College Football Coaching Hires That Already Look Smart

Even though this is only Week 4 of the 2011 college football season, you can already begin to see which coaches have begun to turn their respective programs around.

With that said, there were 24 new coaches hired before the Autumn Wind commenced, but only a select few have really stuck out above the rest.

Here are the Top Five coaches who have made quick strides.

5. Ohio State, Luke Fickell

Although they lost on the road at Miami, after all that happened in the offseason, the Ohio State Buckeyes have managed to avoid being a complete disaster in 2011.

Heading into conference play the Buckeyes will be 3-1, and Luke Fickell has to be content.

Fickell came into a really tough situation, but has kept his team focused thus far, and if Ohio State gets a bowl game it will be a big step forward.

4. Florida, Will Muschamp

Much like his QB John Brantley, Florida's new head coach Will Muschamp is filling the shoes of a Gator legend.

That said, the folks in Gainseville have to be satisfied after the 3-0 start.

And with Kentucky in Week 4, Will Muschamp and co. will be 4-0 (2-0 in the SEC) when they host Alabama in Week 5.

The Gators haven't missed a step, hence, Muschamp was an excellent hire.

3. Temple, Steve Addazio

Right now the Temple Owls could very well be 4-0.

In Week 3 they lost a heart-breaker to Penn State at home 14-10, but have three very convincing wins otherwise.

New head coach Steve Addazio came over from being the Florida offensive coordinator, and the Owls have been dominating.

Each of their three wins are 42-7 (Villanova), 41-3 (Akron), and most impressively (38-7) over Maryland.

Don't be surprised if Temple finishes 12-1 and gets a solid bowl game by season's end.

2. David Shaw, Stanford

Jim Harbaugh is no longer in Stanford and David Shaw has taken over the driver seat in the Andrew Luck-powered car.

Needless to say, the Cardinal is undefeated and is the current Pac-12 front-runner.

There's no reason why Stanford can't go undefeated and contend for a national title under Shaw.

1. Michigan, Brady Hoke

College football's winningest program is back on the map with some force.

The Michigan Wolverines are 4-0 under new head coach Brady Hoke (a Michigan man), and could very well contend for the Big Ten title.

QB Denard Robinson is a Heisman candidate, and the defense has been improving.

Although they still have a lot of work to do, Brady Hoke has Michigan back where they're suppose to be—winning.

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