Rank the Top 5 Coaches in College Football

[Bufffan68]

College football success is so driven by having an exceptional quarterback. So I think when evaluating coaches it's important to look at whether a coach is able to maintain greatness when he's got issues at that position. Also, to avoid overrating a coach because he had a great run with a supreme talent behind center and there isn't much else on the resume. On that note, the biggest omission from my list was Les Miles.

Miles would top the list of underachieving coaches for me. As would Lane Kiffin, Mac Brown in his final years and anyone at Michigan the last 10 years.

 

[Buffnik]

You could also argue the continued issues at QB is the biggest strike against Miles in terms of being an elite coach.

Miles would top the list of underachieving coaches for me. As would Lane Kiffin, Mac Brown in his final years and anyone at Michigan the last 10 years.

Miles is definitely a tough one and I go back and forth. He's got excellent teams every year. And the one year he had an elite college QB he won a national championship. Do we downgrade him for his inability to recruit & develop QBs or do we upgrade him for his ability to win in an incredibly competitive conference division despite the QB deficiencies? I tend to see it more positively than negatively.

 

[Bufffan68]

Miles is definitely a tough one and I go back and forth. He's got excellent teams every year. And the one year he had an elite college QB he won a national championship. Do we downgrade him for his inability to recruit & develop QBs or do we upgrade him for his ability to win in an incredibly competitive conference division despite the QB deficiencies? I tend to see it more positively than negatively.

That's a good point, esp about being in the SEC West. I just see his teams as being loaded with talent every year but never being able to get over the hump. The expectations are much higher at LSU so I guess that's why I see him as underperforming. But I'd be ecstatic with having those problems here at Colorado.

 

[Jens1893]

Miles´ LSU is a bit like pick 2 out of the following 3: QB, RB, D

 

[BlackNGold]

Miles would top the list of underachieving coaches for me. As would Lane Kiffin, Mac Brown in his final years and anyone at Michigan the last 10 years.

Miles is a great coach. He wins 80% of his games - he is 110-29 at LSU. A couple of years of ago he had like 10 players leave early for the draft but hardly fell off at all. To compare him with someone like Lane Kiffin is a joke. Rick Neuheisel is underachieving or Steve Sarkisian but Miles teams are ready to play and play a tough brand of football.

 

[Bufffan68]

Miles is a great coach. He wins 80% of his games - he is 110-29 at LSU. A couple of years of ago he had like 10 players leave early for the draft but hardly fell off at all. To compare him with someone like Lane Kiffin is a joke. Rick Neuheisel is underachieving or Steve Sarkisian but Miles teams are ready to play and play a tough brand of football.

My intention in listing Kiffin (and the others) wasn't to compare the coaches but the programs...programs with all the money, support and expectations to have a coach be successful. Miles is a very good coach...Kiffin is a joke of a HC.