The 25 Best College Football Coaching Efforts of the 2011 Season

Virginia's Mike London probably considers the 2011 season a success, but still disappointing.

London understands that to truly get a program like Virginia's turned around completely, the Cavaliers must beat its rival—Virginia Tech.

The loss to the Hokies, though, doesn't change the fact that London delivered one of the strongest coaching efforts of the season.

He wasn't alone either, as there were plenty of coaches who earned their large paychecks this fall.

Let's take a look at the 25 best of 2011.

Hugh Freeze, Arkansas State

2011 Record: 10-2

Hugh Freeze's first season at Arkansas State has been an overwhelming success. So much so that Freeze landed the Ole Miss job Monday.

The Red Wolves are enjoying their best season since 1986 when Arkansas State reached the Division I-AA Championship game.

It wasn't a huge shock to see Freeze bolt for a higher paying gig.

In USA Today's annual report on salaries of Football Bowl Subdivision coaches, it showed that Freeze is the lowest paid at $151,660. Now he'll be making a heck of a lot more, but the pressure was just ratcheted up to another level.

Jim Grobe, Wake Forest

Record: 6-6

It's not like a .500 season is something to get excited about, but Jim Grobe once again proved why he's one of the game's most underappreciated coaches.

Grobe knows he can't win eight or more games every year at Wake Forest. But he knows he can build a program that can win big every four to five years.

Next year the Demon Deacons should be contending for the ACC title.

Bill Snyder, Kansas State

Record: 10-2

At 72 years old, Bill Snyder reminded everyone why he is such a respected football coach.

There were many who laughed when Kansas State brought back the former coach when the Ron Prince experiment didn't work out.

Well, look at him now.

Mark Dantonio, Michigan State

Record: 10-3

It just seems that Mark Dantonio doesn't garner the same respect as many of his peers.

But Dantonio has guided the Spartans to back-to-back 10-win seasons and Michigan State won the Legends Division to get a spot in the Big Ten Championship game.

If he keeps this up, Dantonio will begin to get that national respect.

He almost got Michigan State into its first Rose Bowl since the 1987 season, but instead the Spartans will look to get a win against Georgia in the Outback Bowl.

Charlie Strong, Louisville

Record: 7-5

You have to look past the overall record and the fact that Louisville lost to Florida International and Marshall this season.

Charlie Strong had a young team with a true freshman quarterback, and as the season progressed, the Cardinals got better.

So much so that they share the Big East championship.

Strong signed an extension with Louisville, but how long is he really going to stick around if the Cardinals remain trapped in the Big East?

Les Miles, LSU

Record: 13-0

Les Miles has been masterful this season.

He has managed off-the-field issues and arguably the toughest schedule in the country.

The Tigers have run the table and could win Miles' second BCS National Championship since he arrived in Baton Rouge in 2005.

LSU is loaded with talent, but Miles still worked some serious magic this year.

Larry Fedora, Southern Mississippi

Record: 11-2

In his first three seasons at Southern Miss, Larry Fedora had been average.

But in his fourth season, Fedora delivered his best.

The Golden Eagles won the East Division of Conference USA, and then upset Houston in the championship game. Not only did Southern Miss knock off the Cougars, but the Eagles actually dismantled them 49-28 at Houston.

Fedora has returned Southern Miss back to a level its fans expect.

Frank Solich, Ohio

Record: 9-4

Frank Solich has always been a good coach, even when he was at Nebraska.

In seven season at Ohio, Solich has built the Bobcats into a consistent winner in the Mid-American Conference.

The only downfall is Solich hasn't been able to win the conference championship, something the Bobcats blew against Northern Illinois Friday night.

Still, consistently winning at Ohio is a major accomplishment.

Mark Richt, Georgia

Record: 10-3

Mark Richt spent the offseason hearing about how the 2011 season would be his last at Georgia.

After opening the season 0-2, those calls for his head got even worse.

But Richt and his team never panicked, and the Bulldogs reeled off 10-straight wins before falling to LSU in the SEC championship game.

Detractors will point to the fact that Georgia lost to its three best opponents, but a 10-win season is never a given in the SEC so show Richt some respect.

Lane Kiffin, USC

Record: 10-2

Lane Kiffin takes a lot of heat for his coaching ability, but he proved a little something this fall at USC.

Of course the Trojans have plenty of talent left over from the Pete Carroll days, but Kiffin and his staff rallied USC in the final year of a bowl ban.

If Kiffin can convince Matt Barkley to return for his final year at USC, the Trojans would have to be considered a top five team coming into 2012.

With the 10-win season, Kiffin has re-established the expectations at USC.

Greg Schiano, Rutgers

Record: 8-4

Greg Schiano is credited for resurrecting the Rutgers football program after a slow start.

Then the Scarlet Knights fell off big-time last year and finished 4-8. So naturally, Rutgers was picked near the bottom of the Big East in the preseason.

Well, Schiano regrouped and led the Knights to an 8-4 season and probably a spot in the Pinstripe Bowl later this month.

In 11 season, Schiano is still just 67-67, but it wouldn't be a shock if his name starts popping up again for openings at bigger programs.

Dave Doeren, Northern Illinois

Record: 10-3

In his first season as the head coach at Northern Illinois, Dave Doeren led the Huskies to its first Mid-American Conference championship.

Doeren is a passionate coach, whose team closed the season with eight straight wins.

It will be interesting to see if he can keep Northern Illinois at the top or near the top of the MAC for years to come.

James Franklin, Vanderbilt

Record: 6-6

Winning six games at Vanderbilt is like winning 10 at almost any other program.

James Franklin is exactly what the Commodores needed in a coach to get them heading the right direction in the extremely competitive SEC.

Franklin is highly popular with his players, and we have seen he'll go to battle for them.

Who doesn't think Maryland wishes it had stuck with its coach-in-waiting Franklin instead of hiring Randy Edsall?

Bronco Mendenhall, Brigham Young

Record: 9-3

BYU's first season as an independent has been a huge success.

The Cougars went 9-3 and have appeared on ESPN more than any other two seasons combined.

Bronco Mendenhall deserves some credit for the turnaround the Cougars experienced this fall as well.

BYU went 7-6 last year, and there were many fans questioning Mendenhall as a long-term solution for the Cougars.

It's clear he's a talented coach.

Dana Holgorsen, West Virginia

Record: 9-3

Dana Holgorsen was supposed to be the offensive coordinator only in 2011 in Morgantown.

But Holgorsen took over a little earlier than expected, and he has delivered.

West Virginia had the same record last year under Bill Stewart, but the Mountaineers have shown great strides on offense with Holgorsen.

Also, the fans believe they are going the right direction with Holgorsen as the coach. A spot in the Orange Bowl against Clemson is a good start.

Now it will be interesting to see how he fares when WVU moves to the Big 12 in 2012 (or is that 2013?).

Gary Patterson, TCU

Record: 10-2

I'd argue that Gary Patterson has done a better job of coaching this season than he did last year when TCU finished 13-0.

After opening with a shocking loss to Baylor and then later on to SMU in overtime, Patterson never let the Horned Frogs get down.

TCU answered the bell big time with a one-point win over Boise State on the road. This upset is why TCU repeated as Mountain West Conference champs and also why the Broncos won't be playing in a BCS bowl game.

To top it off, Patterson gets to move TCU into the Big 12 next year.

Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State

Record: 11-1

Mike Gundy finally got Oklahoma State past Oklahoma and the Cowboys won the Big 12 championship.

But what he wouldn't do to get that Iowa State game back.

So now Gundy and the Cowboys will just have to live with putting together the greatest season in Oklahoma State history.

It has also been the best two-year run in school history as well.

You think Gundy is going to miss Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon?

Dave Christensen, Wyoming

Record: 8-4

Just one year ago, Dave Christensen was on the hot seat after going 3-9 at Wyoming.

But the fiery Christensen and the Cowboys rebounded in a big way in 2011, and will likely end up in a bowl game.

Wyoming closed the season with a close 22-19 win over Colorado State in the annual Border War.

Now Christensen needs to work on putting together consecutive successful seasons.

David Shaw, Stanford

Record: 11-1

David Shaw did benefit from inheriting an experienced squad that also had Andrew Luck back at quarterback.

But Shaw also avoided a major letdown in the transition from Jim Harbaugh.

We'll learn more about Shaw in the years to come as he must recruit in his own talent, but if 2011 is a barometer of what to expect...all should be fine in Palo Alto.

Kevin Sumlin, Houston

Record: 12-1

Kevin Sumlin has had a nice run as Houston's coach, and it may come to an end soon.

Sumlin's Cougars fell to Southern Mississippi in the Conference USA championship game and lost a shot at a BCS bowl, but when he has time to reflect on 2011, I'm sure he'll have nothing but positive memories.

He has benefited from having Case Keenum back for a sixth season, but Sumlin is one of the best young coaches in the game.

It will be interesting to see where he lands next season.

Butch Jones, Cincinnati

Record: 9-3

After a successful three-year run at Central Michigan, Butch Jones experienced his first real failure last year with Cincinnati.

Well, it was short-lived.

Jones regained the trust of the Cincinnati fans and players as he led the Bearcats to a 5-2 conference record to share the Big East crown with West Virginia and Louisville.

Jones has also become a popular name thrown out for some openings around the nation.

Brady Hoke, Michigan

Record: 10-2

Brady Hoke just wins every where he coaches.

It started at Ball State then San Diego State and now Michigan.

After the Wolverines suffered through three sub-par seasons under Rich Rodriguez, Hoke was hired and has guided Michigan to its first win over Ohio State in seven years.

He also has Michigan in the Sugar Bowl with a chance to get to 11 wins.

Probably the best move made by Hoke was to hire Greg Mattison as his defensive coordinator.

Art Briles, Baylor

Record: 9-3

After turning around Houston, Art Briles has worked some magic at Baylor this year.

He's now 24-25 as Baylor's coach, and many believe he is building something nice in Waco, Texas.

Much of his success the past two seasons can be directly attributed to having quarterback Robert Griffin III.

But don't discount the work being accomplished by Briles.

Willie Taggart, Western Kentucky

Record: 7-5

Willie Taggart won't win any national coaching awards this year, but you could make one heck of an argument for him.

Taggart took over one of the nation's worst FBS programs in the nation in 2010. After going 2-10 last year at Western Kentucky, Taggart has reshaped his alma mater.

The Hilltoppers are bowl eligible and finished 7-1 and in second place in the Sun Belt Conference.

This season is almost as big as the 2002 season when Western Kentucky won the Division I-AA National Championship.

Mike London, Virginia

Record: 8-4

If Mike London doesn't win the national coach of the year honors then something is wrong.

He has already won ACC Coach of the Year honors.

Just one season after going 4-8 overall and 1-7 in the ACC, London guided Virginia to a 5-3 record in the league.

The regular season ended with a thud (38-0 loss to rival Virginia Tech), but one thing is clear—Virginia football is back under London.