SEC, but what about the coaching? Where does Mike Sherman rank among the rest of the coaches in the conference, including the new guys James Franklin and Will Muschamp?

Here is a power ranking of all of the coaches in the ‘new’ SEC.

13. Joker Phillips

Phillips was hired to help turn around the Kentucky program. So far this season they have laid a serious goose egg.

Do-it-all playmaker Randall Cobb is gone and the Wildcats are averaging less than 275 yards per game without him and quarterback Mike Hartline.

It’s unlikely that Kentucky goes bowling this season and with a 7-6 record last season, that puts Phillips at the bottom of the SEC totem pole.

12. Houston Nutt

Since Nutt came to Ole Miss from Arkansas, the Rebels have 16 losses, including an embarrassing 4-8 record last season.

Given their start to the 2011 season, things do not look much better. It seems as though once Nutt started getting into the players he recruited, he is not performing well. He also failed when Ole Miss was supposed to be an SEC title contender with Jevan Snead in 2009.

11. Mark Richt

It is hard to believe how far this man has fallen from just a few years ago, but Georgia can recruit with the best of them and still not come out with wins.

The Bulldogs have been on a steady decline since 2007 when they pounded Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl. With a 1-2 record, things don’t look much better for 2011.

There are only four more games Georgia will almost undoubtedly win to barely put them into the postseason. That would surely be the end of Richt’s era in Athens.

10. Derek Dooley

Tennessee needed four straight wins to close out 2010 in order to make it into a bowl game. This season, things are already looking better with Tyler Bray as the undisputed leader at quarterback.

The Volunteers almost got ranked but lost at The Swamp before it could happen. Dooley has this program going in the right direction, though it is happening at a slower pace than many fans would like.

Tennessee should get back to its dominance soon, but until then Dooley comes in at ninth.

9. James Franklin

Franklin has really shaken things up at Vanderbilt during his short tenure. He signed a great recruiting class and already has a Top 25 class coming in for 2012.

Oh, and he is 3-0.

There is not much to say about him because he hasn’t been a head coach for long, but if the rest of his tenure is like this, Franklin could become one of the premier coaches in the entire country.

8. Will Muschamp

Muschamp is in a very similar boat to James Franklin in that he is also a brand new head coach. Florida has been really impressive thus far in 2011 but they have only played Tennessee at home.

Charlie Weis also plays a gigantic role in the team's success because quarterback John Brantley fits a pro-style offense better.

Florida will challenge for the SEC East championship this year.

7. Mike Sherman

Sherman got off to a rocky start with Texas A&M, but this team is now firing on all cylinders and it doesn’t look like they’ll be letting up in some time.

The Aggies have the sixth best 2012 recruiting class per Rivals and are ranked eighth in the country right now.

Sherman deserves a lot of that credit because he abandoned quarterback Jerrod Johnson in favor of Ryan Tannehill, a move that has paid huge dividends thus far.

6. Dan Mullen

Mullen is one of the hottest names in coaching right now, and for good reason. He has turned Mississippi State into a player in the brutal SEC West.

The reason he isn’t higher is because his team lost to Auburn and LSU already this season and their defense has really been lacking.

5. Bobby Petrino

In every year Petrino has been the head coach at Arkansas, the Hogs’ win total has gone up by two games. Given that trend, they should win 12 games this year and go undefeated in 2012.

He has the best passing attack in the SEC and currently the best total offense. His defenses could use a little work but they were much improved on that side of the ball in 2010.

4. Steve Spurrier

There are not many coaches in the country with Spurrier’s resume.

His teams at South Carolina have been good, but not great, but the fact that he won a national championship automatically puts him in the discussion as one of the best coaches in the conference.

The Gamecocks seem headed in the right direction, but news broke the other day that they had received a letter of inquiry from the NCAA. Hopefully this does not derail the legendary coach’s time at South Carolina.

3. Gene Chizik

The defending national champion's head coach obviously has to be in the top three of coaches. He isn’t any higher because of his record in true road games. Since coming to Auburn, the Tigers are just 5-4 while playing at another team’s stadium.

So far in 2011 his defense has not looked up to par, but that is to be expected with so much youth playing.

He has pulled in amazing recruiting classes that will almost assuredly pan out in the near future.

2. Les Miles

The “Mad Hatter” does some crazy things at times and apparently has a lot of issues with clock management, yet he comes out with a win almost every time.

The Tigers are the only team in the country to beat two ranked opponents and will go on the road and play No. 16 West Virginia for a third in four weeks.

Somehow their defense ranks sixth in the country and is allowing just over 200 yards per game. Simply incredible for a team that does not have any players considered to be stars.

1. Nick Saban

Saban’s career at Alabama did not start off well, but ever since then he has been the best and most consistent coach in the SEC and possibly the entire country.

He won the national championship in 2009 and the 2011 defense could be one of the best units in college football history, especially at defensive back.

Saban has Alabama back to its former glory and has been recruiting with the best to keep the Tide there.