College conference coach rankings & 2 more articles
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http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/233607776/college-football-conference-coach-rankings
CONFERENCE 2017 RANKINGS LINK:
http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/233607776/college-football-conference-coach-rankings
Excerpts:
1. ACC
National champions: Jimbo Fisher, Florida State (1); Dabo Swinney, Clemson (1)
Decade-plus tenures: David Cutcliffe, Duke (10th year); Paul Johnson, Georgia Tech (10th); Dabo Swinney, Clemson (10th)
First-year coaches: None
........Virginia Tech hit a home run with Justin Fuente, Mark Richt has Miami on the right track, North Carolina's Larry Fedora produced the school's first top-25 season since 1997, Dino Babers could reinvigorate Syracuse, Virginia made a surprise move in landing Bronco Mendenhall and Pitt's coaching uncertainty seems to have settled down with Pat Narduzzi.........N.C. State's Dave Doeren and Boston College's Steve Addazio are on the hot seat, but overall this is a quality group that's been much improved in recent years, especially as Swinney has emerged as a coaching star who has reinvented Clemson as a powerhouse. Twelve of the 14 coaches -- everyone but Addazio and Narduzzi -- have had at least one 10-win season as an FBS head coach, so the ACC checks a lot of boxes in terms of coaching talent at the top, depth and experience.
2. Big Ten
National champions: Urban Meyer, Ohio State (3)
Decade-plus tenures: Kirk Ferentz, Iowa (19th year); Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern (12th); Mark Dantonio, Michigan State (11th)
First-year coaches: Tom Allen, Indiana; Jeff Brohm, Purdue; P.J. Fleck, Minnesota
........ After two years of struggles, James Franklin turned Penn State around in Year 3, and that's after he won at Vanderbilt like nobody has won at Vandy. And while Michigan State is coming off a horrific year, Mark Dantonio is still responsible for a golden age of Spartans football that featured three straight AP top six finishes from 2013-15. Early returns from D.J. Durkin at Maryland have also been positive, giving the East Division in particular a ton of coaching talent. The West has solid coaches who have tasted varying levels of success -- Paul Chryst, Mike Riley, Ferentz, Fitzgerald, Lovie Smith -- and a pair of intriguing rising stars in Brohm and Fleck. The Big Ten therefore has one of the greatest coaches of all time in Meyer, a re-energized Michigan under Harbaugh, a group of proven coaches and solid depth, including some exciting new hires. This is the best the Big Ten has looked in more than a decade.
3. SEC
National champions: Nick Saban, Alabama (5)
Decade-plus tenures: Nick Saban, Alabama (11th year)
First-year coaches: Ed Orgeron, LSU (first full year)
Maybe Saban alone should push the SEC to the top of this list. After all, he's arguably the greatest coach ever, with five national titles to his credit. (Only four other active college head coaches even have one championship.) But whereas the SEC's coaching lineup looked spectacular only a few years ago, the combination of Saban's dominance, the inconsistency of everyone else and the addition of some unproven hires has cast this coaching roster in a different light. Previously seen as rising stars, coaches like Gus Malzahn, Kevin Sumlin and Butch Jones are now met with skepticism as they try to shake off hot-seat talk, which basically everybody but Saban has had to do. Hugh Freeze had two of Ole Miss' best seasons in the past few decades, but now his program is embroiled in an NCAA scandal................
4. Big 12
National champions: Bob Stoops, Oklahoma (1)
Decade-plus tenures: Bill Snyder, Kansas State (26th year); Bob Stoops, Oklahoma (19th), Gary Patterson, TCU (17th); Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State (13th);
First-year coaches: Tom Herman, Texas; Matt Rhule, Baylor
Counting Bill Snyder's two separate stints as coach at Kansas State, four of the Big 12's 10 coaches have been at their schools at least 10 years..............The arrival of Herman has the potential to be a significant boost, and Baylor couldn't have done better than landing Matt Rhule, who had unprecedented success at Temple. Signs are positive for Matt Campbell at Iowa State, too. That makes this a respectable group, when added to the success of Stoops, Gundy and Patterson, plus the fact that Snyder is still effective at age 77. Dana Holgorsen's 10-win season at West Virginia last year took him off the hot seat, meaning the only coach under significant pressure at the moment is Texas Tech's Kliff Kingsbury. Kansas' David Beaty remains a relative unknown. There appears to be improvement in the conference, although no head coach has played for a national title since Stoops in 2008, let alone won one since Stoops way back in 2000.
5. Pac-12
National champions: None
Decade-plus tenures: Kyle Whittingham, Utah (13th year)
First-year coaches: Willie Taggart, Oregon; Justin Wilcox, California
Like the SEC, the Pac-12 has undergone a narrative shift among coaches in recent years. Sonny Dykes is gone from Cal, Chip Kelly and Mark Helfrich are gone from Oregon and Arizona's Rich Rodriguez, Arizona State's Todd Graham and UCLA's Jim Mora are all under fire. The obvious star in the league is Washington's Chris Petersen, who did unbelievable things at Boise State and has now taken the Huskies from prolonged mediocrity to the top of the conference and to the playoff. David Shaw is widely respected at Stanford, Mike Leach is doing Mike Leach things at Washington State, Mike MacIntyre just turned Colorado around and Taggart could prove to be a good fit for Oregon.........The conference's most high-profile gig, USC, continues to have some mystery around it, but Clay Helton did a phenomenal job once October began in his first full season. However, the Pac-12 is the only Power Five league that does not have a national title-winning coach. In fact, none of the 12 have been a head coach in a national title game, now that Helfrich is out. Petersen is arguably one of the five best coaches in the country, but with a handful of coaches losing their jobs or now being on the hot seat, depth isn't what it once was.
6. The American
National champions: None
Decade-plus tenures: Ken Niumatalolo, Navy (10th year)
First-year coaches: Major Applewhite, Houston; Geoff Collins, Temple; Luke Fickell, Cincinnati; Charlie Strong, South Florida
Current coaches at Texas, Oregon and Baylor all coached in the American last year, so the conference has certainly taken a hit. After all, Niumatalolo is the only coach who's been at his school longer than two seasons. The AAC has become the prime target of Power Five programs for rising star coaches, thus thinning the roster of proven talent. Niumatalolo is a phenomenal coach, however, and new standouts will emerge, beginning with Memphis' Mike Norvell, UCF's Scott Frost, SMU's Chad Morris and Tulsa's Philip Montgomery. While he failed at Texas, Strong was a great get for USF. Also keep an eye on Tulane's Willie Fritz, who built an explosive ground attack at Georgia Southern.
http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/233607776/college-football-conference-coach-rankings
CONFERENCE 2017 RANKINGS LINK:
http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/233607776/college-football-conference-coach-rankings
Excerpts:
1. ACC
National champions: Jimbo Fisher, Florida State (1); Dabo Swinney, Clemson (1)
Decade-plus tenures: David Cutcliffe, Duke (10th year); Paul Johnson, Georgia Tech (10th); Dabo Swinney, Clemson (10th)
First-year coaches: None
........Virginia Tech hit a home run with Justin Fuente, Mark Richt has Miami on the right track, North Carolina's Larry Fedora produced the school's first top-25 season since 1997, Dino Babers could reinvigorate Syracuse, Virginia made a surprise move in landing Bronco Mendenhall and Pitt's coaching uncertainty seems to have settled down with Pat Narduzzi.........N.C. State's Dave Doeren and Boston College's Steve Addazio are on the hot seat, but overall this is a quality group that's been much improved in recent years, especially as Swinney has emerged as a coaching star who has reinvented Clemson as a powerhouse. Twelve of the 14 coaches -- everyone but Addazio and Narduzzi -- have had at least one 10-win season as an FBS head coach, so the ACC checks a lot of boxes in terms of coaching talent at the top, depth and experience.
2. Big Ten
National champions: Urban Meyer, Ohio State (3)
Decade-plus tenures: Kirk Ferentz, Iowa (19th year); Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern (12th); Mark Dantonio, Michigan State (11th)
First-year coaches: Tom Allen, Indiana; Jeff Brohm, Purdue; P.J. Fleck, Minnesota
........ After two years of struggles, James Franklin turned Penn State around in Year 3, and that's after he won at Vanderbilt like nobody has won at Vandy. And while Michigan State is coming off a horrific year, Mark Dantonio is still responsible for a golden age of Spartans football that featured three straight AP top six finishes from 2013-15. Early returns from D.J. Durkin at Maryland have also been positive, giving the East Division in particular a ton of coaching talent. The West has solid coaches who have tasted varying levels of success -- Paul Chryst, Mike Riley, Ferentz, Fitzgerald, Lovie Smith -- and a pair of intriguing rising stars in Brohm and Fleck. The Big Ten therefore has one of the greatest coaches of all time in Meyer, a re-energized Michigan under Harbaugh, a group of proven coaches and solid depth, including some exciting new hires. This is the best the Big Ten has looked in more than a decade.
3. SEC
National champions: Nick Saban, Alabama (5)
Decade-plus tenures: Nick Saban, Alabama (11th year)
First-year coaches: Ed Orgeron, LSU (first full year)
Maybe Saban alone should push the SEC to the top of this list. After all, he's arguably the greatest coach ever, with five national titles to his credit. (Only four other active college head coaches even have one championship.) But whereas the SEC's coaching lineup looked spectacular only a few years ago, the combination of Saban's dominance, the inconsistency of everyone else and the addition of some unproven hires has cast this coaching roster in a different light. Previously seen as rising stars, coaches like Gus Malzahn, Kevin Sumlin and Butch Jones are now met with skepticism as they try to shake off hot-seat talk, which basically everybody but Saban has had to do. Hugh Freeze had two of Ole Miss' best seasons in the past few decades, but now his program is embroiled in an NCAA scandal................
4. Big 12
National champions: Bob Stoops, Oklahoma (1)
Decade-plus tenures: Bill Snyder, Kansas State (26th year); Bob Stoops, Oklahoma (19th), Gary Patterson, TCU (17th); Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State (13th);
First-year coaches: Tom Herman, Texas; Matt Rhule, Baylor
Counting Bill Snyder's two separate stints as coach at Kansas State, four of the Big 12's 10 coaches have been at their schools at least 10 years..............The arrival of Herman has the potential to be a significant boost, and Baylor couldn't have done better than landing Matt Rhule, who had unprecedented success at Temple. Signs are positive for Matt Campbell at Iowa State, too. That makes this a respectable group, when added to the success of Stoops, Gundy and Patterson, plus the fact that Snyder is still effective at age 77. Dana Holgorsen's 10-win season at West Virginia last year took him off the hot seat, meaning the only coach under significant pressure at the moment is Texas Tech's Kliff Kingsbury. Kansas' David Beaty remains a relative unknown. There appears to be improvement in the conference, although no head coach has played for a national title since Stoops in 2008, let alone won one since Stoops way back in 2000.
5. Pac-12
National champions: None
Decade-plus tenures: Kyle Whittingham, Utah (13th year)
First-year coaches: Willie Taggart, Oregon; Justin Wilcox, California
Like the SEC, the Pac-12 has undergone a narrative shift among coaches in recent years. Sonny Dykes is gone from Cal, Chip Kelly and Mark Helfrich are gone from Oregon and Arizona's Rich Rodriguez, Arizona State's Todd Graham and UCLA's Jim Mora are all under fire. The obvious star in the league is Washington's Chris Petersen, who did unbelievable things at Boise State and has now taken the Huskies from prolonged mediocrity to the top of the conference and to the playoff. David Shaw is widely respected at Stanford, Mike Leach is doing Mike Leach things at Washington State, Mike MacIntyre just turned Colorado around and Taggart could prove to be a good fit for Oregon.........The conference's most high-profile gig, USC, continues to have some mystery around it, but Clay Helton did a phenomenal job once October began in his first full season. However, the Pac-12 is the only Power Five league that does not have a national title-winning coach. In fact, none of the 12 have been a head coach in a national title game, now that Helfrich is out. Petersen is arguably one of the five best coaches in the country, but with a handful of coaches losing their jobs or now being on the hot seat, depth isn't what it once was.
6. The American
National champions: None
Decade-plus tenures: Ken Niumatalolo, Navy (10th year)
First-year coaches: Major Applewhite, Houston; Geoff Collins, Temple; Luke Fickell, Cincinnati; Charlie Strong, South Florida
Current coaches at Texas, Oregon and Baylor all coached in the American last year, so the conference has certainly taken a hit. After all, Niumatalolo is the only coach who's been at his school longer than two seasons. The AAC has become the prime target of Power Five programs for rising star coaches, thus thinning the roster of proven talent. Niumatalolo is a phenomenal coach, however, and new standouts will emerge, beginning with Memphis' Mike Norvell, UCF's Scott Frost, SMU's Chad Morris and Tulsa's Philip Montgomery. While he failed at Texas, Strong was a great get for USF. Also keep an eye on Tulane's Willie Fritz, who built an explosive ground attack at Georgia Southern.
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PITT PANTHER PREVIEW PREDICTION:
LINK:
https://athlonsports.com/college-football/pitt-football-2017-panthers-preview-and-prediction
Offense:
Pittsburgh beat a pair of conference champions (Clemson, Penn State) last season, but the 2017 Panthers are going to look a lot different. More than half of the starting lineup is gone as the offense will be led by a graduate transfer quarterback and the defense features a practically brand-new front seven. Pitt has been a solid team in the first two seasons under head coach Pat Narduzzi, but this fall could feature some growing pains with so much inexperience at key positions.................Despite the losses, third-year coach Pat Narduzzi’s team is not bereft of playmakers. Junior Qadree Ollison stepped in for an injured Conner in 2015 and ran for 1,121 yards, earning ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. Also, Pittsburgh landed a stud back in freshman A.J. Davis. Wideouts Jester Weah and Quadree Henderson are electric......
Defense:
................With seven starters gone, the Panthers are hoping there can be a case of addition by subtraction on defense. Despite tying for eighth nationally in sacks and ranking 16th against the run, the defense was porous..............Immediate relief should come in the form of Jordan Whitehead, a junior strong safety who missed four games (three with a broken arm). The 2015 ACC Rookie of the Year, Whitehead is a bona fide star, in the mold of former Pittsburgh great Darrelle Revis.................Questions abound about a front seven that features five new starters. The Panthers need defensive end Dewayne Hendrix to be a game-changer..........
Specialists:...................
Final Analysis
Pittsburgh made headlines by defeating national champion Clemson and Big Ten champ Penn State last season. The question is: What can it do for an encore?.............Despite the loss of 12 starters, and a schedule that features back-to-back games with Penn State and Oklahoma State, Narduzzi believes the wins will keep coming. “The culture we’ve got going on right now and the enthusiasm of the players is at a high level,” he says...................
National Ranking:...................
ACC Coastal Prediction:................
LINK:
https://athlonsports.com/college-football/pitt-football-2017-panthers-preview-and-prediction
Offense:
Pittsburgh beat a pair of conference champions (Clemson, Penn State) last season, but the 2017 Panthers are going to look a lot different. More than half of the starting lineup is gone as the offense will be led by a graduate transfer quarterback and the defense features a practically brand-new front seven. Pitt has been a solid team in the first two seasons under head coach Pat Narduzzi, but this fall could feature some growing pains with so much inexperience at key positions.................Despite the losses, third-year coach Pat Narduzzi’s team is not bereft of playmakers. Junior Qadree Ollison stepped in for an injured Conner in 2015 and ran for 1,121 yards, earning ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. Also, Pittsburgh landed a stud back in freshman A.J. Davis. Wideouts Jester Weah and Quadree Henderson are electric......
Defense:
................With seven starters gone, the Panthers are hoping there can be a case of addition by subtraction on defense. Despite tying for eighth nationally in sacks and ranking 16th against the run, the defense was porous..............Immediate relief should come in the form of Jordan Whitehead, a junior strong safety who missed four games (three with a broken arm). The 2015 ACC Rookie of the Year, Whitehead is a bona fide star, in the mold of former Pittsburgh great Darrelle Revis.................Questions abound about a front seven that features five new starters. The Panthers need defensive end Dewayne Hendrix to be a game-changer..........
Specialists:...................
Final Analysis
Pittsburgh made headlines by defeating national champion Clemson and Big Ten champ Penn State last season. The question is: What can it do for an encore?.............Despite the loss of 12 starters, and a schedule that features back-to-back games with Penn State and Oklahoma State, Narduzzi believes the wins will keep coming. “The culture we’ve got going on right now and the enthusiasm of the players is at a high level,” he says...................
National Ranking:...................
ACC Coastal Prediction:................
ACC COACHING RANKINGS:
LINK:
https://athlonsports.com/college-football/ranking-accs-college-football-coaches-2017
The coaching depth and talent has improved significantly within the ACC over the last five seasons................................
A couple of other factors to consider when ranking coaches: How well are the assistants paid? A staff with two of the nation’s top coordinators could be a sign the head coach is better as a CEO and may not be as strong in terms of developing gameplans. How is the coach in the X’s and O’s? Can the coach recruit? Are the program’s facilities on par with the rest of the conference? Much like assistants, a program needs good facilities to win big. If a team is winning at a high level with poor facilities and a small budget, it reflects positively on the head coach. Is the coach successful at only one stop? Or has that coach built a solid resume from different jobs?..........
9. Pat Narduzzi, Pitt
After cycling through three full-time coaches (Paul Chryst, Todd Graham and Dave Wannstedt) from 2010-14, Pitt has found stability behind Narduzzi. The Panthers are 16-10 under Narduzzi’s direction and have recorded back-to-back winning marks in ACC play. Additionally, Pitt has finished outright or shared second place in the Coastal Division in both of Narduzzi’s seasons. While Narduzzi was one of the nation’s top assistant coaches (and defensive coordinators) at Michigan State, he’s still looking to find the right mix on that side of the ball in the Steel City. Pitt finished 10th in the ACC in scoring defense in 2015 and 13th in 2016.
LINK:
https://athlonsports.com/college-football/ranking-accs-college-football-coaches-2017
The coaching depth and talent has improved significantly within the ACC over the last five seasons................................
A couple of other factors to consider when ranking coaches: How well are the assistants paid? A staff with two of the nation’s top coordinators could be a sign the head coach is better as a CEO and may not be as strong in terms of developing gameplans. How is the coach in the X’s and O’s? Can the coach recruit? Are the program’s facilities on par with the rest of the conference? Much like assistants, a program needs good facilities to win big. If a team is winning at a high level with poor facilities and a small budget, it reflects positively on the head coach. Is the coach successful at only one stop? Or has that coach built a solid resume from different jobs?..........
9. Pat Narduzzi, Pitt
After cycling through three full-time coaches (Paul Chryst, Todd Graham and Dave Wannstedt) from 2010-14, Pitt has found stability behind Narduzzi. The Panthers are 16-10 under Narduzzi’s direction and have recorded back-to-back winning marks in ACC play. Additionally, Pitt has finished outright or shared second place in the Coastal Division in both of Narduzzi’s seasons. While Narduzzi was one of the nation’s top assistant coaches (and defensive coordinators) at Michigan State, he’s still looking to find the right mix on that side of the ball in the Steel City. Pitt finished 10th in the ACC in scoring defense in 2015 and 13th in 2016.
