SEC Power Rankings: Sizing Up the Coaches in CFB's Top Conference

It's no secret that the SEC is college football's best conference.

With that in mind, however, how do you think it got there?

Coaching.

The old ball coach is what winning all comes down to, because without a great coach, the team can't improve.

That said, where does No. 1 LSU's Les Miles rank?

Well, here's a ranking of all the SEC coaches against one another to find out.

12. Houston Nutt

From 1998-2007, Houston Nutt had a solid career with the Arkansas Razorbacks.

However, it only took now incumbent Bobby Petrino three years to reach a BCS game, as well as get a 10-win season.

Since taking over the Ole Miss Rebels, however, Nutt has only gotten progressively worse, and for as tough as the SEC is, he hasn't lived up to the expectations.

Now had Ole Miss been in another conference, perhaps they would do much better, but since that's not the case, the Rebels remain at the bottom of the SEC food chain.

11. Joker Phillips

Joke Phillips is a Kentucky graduate, has coached for the Wildcats on two different stints and appeared to be a no-brainer when Rich Brooks retired.

Phillips' first gig with Kentucky was from 1988-1996, and this current stint began back in 2003.

He obviously needs some time to get the program headed in the right direction under him, because only one or two years at the helm isn't enough time.

That said, the Wildcats were 6-7 his first season and are currently 2-3, but two of the losses are to ranked opponents (Florida, LSU).

However, until Phillips gets Kentucky back on track, they're going to be continually fighting to stay out of last place in the SEC East.

10. Derek Dooley

Just because his father Vince Dooley is a college football legend doesn't mean that Derek will follow the same path.

For starters, Derek has a vehemently long way to go to even be mentioned in the same breath as his father, but the 3-1 start in 2011 is a solid baby step.

The question is whether he can keep it up, because before he was hired to coach Tennessee, Dooley had a losing record (17-20) with Louisiana Tech of the WAC.

His Volunteers were 6-7 in 2010, but taking his dad out of the equation, Dooley still has to fill the shoes of Phillip Fulmer.

It'll be interesting to see how Derek turns out in the SEC, because even though his father is a legend, that by no means makes him a legend by association.

9. Dan Mullen

It appears that Dan Mullen has somewhat turned the Mississippi State football program around, as this is his first head coaching job.

2010 displayed much promise after the Bulldogs finished 9-4 and ranked No. 15 and No. 17 in the AP and coaches' polls respectively.

2011, however, hasn't been what Mullen and the Mississippi State faithful were planning, especially being 0-3 in the SEC right now.

Now yes, all three conference losses were to Auburn, LSU and Georgia, but Auburn was a winnable game, and one of their two wins came in OT against Louisiana Tech at home.

Just goes to show that one past performance is no guarantee of future success, and with South Carolina, Alabama and Arkansas remaining on the schedule, it's definitely not going to be easy finishing with a winning record this year.

8. James Franklin

Yeah, it's the Vanderbilt Commodores, but new head coach James Franklin has this program headed in the right direction as much as, if not better than, the aforementioned coaches.

Hence, his No. 8 ranking.

In the last 32 years, the Vanderbilt Commodores have only had two winning seasons (8-4 in 1982 and 7-6 in 2008).

Franklin, therefore, not only has no pressure to win, but after the 3-1 start, has his players believing they can win.

Confidence is almost everything, and in order to compete in the SEC, it is beyond imperative.

Vandy could very well have upset South Carolina, but the Gamecocks simply had too much talent.

Now, I'm not saying the Commodores are going to begin dominating, but it's quite possible they finish 2011 around a .500 record, if not slightly better based on how well Franklin has installed confidence to his team.

2012, however, will be even more telling as to the ultimate direction of the program.

7. Will Muschamp

It's not easy taking over a program that was coached by a legend in Urban Meyer.

That being said, the Gators got off to an excellent 4-0 start before hitting the brick wall that is Alabama.

Now of course it's going to be a challenge getting a program so used to winning on a consistent basis to rebuilding for a brief period.

2011 is a big year for The Swamp because having that momentum leading into the 2012 offseason, and then ultimately the 2012 season, is crucial.

Muschamp has Florida reloading more so than rebuilding. The question is how his team responds after the loss and the attitude they bring to Baton Rouge on Saturday.

Not saying that the Gators will upset the Bayou Bengals, but Florida does need to play well for the most part if they want to dethrone South Carolina from the SEC East. 

6. Bobby Petrino

Slowly but surely, Bobby Petrino is making is mark on SEC football as one of the conference's best coaches.

Now, he still has a long way to go in order to be put on the Nick Saban and Les Miles pedestal, but a 27-16 start isn't too shabby.

Then count the big comeback win over Texas A&M and the Razorbacks are for real, because the beat-down they took from Alabama was tough to swallow.

Responding in that manner is vital to a team's mentality, and Arkansas could potentially get another 10-win season if they play a full game like the second half against the Aggies.

5. Mark Richt

After the 0-2 start, Mark Richt's Georgia Bulldogs have ran off three straight wins and find themselves in prime position to contend for the SEC East.

Being the head coach at Georgia has been his only head coaching gig, and 2010 was Richt's first losing season.

However, it was only 6-7, and the Bulldogs have gone to 10 straight bowl games, winning seven of them, and he's finished ranked seven times in both polls.

Through five games this season, his career record is 99-36, and 2011 could very well earn him another solid winning season.

The only problem is that Richt has yet to win or appear in a national championship game, but he does have two BCS appearances, as well as two overall SEC titles to his credit.

2010 was a rebuilding year, and 2011 is going to be better. The next step is how much Georgia can improve in 2012.

4. Gene Chizik

Although he had a dismal record at Iowa State (5-19), Gene Chizik has hit the SEC hard after only three seasons with the Auburn Tigers (26-6).

Not sure how he went from the bottom of the Big 12 to atop the SEC so quickly, but Cam Newton had something to do with it.

However, even before Newton, Chizik went 8-5 and won the Outback Bowl his first year with Auburn, and then obviously, the national title in 2010.

This season, War Eagle has a record of 4-1 and won a big road game over South Carolina, 16-13, on Saturday.

With Arkansas, LSU, Florida, Georgia and Alabama still on the schedule, it's uncertain as to how legit these Tigers are, but they're rolling with confidence right now.

And much of that is attributed to Gene Chizik, because anyone could have fallen from grace with Cam Newton being gone, but Auburn has improved with each game, and don't be surprised if they finish with a 10-win season.

3. Steve Spurrier

What Steve Spurrier's done with the South Carolina Gamecocks is pretty remarkable.

He's made them into and SEC East contender with Stephen Garcia as his QB.

And since taking over the Gamecocks in 2005, Spurrier has yet to have a losing record (6-6 being the worst in 2007).

Now add his time with the Florida Gators (1990-2001), and we see 12 straight winning seasons, one national championship and five SEC titles.

Obviously, South Carolina doesn't have the tradition and history like the Gators, but Spurrier has turned around a mediocre program and made them very relevant in the nation's best conference.

Expect the Gamecocks to be in the SEC hunt under Spurrier each year.

2. Les Miles

Alas, we come to Les Miles, who's been the LSU Tigers' head coach since 2005.

His first three years, he finished ranked in the Top 10, and the Bayou Bengals won the national title in 2007.

Miles' worst season in Baton Rouge was 8-5 in 2008, but he quickly reloaded, as evidenced by the 5-0 start in 2011 and the 11-2 finish a year ago.

For what it's worth, Miles should remain with LSU for quite some time, and all that speculation of him going elsewhere and/or being on the hot-seat is completely bogus.

He has a record of 67-17 in just 6.5 years, so Les isn't going anywhere soon.

And if he wins another national title, he'll be neck and neck with the next guy.

1. Nick Saban

As a college football head coach, Nick Saban's worst record was 6-6 with the Michigan State Spartans in 1996.

He's won two national championships with two different SEC schools (LSU 2003, Alabama 2009), and has finished ranked in the Top 10 six times.

Right now, he's the labeled standard in the SEC, as Les Miles is just the slightest of margins behind.

His coaching record while in the SEC is 96-27, and he has three SEC titles.

The scariest part is that he was out of the conference for two years (2005 and 2006), as he tried his luck in pro football.

Needless to say, it didn't work out, but coming back into the SEC is never easy. Just ask Steve Spurrier.

That said, Saban has one-upped Spurrier, and he is the best coach in the SEC right now.

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