Is someone missing?
1. Urban Meyer, Ohio State. This one comes with an asterisk. If the Buckeyes are getting the Urb of old—with fire in his belly and ice in his veins—championships will follow. If Ohio State is getting the Urb that walked away (and that’s putting it nicely) from Florida with a $1 million gift of gratitude and left the program—in his words—“broken,†well, I think we can all see where this is going.
2. Nick Saban, Alabama. The man with the process. He has a chance to be the first coach to
Oklahoma's Bob Stoops has won at least 10 games in five of the last six seasons, and 10 of 13 overall. (AP Photo)
3. Gary Patterson, TCU. He built TCU into a non-BCS monster,
4. Chris Petersen, Boise State. A game tape addict who has become the most sought-after coach in the game, Petersen has two unbeaten seasons in his six at Boise State. His overall record is 73-6—with the last four of those losses by a combined eight points. He is a handful of plays—plays that should’ve been made—from having just two losses in six seasons. Unreal.
5. Les Miles, LSU. He didn’t get enough credit for the Oklahoma State turnaround in the early 2000s, and he didn’t get credit for winning the national title in 2007 (with “Nick Saban’s playersâ€). What will critics say after he wins it all in January? After he wins his 76th game in seven seasons in college football’s toughest conference?
6. Bob Stoops, Oklahoma. Don’t judge Stoops on that blowout loss to Oklahoma State. Look at his track record. He wins championships, recruits well and takes decisive action with malcontents. What more is there?
7. Chip Kelly, Oregon. The Willie Lyles stink is worse than it looks—but that’s the only blemish on Kelly’s impressive three-year run (Rose Bowl, BCS runner-up, Rose Bowl). No one else has been closer to beating the SEC in the BCS National Championship Game, and Kelly has won 25 of 27 conference games.
8. Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern. Think of the inherent difficulties of coaching Northwestern, then look at his results (40-35). There’s a reason Notre Dame and Michigan took runs at him.
9. Bobby Petrino, Arkansas. He may have been a coaching nomad early in his career, but you can’t argue with the results. In eight seasons at Louisville and Arkansas, he has won 74 games and reached BCS bowls for the first time at each school. He’s also the best play-caller in the game.
10. Bret Bielema, Wisconsin. He has won at least 11 games in three of his six seasons in Madison, and he is 60-18 with two conference (one outright) championships
1. Urban Meyer, Ohio State. This one comes with an asterisk. If the Buckeyes are getting the Urb of old—with fire in his belly and ice in his veins—championships will follow. If Ohio State is getting the Urb that walked away (and that’s putting it nicely) from Florida with a $1 million gift of gratitude and left the program—in his words—“broken,†well, I think we can all see where this is going.
2. Nick Saban, Alabama. The man with the process. He has a chance to be the first coach to
win
three BCS national championships. He is among the top three recruiters in college football, but an overlooked quality is that he knows how to choose and develop assistant coaches.
3. Gary Patterson, TCU. He built TCU into a non-BCS monster,
winning
conference championships and breaking through the BCS bowl barrier by winning the 2011 Rose Bowl. He has won 109 games in 11 seasons but will be challenged with TCU’s move to the Big 12.4. Chris Petersen, Boise State. A game tape addict who has become the most sought-after coach in the game, Petersen has two unbeaten seasons in his six at Boise State. His overall record is 73-6—with the last four of those losses by a combined eight points. He is a handful of plays—plays that should’ve been made—from having just two losses in six seasons. Unreal.
5. Les Miles, LSU. He didn’t get enough credit for the Oklahoma State turnaround in the early 2000s, and he didn’t get credit for winning the national title in 2007 (with “Nick Saban’s playersâ€). What will critics say after he wins it all in January? After he wins his 76th game in seven seasons in college football’s toughest conference?
6. Bob Stoops, Oklahoma. Don’t judge Stoops on that blowout loss to Oklahoma State. Look at his track record. He wins championships, recruits well and takes decisive action with malcontents. What more is there?
7. Chip Kelly, Oregon. The Willie Lyles stink is worse than it looks—but that’s the only blemish on Kelly’s impressive three-year run (Rose Bowl, BCS runner-up, Rose Bowl). No one else has been closer to beating the SEC in the BCS National Championship Game, and Kelly has won 25 of 27 conference games.
8. Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern. Think of the inherent difficulties of coaching Northwestern, then look at his results (40-35). There’s a reason Notre Dame and Michigan took runs at him.
9. Bobby Petrino, Arkansas. He may have been a coaching nomad early in his career, but you can’t argue with the results. In eight seasons at Louisville and Arkansas, he has won 74 games and reached BCS bowls for the first time at each school. He’s also the best play-caller in the game.
10. Bret Bielema, Wisconsin. He has won at least 11 games in three of his six seasons in Madison, and he is 60-18 with two conference (one outright) championships
