Top 100 Coaches in NCAA

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3 BCS Bowl wins and 2 National Championships puts Meyer at the top currently

Ranking the Top 100 Coaches

3.31.09

In this ranking we are factoring in what the coach means currently to college football. Obviously if we went by alltime resumes a guy like Bobby Bowden or Steve Spurrier would be much higher.

1. Urban Meyer(44-9 at Florida 83-17 Overall)- Hard to argue with Meyer right now. He's won 2 national championships in 4 years at Florida and has won 3 BCS games in his short coaching career. His bowl record is 5-1. At Bowling Green he won 17 games in 2 years and at Utah he went 22-2. Few coaches have ever won 3 national titles, 2009 could be the year Meyer reaches that accomplishment.

2. Nick Saban(19-8 at Alabama 110-50-1 overall)- If I was an AD and needed to hire a coach who would instantly make my program tough it would be Saban. The man might be the best defensive mind in college football and it shows on the field. It only took Saban about 23 games to make it to #1 in the polls. He brought LSU back from the dead and did the same at Michigan State

3. Pete Carroll(88-15 at Southern Cal and overall)- Probably not a better big game coach in college football. Carroll has the unique ability to relate to players like no other coach can, there isn't a younger 57 year old in California that hasn't spent millions in surgery. Carroll has won 2 AP National titles and has an amazing 7 straight PAC 10 titles. When USC steps out of conference it gets even more impressive. Southern Cal has whipped Auburn, Arkansas, Ohio State, Nebraska, and many others in his tenure

4. Bob Stoops(109-24 at Oklahoma and overall)- Stoops took over an OU program that was in shambles and consistantly has them in a BCS game. While his bowl record is only 4-6, the man has to be credited with getting OU to that level. His 7 BCS appearances are tied with Carroll for the most this decade

5. Butch Davis(12-12 at UNC and 62-32 overall)- Most of the nation doesn't know what is about to happen in Chapel Hill, but soon they will. If Davis had stayed at Miami he would've dominated this decade in college football. The teams he left Larry Coker might be the most talented in CFB history. Davis took over a Miami program in trouble with the NCAA and brought them back to CFB's elite. North Carolina has improved every year under Davis and will be in a BCS game much sooner than later

6. Jim Tressel(83-19 at Ohio State and 218-76-2 overall)- If not for the SEC, Tressel could have himself at #1 on this list. Tressel has won 5 Big 10 titles and 2002 National Championship. While Appalachian State has gotten all the publicity in 1-AA this decade, Youngstown State was the ASU of the 90s winning 4 National Championships with Tressel as coach. Not the most entertaining man in CFB, but definitely one of the best coaches.

7. Frank Beamer(176-89-2 at Virginia Tech and 218-112-4 overall)- Hard to believe this man was nearly fired 18 years ago. Beamer took over a program that had little fan support and little tradition, but has turned it into a conference contender every year. Beamer has 9 Coach of the Year Awards, 3 Big East titles, and 3 ACC titles(keep in mind VT was an independent in Beamers first 5 years). Beamer has forced CFB coaches to spend more time practicing special teams for 2 decades now

8. Joe Paterno(383-127-3 at Penn State and overall)- Make all the old guy jokes you want, but Paterno will continue to win big in college football. In appeared a few years ago if Paterno was done, but he has adjusted well and brought Penn State back to glory. To list Paterno's accomplishments would take all day. Fans, media, and former players need to stop the retirement speculation and just sit back and enjoy a legend.

9. Mack Brown(115-26 at Texas and 201-100-1 overall)- Might not be a better recruiter in college football. After a great run at UNC, Brown was under some heat early in his Texas career but since has proven he belongs high on this list. The 2005 National Championship, and 8 seasons of 10+ wins help put Brown in the top 10.

10. Mark Richt(82-22 at Georgia and overall)- While he has yet to win a NC, he does have two finishes of 3 or better in the AP poll. Richt's Georgia teams are 46-18 in SEC play, have won 4 Eastern Titles, and 2 SEC East titles. Richt has won 78% of his games at Georgia, Vince Dooley only won 71%

11. Steve Spurrier(28-22 at South Carolina and 170-62-2 overall)- His record at South Carolina is actually the best by a 4 year coach in South Carolina history. This is one of the toughest jobs in CFB and Spurrier shouldn't be knocked down the list for taking it. Spurrier's 6 SEC Championships ranks 2nd alltime in SEC History(tied with Neyland and Dooley) and he even has an ACC title at Duke. He's already been able to beat Tennessee twice in his tenure, now he needs to get the Gamecocks past UGA and Florida(if that's possible).

12. Jim Grobe(54-44 at Wake Forest and 87-77-1 overall)- the winning pct isn't high, but Wake Forest is one of CFB's smallest D-1 schools and has some strict academic requirements. Despite this, Grobe has been able to win 28 games in the last 3 years with the Deacons including the school's 2nd ACC title and first double digit win season ever.

13. Bobby Petrino(5-7 at Arkansas and 46-16 overall)- It is rumored that Petrino has a photographic memory, When you watch his offenses you aren't likely to dispute this. Petrino not only won 82% of his games at Louisville, but he dominated nearly all those games by outscoring opponents by an average of 20 points a game(42-21 on average). He didn't inherit much from the 08 team, but the 09 team should be one of CFB's most improved teams despite a tough schedule. Win in the SEC and his ranking will certainly be much higher.

14. Paul Johnson(9-4 at Georgia Tech and 116-43 overall)- Johnson has won 2 NCs at Georgia Southern and taken Navy to a record 5 straight bowl games. Despite changing systems at GT, Johnson in year 1 was able to win 9 games with a punishing running game and a very solid defense.

15. Mike Leach(76-39 at Texas Tech and overall)- The offensive mad man had his best season in 2008 and he finally started getting the respect he deserves. In the State of Texas its UT and A&M, then Texas Tech. Playing third fiddle is never easy, but Leach continues to win far more than he loses and sticks with his system no matter the pesonnel.

16. Jeff Tedford(59-30 at Cal and overall)- It's hard to recruit players to an academic power like Cal that has hippies hanging in trees by the stadium, but somehow Tedford continues to win with the Bears. Tedford has won 4 straight bowl games to give him a 5-1 bowl record. He's also a 2 time PAC 10 COTY.

17. Howard Schnellenberger(48-48 at Florida Atlantic and 148-125-3 overall)- If he had stayed at Miami then Schnellenberger would be right up there with Bowden and Paterno in career wins. His 1983 NC win over Nebraska is one of the most memorable games in sports history. He's the only coach Florida Atlantic has had in its 8 year history and what he has accomplished in that time is amazing. In year 2 he led FAU to a #4 national finish in the final 1-AA poll. In year 4 he had FAU in 1-A and by year 7 he had won a conference title with FAU. Last season he won a 2nd bowl game.

18. Chris Petersen(35-4 at Boise State and overall)- Every time a major job opens, Petersen's name is mentioned. I took 14 games for Petersen to lose his 1st game and has only lost 3 since. His Bosie teams outscore their opponents by an average of 39-17 a game.

19. Kirk Ferentz(70-53 at Iowa)In a conference dominated by Michigan and Ohio State over the years, Ferentz has kept Iowa very competetive.   It seems as if every season some NFL job opening mentions him as a replacement, but he has stayed loyal to the Hawkeyes. The Iowa teams are tough, physical, and very well disciplined.

20. Bobby Bowden(309-91-4 at FSU and 382-123-4 overall)- 9 years ago he would be #1 on this list, but the last few years have hurt Bowden. You still can't ignore his 2 National Championships and incredible 12 conference titles. No man has dominated a conference like Bowden, in FSU's first 9 years in the ACC they lost 2 games. Since that time they've lost 21 in 8 yeas.

21. Rich Rodriguez(3-9 at Michigan and 63-29 overall)- Last season wasn't a great one for Rodriguez, but anytime you install a new system there will be some growing pains. At WVU Rodriguez won or shared 4 Big East titles and was a 2 time Big East COTY. While I have no question he's a great coach, I'm still unsure if he's the right fit for Michigan

22. Mark Dantonio(16-10 at Michigan State and 34-27 overall)- Dantonio's defense is a big reason Ohio State won its National Championship in 2002. As a head coach he has taken over 2 losing programs and improved them. Last year he did his best coaching job yet leading Michigan State to 9 wins and its first NYD bowl since Saban.

23. Bo Pelini(10-4 at Nebraska and overall)- In 2019 when we make this list Pelini might be in the top 5. There are few defensive minds better than Pelini and soon it will start to show in Lincoln. The Blackshirts will be back and Pelini will have Nebraska in a BCS bowl very soon. Pelini has led top defenses at Nebraska, Oklahoma, and LSU as a DC. Toughness is back in Lincoln and will stay there for a long time.

24. Les Miles(42-11 at LSU and 70-31 overall)- This will be the first season Les Miles will have a full class of players not recruited by Nick Saban. His first 3 years at LSU were fantastic winning 34 games and the 07 NC, but this past season was a tough one. Miles continues to do a great job of recruiting and can earn a much higher position with a big season in 2009. One thing is for sure about the "Mad Hatter" is that he isn't afraid to take a risk.

25. Dennis Erickson(15-10 at ASU and 163-74-1 overall)- The 3rd former Hurricane coach to make the top 25, but if Erickson had stayed at Miami they might have had the Death Penalty. Still, he's a great coach, but can't seem to stay in 1 place very long. If he stays at ASU for more than 3 seasons there's no reason to believe the Sun Devils won't make it to the Rose Bowl at some time

26. Gary Patterson(73-27 at TCU and overall)- This decade TCU has been one of the top 3 non BCS programs in the country. They remain consistant and have won 10+ five different times under Patterson. Last season the Horned Frogs had their highest ranking since 1955

27. Jim Leavitt(87-52 at South Florida and overall)- South Florida has only had a football program for 12 years now and Leavitt is the only coach they've had. When you consider that USF once operated its football program in double wides, what Leavitt has done is amazing. The school entered 1-A in 2001 and has had 4 bowl appearances.

28. Mike Riley(56-42 at Oregon State and overall)- Riley's second stint in Corvallis has been better than the first. Riley has won an amazing 28 games the last 3 years at a program that traditionally has been one of the worst in the PAC 10. His past 3 teams have all finished in the top 25, the second time in school history that OSU has had this happen.

29. Kyle Whittingham(37-14 at Utah and overall)- His first couple seasons at Utah weren't great, but there is no denying what Utah did last year was impressive. Whittingham has a very impressive 4-0 bowl record

30. Ralph Friedgen(64-36 at Maryland and overall)- Friedgen took over his alma matter in 2001 after doing a great job as OC at Georgia Tech. Since that time Friedgen has won an ACC title and has had 3 seasons of 10+ wins, something Maryland hadn't done since 1976.

31. Bill Snyder(136-68-1 at Kansas State and overall)- There have been only a few coaching jobs done better than what Snyder did in his first 16 years at KSU.  The Wildcats were possibly the worst program in college football for 100 years, but under Snyder they had 6 seaons of 11 wins, 6 top 10 finishes, 10 top 20 finishes, 12 bowl appearances, 3 division titles, and 1 conference title. Prior to Snyder KSU had 1 bowl appearance and no top 20 finishes.

32. Greg Schiano(46-51 at Rutgers and overall)- Rutgers traditionally has been one of the worst jobs in CFB, but somehow Schiano has found a way to win there. 4 bowl appearances in 8 seasons is 3 more than Rutgers had in the 132 years prior to Schiano.

33. Bronco Mendenhall(38-13 at BYU and overall)- Prior to Mendenhall, the Cougars had only won 14 games in Gary Crowton's last 3 seasons. Since then they've won 38. The last 3 Cougar teams have all won double digit games for the first time since 83-85. The next step for Mendenhall to move up the list would be to take BYU to the BCS

34.Skip Holtz(29-22 at East Carolina and 62-45 overall)- Holtz took over an ECU program that was in shambles and has made them one of the best Non BCS teams in CFB at this time. Last year's CUSA title was the school's first D-1A Conference title. At UConn Holtz had the highest win pct for a Huskie coach since 1913.

35. Houston Nutt(9-4 at Ole Miss and 119-75 overall)- An intense motivator and a master of the running game, Houston Nutt is now the longest tenured coach in the SEC who hasn't left the conference for a short time. At Arkansas Nutt appeared in 2 SEC Championship games and 7 bowl games. Last season he turned an 0-8 Ole Miss team the year prior to a Cotton Bowl Champion team a year later.

36. Brian Kelly(21-6 at Cincinnati and 157-57-2 overall)- Kelly proved himself at Division II power Grand Valley State. Since then he has proven himself at CMU and Cinci. Last year the Bearcats won its first D-1A conference title and appeared in the Orange Bowl

37. Mark Mangino(45-41 at Kansas and overall)- The job Mangino is doing with KU is starting to look similar to what Snyder did at KSU. Mangino has put fun into a football program that has lacked it for so long. Mangino has led the Jayhawks to 4 of the school's 12 bowl games. The 07 team's 12 wins is the most in school history and the #7 AP finish was the highest ever(tied the 68 team).

38. Rick Neuheisel(4-8 at UCLA and 70-38 overall)- Things ended ugly at Washington for the former UCLA QB, but things look nice for the future of UCLA football. At Washington he won the Rose Bowl and finished as high as #3 nationally. At Colorado he had 2 teams finish in the top 10 nationally. A sleeping giant is about to awake in LA.

39. Chris Ault(198-91-1 at Nevada and overall)- Ault is already in the college football hall of fame and is an unknown east of El Paso. In his career he has won 3 NCs at the 1-AA level and 10 conference titles overall as coach and AD. Ault introduced football to the Pistol offense, that has started showing up at places like LSU and elsewhere.

40. Pat Hill(92-61 at Fresno State and overall)- One of the toughest teams in college football over the last decade has been Fresno State. Hill took over for the legendary Jim Sweeney and has put Fresno in the national spotlight. The 2004 Bulldog team is only the 3rd in school history to finish in the top 25

41. Gary Pinkel(59-41 at Missouri and 132-78-3 overall)- At Toledo Pinkel had a 11-0-1 season and a 10-1 season, but its the last 2 Big XII North Championships that have put the man's name on the map nationally. Pinkel is the only coach to have double digit wins in back to back seasons at Missouri. Last season's #4 finish was the highest since 1960. If not for some 2nd half heroics in the 2005 Independence Bowl, Pinkel might have been fired from Missouri and missed the last few seasons of greatness.

42. Rich Brooks(32-41 at Kentucky and 121-152-4 overall)- Winning 3 straight bowl games at Kentucky is unheard of, but after a terrible first 3 years at UK Brooks has turned things around. Traditionally Kentucky has been one of the SEC's worst programs, but they are going through their best 3 year stretch in years. Brooks overall record isn't impressive, but when he was coaching Oregon the Ducks were a completely different program than they are in 2009.

43. Art Briles(4-8 at Baylor 38-36 overall)- While last season's 4-8 record isn't impressive when you first view it, when you look deeper you will see how nice a job Briles did last year. Baylor lost a few close games last year and seemed to improve each week. At Houston Briles was able to build one of the best mid major programs with the Coogs, a program that has struggled since the end of the SWC days. Within 3 years Briles will have Baylor in a bowl game.

44. Bobby Johnson(27-56 at Vanderbilt and 87-92 overall)- Vanderbilt is the toughest job in the country. Each week in conference play the Dores are against a program with far more assets, but somehow Johnson has shown he can remain competetive in most contests. Last season's bowl win was the first for Vanderbilt since 1955. At Furman Johnson coached a team that finished #2 nationally. Give the man a job anywhere else and he'd have a winning record every year.

45. Bret Bielema(28-11 at Wisconsin and overall)- Barry Alvarez hand picked Bielema to be the next coach for the Badgers and so far it has worked very well. The 2006 team finished #5, the school's highest ranking since 1962. Since that time the Badgers' record has gotten worse each year though. It will be interesting to see how Bielema does when the Alvarez recruits are all gone from campus. Will he keep the strong program or become another Larry Coker?

46. June Jones(1-11 at SMU and 77-52 overall)- Bringing a new system to the Ponies led to many losses in 08, but things should improve soon. At Hawaii Jones built one of the nation's top Non BCS teams and appeared in the Sugar Bowl during the 07 season. His run n' shoot attack should bring in plenty of talent to SMU in the next few seasons

47. Todd Graham(21-7 at Tulsa and 28-13 overall)- Graham took Rice to its first bowl game in 45 years in 2006. He has followed it with 21 wins in 2 seasons at Tulsa. Graham's Tulsa team was in BCS contention late in 2008, but after a couple late season losses the Golden Hurricane failed to win CUSA.

48. Turner Gill(15-23 at Buffalo and overall)- Buffalo has been possibly the worst division 1-A job for the last decade, but no longer is that the case. Gill has turned the Bulls' program around and won the MAC Championship last season. Big time job offers should come next season.

49. Dick Tomey(23-25 at San Jose State and 181-135-7 overall)- Tomey is near the end of his coaching career, but in his many years he's had some very good teams. His 98 team at Arizona finished 12-1 and was known for its "Desert Swarm" defense.   He's the 3rd winningest coach alltime at Hawaii and first overall at Arizona. His 2006 SJ State team appeared in the program's first bowl in 16 years

50. Charlie Weis(29-21 at Notre Dame and overall)- The Irish have had their down times the last couple years, but with some good recruiting classes the future looks bright. Weiss did appear in 2 BCS games in his first 2 seasons, but since has only gone 10-15. This upcoming season is the one where Weis needs to win big.

51. Larry Blakeney(144-73-1 at Troy and overall- When Blakeney took the Troy job 18 years ago the Trojans were a D2 school. since 2002 they have been playing 1-A ball. At the 1-AA level Blakeney had 6 teams finish in the top 10. Despite playing a brutal schedule, the Trojans have appeared in 3 bowl games in their first 7 1-A seasons and have only 2 losing seasons

52. Mike Gundy(27-23 at Oklahoma State and overall)- Known for his "I'm a man" speech, Gundy has put together won of the best offenses in the country at OSU. Last season he could be seen on the sidelines drawing up offensive plays during games and it was his best season yet. The Pokes finish of #16 in the AP last year was the highest since the days of Barry Sanders.

53. David Cutcliffe(4-8 at Duke and 48-37 overall)- Last season's Duke team won 4 games, from 2005-2007 Duke only won 2 games. Cutcliffe is most known for coaching the Manning brothers, but his tenure at Ole Miss was a good one. 5 of his 6 Rebel teams had winning records, since only 1 of their last 4 have had winning records. His 2003 team finished #13, the highest ranking for Ole Miss since 1969.

54. Tom O'Brien(11-14 at NC State and 86-59 overall)- Last year the improvement really started to show in the Wolfpack's 2nd half of the season. O'Brien's tough military style approach won big at Boston College. O'Brien had an amazing 7-1 bowl record while at BC.

55. Pat Fitzgerald(19-18 at Northwestern and overall)- Here's a young coach to look out for. The Wildcats have improved each year under Fitzgerald, following the death of Randy Walker. Last year the Wildcats had their best season since 1996. The former Wildcat Linebacker served under Gary Barnett at Colorado for a few seasons.

56.Jim Harbaugh(9-15 at Stanford and 38-21 overall)- The improvement continues at Stanford. Harbaugh's record isn't great, but it is very evident that the Cardinal are a well coached team. At San Diego Harbaugh won 22 games his last 2 seasons.

57. Derek Dooley(13-12 at Louisiana Tech and overall)- The son of Vince took LT to their first bowl victory since 1977. Dooley is a former Saban assistant at Miami(NFL) and also at LSU. The future is bright for this Virginia grad.

58. Mike Price(30-30 at UTEP and 159-152 overall)- Price got off to a hot start at UTEP, winning 16 games in his first 2 seasons, but since they've only won 14 in 3 seasons. At Washington State he had 3 10 win seasons. Price was coach at Alabama, but never coached a game due to off the field conduct.

59. Larry Fedora(7-6 at Southern Miss and overall)- Bringing in his new system last season came with some tough results early last year, but by the end USM was one of the hottest programs in the NCAA winning 5 straight and the New Orleans Bowl. Fedora could be one of the big time coaching names the next decade.

60. Troy Calhoun(17-9 at Air Force and overall)- Typically the man that follows a legend fails, but so far Calhoun has maintained what Fisher built. The MWC is filled with some very good competition and winning at an academy is never easy, but Calhoun has continued the proud tradition.

61. George O'Leary(26-36 at UCF and 78-69 overall)- O'Leary is remember by most as the man who lied on his resume and was let go by Notre Dame before coaching again. At Georgia Tech he put together some very good Jacket teams. 6 of his 7 teams had winning records. At UCF he has taken the Knights to their first 2 bowl games ever, but has also had 3 losing seasons.

62.Steve Roberts(37-47 at Arkansas State and 84-82-1 overall)- Considering the fact that ASU plays a brutal OOC schedule, the job Roberts has done is a good one. Jonesboro, AR is not an easy place to recruit to, but Roberts was able to lead the Red Wolves(Indians at the time) to their first bowl game ever in 2005.

63. Randy Edsall(58-60 at UConn and overall)- While Skip Holtz started the movement to 1-A, it is Edsall that has led the Huskies into this transition. The past 2 seasons have been the best with 17 wins and the school has had 3 bowl appearances in its short time at the 1-A level.

64. Mike Stoops(25-34 at Arizona and overall)- If last season's 8 win team is an indication of things to come then Wildcat fans should be excited. It has to be noted that this was Stoops first team to have a winning record at Arizona in 5 years though.

65. Steve Fairchild(7-6 at Colorado State and overall)- The former CSU QB led the Rams to their first winning season since 2003. Prior to taking the taking CSU job, Fairchild was an OC for the Buffalo Bills

66. Tim Brewster(7-18 at Minnesota and overall)- What an amazing turnaround last year for the Gophers. The Gophers pulled off one of the biggest turnarounds in Big 10 history going 1-11 in 07 and then 7-6 in 08. With the new stadium opening in 2009, things look bright for the Gopher program

67. Al Groh(56-44 at Virginia and 82-84 overall)- It seems as if Groh is on the hotseat every year. He's done a very good job recruiting at UVA, but the results on the field have been inconsistant. The 2007 team posted the best record for UVA under Groh, but he followed it with a 5-7 record in 08.

68. Bill Stewart(10-4 at West Virginia and 18-29 overall)- Stewart ended the year much better than he started his first season at WVU. After a 1-2 start, Stewart rebounded the troops to finish 8-2 with a bowl victory. The hire was a questionable one that seemed to be based on emotion after a BCS bowl win, but winning 10 games in your first year will silence many critics. At VMI Stewart struggled to win, but everyone struggles to win at VMI.

69. Brady Hoke(0-0 at SD State and 34-38 overall)- Hoke put together one of the best coaching performances in 2008 leading Ball State to a 12-1 record and a division title. 2 of the Cardinals 5 bowl games were under Hoke.   Now he faces a new challenge in a new area.

70. Tommy West(47-51 at Memphis and 82-86 overall)- West had a mediocre run at Clemson prior to taking the Memphis job. At Memphis he has done a solid job. 5 of the Tiger's 6 bowl games have been under West, but his seat seems to be hot as of late

71. Dan Mullen(1st year as a NCAA Head Coach)- Few assistant have the resume that Mullen has put together over the last 5 seasons. His offenses have won 2 National Championships, 3 BCS bowl games, he's coached a Heisman winner, and a NFL first rounder. He takes over a tough job and it will be fun to watch his system at Mississippi State

72. Ken Niumatalolo(8-6 at Navy and overall)- Taking over for Paul Johnson, Niumatalolo did a solid job leading Navy to a bowl game. Wins over Wake, Rutgers, and Air Force highlighted the Midshipmen's season last year

73. Dan Christensen(1st year as a NCAA Head Coach)- Wyoming made one of the better offseason hires last year when it grabbed Christensen from Missouri. Many credit the offense of Christensen as the reason why Missouri has been such a hot team as of late. With Brad Smith he had one of the better duel threat QBs in the country, with Chase Daniel he has had a great dropback QB. The ability to adjust to 2 different QBs in such a short amount of time shows the man is a great coach. Poke fans should be excited about the future.

74. Dan Hawkins(13-24 at Colorado and 107-46-1 overall)- When he left Boise in 2005 Hawkins was one of the hottest coaches in CFB, but he has still yet to have a winning season in Boulder. He did take over a very difficult situation, but improvement must be shown soon as Colorado is the type of program that should be down too long.

75. Bill Cubit(29-20 at Western Michigan and overall)- Prior to the hiring of Cubit WMU had only won 1 game in 2 seasons. Since the program has been to 2 of its 4 bowl games in school history

76. Rick Stockstill(17-20 at Middle Tennessee and overall)- Stockstill has studied under Lou Holtz and Steve Spurrier, and was one of the nation's top recruiters while at Clemson. He has led MTSU to its first game ever and made a great staff hire when he got the controversial, but talented Tony Franklin to join his staff in 09.

77. Frank Solich(23-26 at Ohio and 81-45 overall)- Solich followed a legend at Nebraska and did an average job considering the program he was with at the time. At Ohio he looked to have the program heading into the right direction until last season's 4-8 finish. He did take the Bobcats to their first bowl game in 30 years in 2007.

78.Steve Sarkisian(1st year as NCAA Head Coach)- Sarkisian had a shot at being the Oakland Raiders Head Coach prior to Kiffin, but turned it down. He was the OC there in 2004, and Oakland's passing offense ranked 8th in the NFL. Most of this decade Sarkisian has been with the Southern Cal staff putting up huge offensive numbers. Sarkisian was also a very good QB in college, coached by Norm Chow at BYU. He takes over a very tough job in Washington right now, but the program has plenty of history behind it.

79. Dave Wannstedt(25-23 at Pitt and overall)- Wann"stache" took over a Pitt program that appeared in a BCS bowl in 2004. He saved his job last season with a solid 9-4 season. Thus far he has underachieved at Pitt

80. Kevin Sumlin(8-5 at Houston and overall)- Sumlin took a good job last season. Art Briles built up an offensive powerhouse for Sumlin. He was able to end the school's 8 game bowl losing streak with a win over Air Force in the Armed Forces Bowl last season

81. David Bailiff(13-12 at Rice and 34-27 overall)- Last season Bailiff led the Owls to their best season since 1949. While at Texas State Bailiff took his team to the 1-AA Semis and won the Southland Conference title.

82. Butch Jones(16-11 at Central Michigan and overall)- Jones is following up what Brian Kelly build well at CMU. His first 2 teams have both won 8 games and have been one of the best offenses in CFB over the past 2 years.

83. Jerry Kill(6-7 at Northern Illinois and 99-53 overall- Kill took over a team that went 2-10 in 2007 and led them to a bowl last year. At Southern Illinois Kill was a very successful coach posting double digit wins 3 times and 9 wins twice. He won 3 conference titles with the Salukis.

84. Rich Ellerson(56-34 overall 1st season at Army)- Ellerson comes from Cal Poly where 2 of his teams appeared in the 1-AA playoff games. Ellerson is one of the masters of the triple option in college football.

85. Ron Zook(18-30 at Illinois and 41-44 overall)- Zook has been a good recruiter, but with the exception of a Rose Bowl appearance at Illinois in 07 he has underachieved as a coach. He took over a great situation in Florida after Spurrier left. UF was much better prior to Zook and has been much better since he left. 3 of his 4 Illini teams have had losing records

86 Bill Lynch(10-15 at Indiana and 91-82-3 overall)- Lynch not only has one of the toughest jobs in the Big 10, but he also has had to deal with a very tough situation. Following the death of Terry Hoeppner, Lynch led the Hoosiers to their first bowl game in 14 years. Last season was rough, but that's usually the case in Bloomington.

87 Gene Chizik(5-19 at Iowa State and overall)- When the new Auburn coach was hired few were too happy at Auburn. Chizik was one of the hottest coaching names in the country 3 years ago. He had led top defenses at Texas and Auburn and was thought of by many the way that Will Muschamp is thought of now. He took a tough job at ISU and failed.

88.Greg McMackin(7-7 at Hawaii and overall)- Following a 12-1 season in 2007, it wasn't likely the Warriors would improve in 2008. Lots of talent was lost off the 07 team, including Heisman Candidate Colt Brennan, but 08 was the worst season for Hawaii since 2005.

89. Mario Christobal(6-18 overall and at FIU)- A small facility, bad attendance, 8 year old football program, and little exposure instate are some obstacles facing Christobal at FIU. Still, the Panthers did finish with a 5-7 record in 08 which is a big improvement from the past 2 seasons.

90 Lane Kiffin(1st year as a NCAA Head Coach)- Kiffin's mouth has gotten him into trouble this year, but we're only evaluating his on football talent not his mouth. As a NFL head coach Kiffin only went 5-15, but it was with a joke franchise at Oakland. As Southern Cal OC in 2005 Kiffin coached the first team to have a 3,000 yard passser, 2 1,000 yard rushers, and 1,000 yard WR. While its still early, it does appear as if Kiffin will do a very good job recruiting to UT. He has also put together a very strong staff

91 Dave Elson(39-32 at Western Kentucky and overall)- Elson is the man that will be leading WKU into 1-A in its first full year in 2009. At WKU he has led the Hilltoppers to 3 Playoff appearances

92 Frank Spaziani(1-0 at Boston College and overall)- Spaziani coached BC to a bowl win a couple seasons ago, but this will be his first full season at BC. He has been one of the nation's top defensive coordinators for a decade now.

93Dave Clawson(1st year at Bowling Green and 58-49 overall)- Clawson was Tennessee's OC last year and didn't do to well. But as a head coach at Richmond, Clawson led the Spiders to 2 1-AA playoff appearances. At Fordham he won 19 games in his last 2 seasons.

94Steve Kragthorpe(11-13 at Louisville and 40-35 overall)- Why Kragthorpe has failed at UL is unknown. It seemed like a great hire when Petrino left for the NFL. Kragthorpe did a great job at Tulsa winning 29 games in 4 years at the small private school, but he took over a top 10 team and has led them to a losing record at UL

95. RonEnglish(1st year as a NCAA Head Coach)- The 5 year DC at Michigan and DC at Louisville last season has interviewed with several big name programs over the last couple seasons. He takes over an Eastern Michigan job that is very tough and has very little tradition. As a player English was a safety at California

96Doug Marrone(1st year as NCAA Head Coach)- The new Syracuse Head man has been the OC for the New Orleans Saints the past 3 seasons. Marrone was a captain for Syracuse in the mid 80s and played in the NFL for several seasons.

97. Al Golden(10-26 at Temple and overall)- Golden has taken over a program that traditionally has been awful. The Owls have not made it to a bowl in nearly 30 years. Entering the MAC should prove to be a good move for Temple and Golden is likely to have them in a bowl game at some point in his tenure.

98. Randy Shannon(12-13 at Miami and overall)- Shannon just hasn't got it done at Miami. Yes, Coker left a tough situation, but Miami still has more talent than most ACC schools. During the last game ever at the Orange Bowl, Shannon layed an egg and lost to Virginia 48-0. These kind of results should never happen at a school like Miami.

99. Mike Locksley(1st season as a NCAA Head Coach)- Locksley was a successful OC at Illinois and on the Florida staff under Ron Zook. He has proven to be a great recruiter in his years as an assistant.

100. Dabo Swinney(4-3 at Clemson and overall)- Clemson was the most talented team in the ACC last season and when Tommy Bowden failed to produce early in the year he was fired and Dabo stepped in. Kissing Howard's Rock and leaping into Brad Scott's arms seemed to excite the Tiger fanbase and Dabo got the interim tag removed. His first recruiting class wasn't big, but it was filled with some big time talent. Possibly the biggest commitment Dabo pulled off was convincing potential 1st rounder C.J. Spiller to finish his senior season. It is still a wonder why a program that was such a hot coaching job and peaked the interest of so many great head coaches hired a position coach.

Matt Barber
dixiefriedsports@gmail.com