Athlon ranks CFB's coaches for 2013
Not sure if this has already been discussed, but here is the link so you can see their rationale.
Athlon's rankings of coaches for 2013:
(Update: top 50 included.)
1. Nick Saban
2. Urban Meyer
3. Bill Synder
4. Brian Kelly
5. Steve Spurrier
6. Chris Petersen
7. Bob Stoops
8. Bobby Petrino
9. Frank Beamer
10. Gary Patterson
11. Mark Richt
12. Pat Fitzgerald
13. Art Briles
14. Brady Hoke
15. Mike Gundy
16. Kevin Sumlin
17. James Franklin
18. Charlie Strong
19. Al Golden
20. David Shaw
21. Mike Riley
22. Rich Rodriguez
23. Dan Mullen
24. Les Miles
25. Bret Bielema
26. Mark Dantonio
27. Bill O'Brien
28. Mack Brown
29. Todd Graham
30. Hugh Freeze
31. Mike Leach
32. Paul Johnson
33. Gary Andersen
34. Mark Hudspeth
35. Bo Pelini
36. Will Muschamp
37. Jimbo Fisher
38. Paul Rhoads
39. Larry Fedora
40. Dabo Swinney
41. Butch Jones
42. Gary Pinkel
43. Tommy Tuberville
44. Mike MacIntyre
45. Steve Sarkisian
46. Bronco Mendenall
47. Willie Taggert
48. Jim Grobe
49. David Cutcliffe
50. Dana Holgorsen
I'm stopping at 50. If you guys want to see the rest, click the link.
Because Bobby Petrino is somehow ranked 8th?
When I first saw the list, the thing that first jumped out to me was Bobby Petrino. Bobby Petrino?!? The same lying, cheating, cold deadbeating, two-timing, double dealing Bobby Petrino? Quitter and adulterer Bobby Petrino?? In what world is he a better coach than Brady Hoke. I'm sorry, but that's bullshit.
Scandal and loyalty issues aside. Bobby Petrino did take two struggling programs and built them into BCS bowl contenders in 4 years.
Prior to Petrino:
- 2002 Louisville (7-6) in Conference USA, lost in GMAC Bowl
Last season w/ Petrino:
- 2006 Louisville (12-1) in the Big East, won Orange Bowl
Prior to Petrino:
- 2007 Arkansas (8-5), lost Cotton Bowl
Last season w/ Petrino:
- 2011 Arkansas (11-2), won Cotton Bowl
I don't know if I'd say Louisville was struggling when Petrino took over. Yeah, he's a running joke now, but John L Smith was a solid coach for the Cards. The two years before that 7-6 season, they went 9-3 and 11-2 with conference championships both years. He took over a program in pretty good shape. Arkansas wasn't in terrible shape either before he took over. They were only a year removed from going 7-1 in the SEC. I don't think Petrino is a bad coach, he'll probably do fine but he didn't inherit tire fires in his previous jobs. They were both pretty stable programs.
I was initially just rattling off insults that I thought fit Petrino, then I realized I was essentially trying to reinvent the wheel, for no reason. Patty's already done the work for me.
Actually, Harlan Howard and Kostas Lazarides did the work. I don't know if Loveless even has any originals in the "food chain."
Donkey Punch
Amirite?
Athlon made the list. blame them.
They are sandbagging Brady Hoke so they can keep singing the theme song for a few more years.
Not sure how Frank Beamer makes the top ten right now.
He had won 10+ games for eight straight years with thoroughly average talent. One 7-6 season isn't enough to convince me that he and/or his staff still aren't top 10
Well, Brady is 2-0 against Fitzgerald...so there's that...
That's not really true. There are plenty of programs that make hay without much star power- in the Big Ten, Wisconsin and Iowa being prime examples. ANd some coaches can squander all the talent in the world because they don't know what the hell they're doing. Look at all the NFL talent Zook recruited, then see how he did on the field.
when they leave John L. off their list.
I can't see how Hoke isn't top five, or at least top ten. He won a BCS bowl in his first year and has put together monster recruiting classes.
God, I hope Hoke just fucking destroys all the coaches ahead of him on this list in the next few years.
In ten years of head coaching experience, he hasn't produced a conference champion yet (in MAC for six years, MWC for two, B1G for two). Yes, ice cream, healed the Michigan family, amazing recruiter, etc., but conference championships are a pretty decent measuring stick.
mmmm ice cream
But the fact that in all three conferences he was coach of the year must say he wasn't working with a lot.
Interesting that Dantonio's not on that list. He must be laying in the weeds.
Dantonio is ranked #26.
Ahead of Bill O'Brien and Mack Brown.
What do they mean by "for 2013?"
They come out with a new ranking every year.
I stopped reading when I saw Chris Petersen in the top-10.
Give me a headset and some cheese and I could get double digit wins every year with their schedule.
David Shaw needs to be on there. Stanford hasn't taken one step backwards after Harbaugh left
Shaw's all the way down at #20.
Give it time.
So I don't have to give that website any more views. Bobby Petrino might be the best "coach" in the universe but if you can't hold a job I don't think you deserve to be on any lists.
I updated the OP to include the top 50. They don't have a straight list so there's nothing to copy and paste unless you wanted descriptions for each coach. I stopped at 50 because I don't care to type out all 125. So if anyone wants to see who the worst coaches are but are too lazy to click the link, I can't help you.
How does this turnip head crack the top 5?!? Total Garbage...
....eggplant.
Brian Kelly is a colossal ass but he is also a really successful (read: wins lots of games) head football coach. He killed it a GVSU, CMU, Cincinnati and is now doing so at ND. I despise the guy as he is a pretty sorry excuse for a human being but he is a hell of a good football coach.
So is Urban Meyer btw.
(Steps into fireproof suit and awaits inevitable "flamebait"/"trolling" neg fest.)
Why? One good season at Louisville in the sh*tty Big East qualifies someone for the Top 10?
He also stole James Quick from OSU!
He absolutely should be high, he's a GREAT coach. He's getting it done at Northwestern. He built that program after it fell from it's prominance in the mid-90's. But should he be about Hoke? Hell no. Fitz is a great coach though, definitely top 3 with Hoke and Meyer. Just behind both.
NU won a share of the Big Ten title under Walker and has not approached that same level under Fitz just yet.
Randy Walker built the foundation of what is now the NU offense and conditioning program. The strength of the NU football program since 2000 has been QBs and RBs functioning inside a spread rushing offense. Fitz was the D coordinator of some pretty poor defenses that are still lacking today compared to the offense run by Kolter/Mark and that offense has been good for a long time before Fitz had any responsibility for the offensive side of the ball.
I personally like Pat Fitzgerald a lot as a person. He has helped me out in some tough situations. I suspect his players like him more as a person than they liked Walker. Objectively, I do not think he is a better head coach than Brady Hoke or many others listed near the top.
How am I ignoring Walker when I acknowledged the mid-90s?
Walker wasn't the coach in the mid-'90s. That was Gary Barnett.
How does this compare to last year?