ESPN Insider - Ranking CFB coaching jobs

[iowajerms]

Ranking college football coaching jobs 1 through 129

First, you devoured the Power 5 coaching job rankings in five helpings. Then, you gorged on the Group of 5 rankings. Stuffed? Better not be. We're blending it all together.

Today's menu features every FBS job, ranked 1 through 129 (UAB, while not competing right now, is included). We took the Power 5 countdown (see: Nos. 65-56, Nos. 55-46, Nos. 45-31, Nos. 30-16 and Nos. 16-1) and the Group of 5 list, which includes 64 jobs, and determined which Group of 5 programs belong ahead of Power 5 jobs.

The methodology hasn't changed. We took the following question -- If every FBS job in America opened today, which would be the most desirable and least desirable? -- and considered several factors to compile the master list. Criteria included location and access to talent, facilities, financial backing, administrative stability, community/booster support, recent and historic performance, and ability to win the league.

We took into account input that coaches, agents, administrators and our ESPN colleagues gave for the initial rankings.

While recognizing the gulf between the Power 5 and Group of 5 -- largely financial but also in fan support, historic performance and other areas -- there are Group of 5 jobs better than those in the Power 5. It's why coaches like Tom Herman and Scott Frost, who likely could have gone from Power 5 coordinators to Power 5 head coaches, took jobs at Houston and UCF, respectively.

We identified 12 Group of 5 jobs that are better than at least one Power 5 job. Three G5 jobs rank in the revised top 50, and five others rank in the revised top 65. Here's a refresher as to why the top Power 5 jobs ended up where they are, followed by the full rundown.

Bon appétit.

1. Alabama

Nick Saban would be the toughest act to follow in the sport, but plenty of coaches would like their shot given the school's deep pockets and the level to which he has built the program.

2. Ohio State

It's the Big Ten's flagship program in terms of resources and support, though times are changing. It's becoming more competitive largely due to Urban Meyer changing the league's coaching DNA, most notably in recruiting.

3. Texas

Some coaches are concerned with the school's leadership instability. That still isn't enough to dissuade interest because of a limitless supply of resources and being the flagship in a top-three recruiting state. Austin is great, too.

4. USC

There will be a new AD, so that's something to monitor. If there's a program in America that can recruit itself, coaches say this is the closest. It's the most visible program in one of the country's top three recruiting cities.

5. Florida State

The school's administration, after years of lagging behind, has stepped up its support game. Clemson is making life tougher, but the ACC still presents a palatable title track for the Seminoles.

6. Florida

Like rival FSU, it's situated in a top-three recruiting state -- so that means there's plenty of competition for top recruits. AD Jeremy Foley is tighter with financial support than many perceive; support has improved, though.

7. LSU

Coaches scratched their heads at the way AD Joe Alleva and other decision-makers nearly ran Les Miles out of town in November. Even so, LSU still remains a highly desirable job in a great per-capita recruiting state.

8. Oklahoma

The president (1994) and AD (1998) have provided stable leadership for a long time; that means a lot to coaches. With the rise of programs such as Baylor and TCU in Texas, it's becoming a tougher recruiting job.

9. Georgia

Mark Richt and administrators had their run-ins over the years. Perhaps he fought battles that the new staff will not have to, as evidenced by a new indoor facility finally going up. There's no better per-capita recruiting city than Atlanta.

10. Clemson

With relatively low pressure, a nice place to call home, a decent title track in the ACC and seemingly limitless resources, coaches see this as an outstanding job. The only drawback is a lack of in-state recruiting depth, but the Tigers have done well in Atlanta and North Florida to offset that.

11. Notre Dame

Current coach Brian Kelly has groused about the school's admissions standard, but Notre Dame is still the standard among high academic success due to its brand prestige. A $400 million stadium project demonstrates support, too.

12. Michigan

AD stability is meaningful, so credit interim Jim Hackett for navigating the program through a tough stretch. Full-time boss Warde Manuel starts soon. Jim Harbaugh re-establishing the brand is helpful, too.

13. Oregon

Phil Knight's Nike money undoubtedly put the Ducks on the map. Eugene, however, is still merely on the edge of that map. Its isolation makes this a tough recruiting job, with uniforms and flash becoming the centerpiece.

14. Texas A&M

Even those inside the program roll their eyes about chancellor John Sharp repeatedly going after rival Texas. Between iffy leadership and overzealous fans, the leash is short here. But Kyle Field is evidence that everything really is bigger in the Lone Star State.

15. Auburn

Those who have worked there question how much it really is a "family" environment. They cited divisiveness in decision-making due to the egos of big-money donors. Bama's shadow looms large, too.

16. Tennessee

The Volunteers are trying to wiggle their way back up the list after a long, dark decade. Off-field issues continue to cloud on-field progress, but the resources are incredible, as is the desire to win.

17. Michigan State

There's nothing overly flashy with MSU's program -- there's no coach constantly creating headlines -- and yet it has consistently gotten results under AD Mark Hollis and coach Mark Dantonio. Is Dantonio just special, or could another coach do the same?

18. UCLA

Jim Mora has broken through in the recruiting world, cutting into USC's signing day mojo. Questions remain among coaches and agents whether the Bruins will ever be a true power player in the league.

19. Penn State

This job was considered almost toxic in the wake of scandal and NCAA sanctions. Bill O'Brien and James Franklin have brought PSU back from the brink. Commitment and fan passion is outstanding -- but so is the competition in the division.

20. Stanford

Harbaugh and David Shaw have mastered a recruiting and on-field formula, negating any admissions disadvantage. The Cardinal is starting to push Notre Dame for top "high academic" in college football.

21. Miami

It's the most intriguing job on the board. The Richt hire showed a new level of administrative commitment, and it's obviously in great recruiting turf. If a better stadium option presents itself, the Hurricanes will move toward the top 10.

22. Baylor

This has been a quick riser, with Art Briles redefining the perception of Baylor football. With new McLane Stadium as a symbol, commitment to improving has been excellent. A new staff would have the tools to succeed.

23. Wisconsin

It isn't going to pay like an SEC school; AD Barry Alvarez has recently said as much. It's a challenging recruiting gig, too, given a lack of regional talent and admissions hurdles. Still, Madison is an iconic college town and it's a solid brand.

24. Arkansas

Going back to Frank Broyles' time as AD, the old Southwest Conference power is determined not to take a back seat to Bama and LSU in the SEC West. It has always spent on its facilities and coaches. It's still a grind playing catchup; the gap remains wide.

25. TCU

After wandering from league to league, coach Gary Patterson and AD Chris Del Conte have delivered the Frogs to a power league. The ideally located school is beginning to win more and more recruiting battles as it finds its footing in the Big 12.

 

[iowajerms]

Spoiler: 26-50

26. Ole Miss

27. Washington

28. Virginia Tech

29. Nebraska

30. Oklahoma State

31. South Carolina

32. Louisville

33. Iowa

34. Arizona State

35. North Carolina

36. Mississippi State

37. Arizona

38. West Virginia

39. NC State

40. Missouri

41. Pittsburgh

42. Utah

43. Georgia Tech

44. UCF

Overlooking last year's abysmal, winless season, Central Florida has demonstrated a great deal of promise. Look no further than former Oregon offensive coordinator Scott Frost, who spurned Power 5 interest to take the head job in Orlando -- which happens to be 3,000 miles from where he last coached.

Coaches and agents believe a power league (probably the Big 12) will soon consider UCF due to its location, both in terms of TV market and recruiting turf. As you'll see, a Group of 5 school's profile is elevated if it's deemed attractive to Power 5 conferences considering expansion.

45. Boise State

In terms of recent success, Boise State soars above every program in this section of the rankings. The Broncos have 11 10-win seasons since 1999 and haven't won fewer than eight games during the span. They have the most powerful brand in the Group of 5, the largest budget in the Mountain West and excellent fan support.

The only concern, really, is whether it has hit its ceiling. In Power 5 expansion talks, Boise is not regularly included due to geography and the lack of a strong TV market.

46. Cal

47. Houston

Houston has serious Power 5 ambition, but realistic folks employed there know there is work to be done to become truly attractive.

Second-year coach Tom Herman is doing his part, beyond even the Cougars' 13-1 record in his first season. After that breakthrough season, he leveraged a contract extension that included language ensuring ground is broken on projects such as a new indoor facility and football offices. They have to be built in a certain period of time, or his buyout figure drops precipitously.

Herman will also make $3 million in 2016, an astronomical jump for Group of 5 programs. Any annual salary over $1 million was previously considered handsome.

48. Texas Tech

49. Maryland

50. Cincinnati

Recently released documents confirmed that Cincinnati is at or near the top of the Big 12's expansion shortlist. Providing a bridge to West Virginia makes it desirable to that conference, as does a relatively sizeable TV market.

Prior to Herman's raise, Tommy Tuberville made the most among Group of 5 coaches. Cincinnati also set aside $85 million for an aggressive redo of Nippert Stadium. So the commitment is there for a program that has won 10-plus games five times since 2007 and sent its previous three coaches on to Michigan State, Notre Dame and Tennessee.

Spoiler: 51-74

51. Minnesota

52. Duke

53. Kansas State

54. Virginia

55. BYU

Among Group of 5 royalty, BYU is Boise before Boise was Boise. The Cougars have had just seven bowl-less seasons since 1975, and they've won 10-plus games 16 times since 1978.

But as TCU and Utah moved on from the mid-major tier, BYU got left behind due to location and religious politics -- most notably its insistence on not playing games in any sport on Sundays. Those issues have continued to be obstructions as conferences such as the Big 12 have considered it for inclusion.

You'll notice that the school listed just one spot higher is the one that netted former BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall. It speaks to the layered politics in Provo that Mendenhall would jump ship for a lateral job all the way across the country. Even with a history of success, coaches perceive that it isn't the easiest place to win.

56. Kentucky

57. Oregon State

58. Colorado

59. Northwestern

60. USF

The Bulls' Tampa location gives them better access to recruiting clusters than the Power 5 schools on this tier. Former coach Jim Leavitt showed success is possible at USF, including spending time at No. 2 in the 2007 BCS rankings.

The reason it's below schools such as Oregon State, Colorado and Northwestern is the lack of an on-campus stadium and budget concerns in an improving league. Will it be willing to spend at the clip that AAC programs such as UCF, Houston, Memphis and Cincinnati are?

South Florida ended a streak of four consecutive losing seasons last fall, but the program is still viewed as an underachiever in the coaching and agent communities.

61. Illinois

62. Rutgers

63. East Carolina

Greenville, North Carolina, isn't ideally located for talent, but ECU can still access in-state prospects and those in the Tidewater area of Virginia.

The Pirates do not have overwhelming financial clout in a league where, as mentioned earlier, more and more schools are pouring money into their programs. But they have Power 5-like fan support and an excellent game day atmosphere, which a former ECU coach said trumped the environments at many ACC schools.

Most of the Power 5 schools ranked in this section do not have the same fan or community buzz -- or recent consistency (six seasons of eight or more wins since 2007) -- that ECU does.

64. Colorado State

The signature vehicle here is a $220 million stadium project that will vault CSU ahead of most of the Group of 5 and many Power 5 schools. That is weighty commitment for a G5 school and a demonstration that CSU does not want to get left out if there are additional rounds of realignment and expansion.

Its recent hires of SEC coordinators, from Alabama and Georgia, show a certain level of support and desire to improve. CSU even had the intelligence to include a $10 million buyout for Jim McElwain, helping the program in the event that it lost its coach. Despite an AD change, leadership remains strong; Joe Parker has received rave reviews from peers.

65. Memphis

When ex-Memphis coach Tommy West justifiably ripped the administration on his way out in 2009, the thought that this job could rank ahead of Power 5 gigs seemed absurd.

The Memphis brass, however, has stepped up. It soon will have some of the finest Sunday-Friday facilities in the Group of 5 when an indoor practice field is completed.

Memphis is in a better recruiting location than the Power 5 programs ranked just below, although its history of failing to sustain on-field success is a concern. Was Justin Fuente, now gone to Virginia Tech, a one-hit wonder?

66. Boston College

67. Indiana

68. Marshall

Three consecutive 10-win seasons and eight 10-win campaigns since joining the FBS level give Marshall much more on-field credibility, even in weaker leagues, than Power 5 programs such as Syracuse and Washington State.

While all three face recruiting challenges, Marshall's liberal admissions policies help, and coach Doc Holliday has created a pipeline to target-rich Florida. Marshall also has strong facilities and community/booster support.

69. Syracuse

70. Washington State

71. San Diego State

Among the more intriguing jobs in this exercise, San Diego State is the only Group of 5 school in recruit-rich Southern California. Its access to talent is better than any bottom-tier Power 5 program.

The last two Aztecs coaches, Rocky Long and Brady Hoke, have revived an underachieving program. But the uncertain future of Qualcomm Stadium, tied to the potential move of the city's NFL team, is a massive concern. So are California's budget challenges and the impact on the state's university system.

But if SDSU solves its facilities/financial piece of the puzzle, it has promise to soar up the list. Who wouldn't want to live, work and play in San Diego, after all?

72. Vanderbilt

73. Purdue

74. SMU

Second-year coach Chad Morris has the proper vision for the high-end ceiling of this program, and there's plenty of promise considering the Dallas skyline is just beyond the walls of its stadium.

There's a facilities plan. There's a recruiting plan. Pieces are falling into place to make this a better job than many Power 5 schools, but there are also many hurdles left to clear. In 3-5 years, we might look very differently at SMU -- and Morris, presumably on to a bigger job by then, will have already fought many of the necessary battles in order to grow.

Some coaches note that SMU has historically had a moving target in its admissions policies, a great frustration for a staff; if that's settled, the program is perfectly located to clean up on signing day. SMU can follow the road map its Metroplex brother, TCU, has drawn.

Spoiler: 75-129

75. Wake Forest

76. Iowa State

77. Kansas

78. Navy

79. Temple

80. Southern Miss

81. Northern Illinois

82. Tulsa

83. Toledo

84. Bowling Green

85. Connecticut

86. Arkansas State

87. Nevada

88. Louisiana Tech

89. Louisiana-Lafayette

90. Central Michigan

91. Western Kentucky

92. Georgia Southern

93. Western Michigan

94. Appalachian State

95. Air Force

96. Utah State

97. North Texas

98. Middle Tennessee State

99. Tulane

100. Miami (Ohio)

101. Troy

102. Fresno State

103. Ohio

104. Rice

105. Florida Atlantic

106. UAB

107. New Mexico

108. Wyoming

109. Texas State

110. Akron

111. UTEP

112. UTSA

113. San Jose State

114. South Alabama

115. UNLV

116. Ball State

117. Hawaii

118. Old Dominion

119. Florida International

120. Georgia State

121. Louisiana-Monroe

122. Army

123. Kent State

124. Buffalo

125. Charlotte

126. UMass

127. Idaho

128. Eastern Michigan

129. New Mexico State

 

[4down20]

Wisconsin above Arkansas?

I think the Bert change pretty much debunks that. That's about like putting a team ranked higher than another team the week after the play with an otherwise even record etc. It's basically a head to head matchup scenario.

 

[4down20]

And personally, I think I'd rather be at Oklahoma than Texas. Resources and recruiting state aside, there is a matter of culture and that problems with leadership and such at Texas are somewhat understated.

Oklahoma is firmly a blue blood and many people consider the same of Texas, but I think Texas is somewhat borderline for that title and is a matter of how many blue bloods you count.

 

[iowajerms]

Wisconsin above Arkansas?

I think the Bert change pretty much debunks that. That's about like putting a team ranked higher than another team the week after the play with an otherwise even record etc. It's basically a head to head matchup scenario.

I'm thinking same with Nebraska above Iowa?

You get fired for going 9-3 at Nebraska. You get your contract extended and hefty raise at Iowa for going 9-3.

 

[4down20]

I'm thinking same with Nebraska above Iowa?

You get fired for going 9-3 at Nebraska. You get your contract extended and hefty raise at Iowa for going 9-3.

But it's much easier to accomplish that with Nebraska.

 

[B_dub]

How the fuck is Michigan not number #1??? Harbs has been there for months now??

 

[B_dub]

And that's the highest Texas has been ranked in half a decade.

 

[iowajerms]

I wonder where NDSU or Eastern Washington would fall on this.

 

[starbigd]

And personally, I think I'd rather be at Oklahoma than Texas. Resources and recruiting state aside, there is a matter of culture and that problems with leadership and such at Texas are somewhat understated.

Oklahoma is firmly a blue blood and many people consider the same of Texas, but I think Texas is somewhat borderline for that title and is a matter of how many blue bloods you count.

That's a stretch even for you.

Texas is what, third all time in wins and #1 all time in bowl wins, as well as 4 NCs......that's blue blood status without question. To say otherwise is just pure haterade and trollish.

The reason Texas is always at the top of lists like this is pretty simple......leadership at the university aside, resources matter, as well as recruiting. PLUS the city of Austin. That alone will always make that job attractive, people will generally overlook the school president unless he's a complete fuckup.

 

[4down20]

That's a stretch even for you.

Texas is what, third all time in wins and #1 all time in bowl wins, as well as 4 NCs......that's blue blood status without question. To say otherwise is just pure haterade and trollish.

The reason Texas is always at the top of lists like this is pretty simple......leadership at the university aside, resources matter, as well as recruiting. PLUS the city of Austin. That alone will always make that job attractive, people will generally overlook the school president unless he's a complete fuckup.

It's borderline because I would include you in the top10 for blue bloods, but not the top5.

 

[Cave_Johnson]

Suck it Eastern Michigan and New Mexico State.

 

[Texas Jefe]

And that's the highest Texas has been ranked in half a decade.

wait till we start winning 10+ games a year again...we'll rise all the way to number one on this list! Yeehaw.

 

[B_dub]

wait till we start winning 10+ games a year again...we'll rise all the way to number one on this list! Yeehaw.

I've been liking and agreeing with too many Texas posters lately. Had to get that one out of my system. All feels right again.

 

[B_dub]

wait till we start winning 10+ games a year again...we'll rise all the way to number one on this list! Yeehaw.

And hopefully I'm alive to see this happen again. I miss the top 10 matchups.

 

[Texas Jefe]

And hopefully I'm alive to see this happen again. I miss the top 10 matchups.

yeah me too.

 

[Wild Turkey]

Clemson is too high.
Baylor is too high.
Oregon is too high.
Miami is too high.

Virginia Tech needs to be in the top 25.
Washington needs to be in the top 25.
Nebraska needs to be in the top 25 - They just aren't acting like it.

 

[Cowboyinexile]

wait till we start winning 10+ games a year again...we'll rise all the way to number one on this list! Yeehaw.

We have been waiting damn near a decade

 

[tducey]

Thanks for posting this, interesting findings for sure.

 

[The Derski]

Wisconsin above Arkansas?

I think the Bert change pretty much debunks that. That's about like putting a team ranked higher than another team the week after the play with an otherwise even record etc. It's basically a head to head matchup scenario.

I would put Wisconsin above Arkansas every time. Fat ass Beleima doesn't change anything. Wisconsin keeps winning with any coach. Plus Madison is the best college town in a America with a rabid fan base in all sports. Arkansas... Not so much.