ESPN Insider - Ranking CFB coaching jobs

[4down20]

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.

They just lost another coach to Oregon St.

It's kind of hard to claim you are a better coaching destination when all the coaches keep leaving for schools that are supposed to be worse.

 

[The Derski]

They just lost another coach to Oregon St.

It's kind of hard to claim you are a better coaching destination when all the coaches keep leaving for schools that are supposed to be worse.

That's a valid point but in my opinion those were two stupid decisions. Especially for Andersen to leave for Oregon St, which is currently the worst team in the PAC 12. Still the atmosphere of Madison and Camp Randall is hard to surpass. Plus they have one of the best AD's in the country. Paul Cryst, their current coach, is going to be there a long time. Probably for life as he was born in Madison and it was his dream job.

 

[MAIZEandBLUE09]

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.

I'm going to call these rankings bullshit. Notre Dame or Michigan not in the top 10? Clemson in the top 10? That's a school with 1 single national title. Michigan State higher than Penn State? A program that can't even get people to show up to football games some of the best years in program history?

If you're going to put Texas as high as they are, Michigan should be right up there with them. Other than location of the school in terms of recruiting, what argument could be made about Texas being that high but not Michigan? I'm not sure how one of the richest programs, with the most wins, largest fan bases and most historical CFB towns does not make the top 10 in this case.

 

[The Derski]

I'm going to call these rankings bullshit. Notre Dame or Michigan not in the top 10? Clemson in the top 10? That's a school with 1 single national title. Michigan State higher than Penn State? A program that can't even get people to show up to football games some of the best years in program history?

If you're going to put Texas as high as they are, Michigan should be right up there with them. Other than location of the school in terms of recruiting, what argument could be made about Texas being that high but not Michigan? I'm not sure how one of the richest programs, with the most wins, largest fan bases and most historical CFB towns does not make the top 10 in this case.

Michigan should probably be top ten but I still find it a bit funny when bragging about national titles because 90% of them came back when dinosaurs roamed the planet.

 

[Pariah]

Texas is #1---You can suck asshole for years and get paid top money.

 

[4down20]

I'm going to call these rankings bullshit. Notre Dame or Michigan not in the top 10? Clemson in the top 10? That's a school with 1 single national title. Michigan State higher than Penn State? A program that can't even get people to show up to football games some of the best years in program history?

If you're going to put Texas as high as they are, Michigan should be right up there with them. Other than location of the school in terms of recruiting, what argument could be made about Texas being that high but not Michigan? I'm not sure how one of the richest programs, with the most wins, largest fan bases and most historical CFB towns does not make the top 10 in this case.

Because Michigan's 1 title in the past 70 years is somehow better than Clemson?

 

[Deep Creek]

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.

Not so sure about all this derski. College town part may be correct. But, those hog calling pig lovers are as rabid a bunch as there is anywhere...if not more. They are borderline nuts!

 

[7Samurai13]

We are one year removed from Michigan being so desperate to get fans to go to games they were giving away free tickets with the purchase of two cokes.

 

[MAIZEandBLUE09]

Michigan should probably be top ten but I still find it a bit funny when bragging about national titles because 90% of them came back when dinosaurs roamed the planet.

Sure, I agree. We don't have a ton of recent national titles. But outside of the last decade or so, we still are one of the winningest programs in terms of just wins -- certainly top 10.

 

[MAIZEandBLUE09]

Because Michigan's 1 title in the past 70 years is somehow better than Clemson?

Yeah, because ours comes along with a ton of other stuff. Like the fact that Dabo is literally the 26th best paid coach in the country, and Michigan is somewhere in the top 5. It's absurd to me that ESPN thinks Clemson would beat out both Michigan and Notre Dame in terms of hiring the same coach in a head to head competition. And I think anyone reasonable would see it that way too.

 

[MAIZEandBLUE09]

We are one year removed from Michigan being so desperate to get fans to go to games they were giving away free tickets with the purchase of two cokes.

So even in our worst, we averaged about 20,000 more fans per game than Clemson. Again, I find it absurd that anyone would actually argue that Michigan and Notre Dame wouldn't beat Clemson head to head on a coaching hire when Clemson isn't even paying their coach a salary in the top 20.

 

[MAIZEandBLUE09]

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.

Yeah, I think that ranking has a lot more to do with the place the college is located in and the quality of the actual University.

 

[Codaxx]

I don't get Bama at #1. They pour money into the program more than any other University and it's not even close, see Locksley hire. That said following Saban is almost a certainty for being fired. Great recruiting base, but it's highly competitive. If all those jobs came up Texas and USC would be my picks. Great recruiting grounds and exposure, but I would not have to follow Urban or Saban. Georgia is too low

 

[Smart]

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.

That's not true at all. Bret left for two big reasons: his wife's awful relationship with Madison and the fact that no matter what he did, Barry got all the credit. Neither one of them is directly tied to the job strength.

Wisconsin has a top 10 fan base and this year's game against Rutgers (with 74,500+ people) was the first game in a decade with under 75,000 at Camp Randall. Arkansas is a much smaller fan base, isolated in the NW corner of the state, that could only get 67,000 to their opener last year when they were ranked #18, their highest in several years.

 

[Texas Jefe]

Texas is #1---You can suck asshole for years and get paid top money.

that's an excellent observation: To go through the last five years, and still be in the top five?

the thing about Texas is, when things are going good, it's really a great place to be. When times suck, it's still not a bad place to be.

 

[4down20]

That's not true at all. Bret left for two big reasons: his wife's awful relationship with Madison and the fact that no matter what he did, Barry got all the credit. Neither one of them is directly tied to the job strength.

Wisconsin has a top 10 fan base and this year's game against Rutgers (with 74,500+ people) was the first game in a decade with under 75,000 at Camp Randall. Arkansas is a much smaller fan base, isolated in the NW corner of the state, that could only get 67,000 to their opener last year when they were ranked #18, their highest in several years.

Your coach left, but it's not a sign of the program?

Can it be .2 part of the program?

 

[Texas Jefe]

So even in our worst, we averaged about 20,000 more fans per game than Clemson. Again, I find it absurd that anyone would actually argue that Michigan and Notre Dame wouldn't beat Clemson head to head on a coaching hire when Clemson isn't even paying their coach a salary in the top 20.

thing about Clemson is, the fans are seriously devoted. May not be as many as Michigan, but they really really love their school.

Also, it's a beautiful part of the country, and it doesn't become a dreary frozen tundra for half the year.

But I get your point, Michigan is a CFB historic place, and has a great following, as proved by their very high sales numbers of Univ. of Michigan stuff.

 

[Smart]

Your coach left, but it's not a sign of the program?

Can it be .2 part of the program?

The joke is hilarious. Bielema left because his wife was constantly criticized as a whore and gold digger. If you think that is a legitimate reason to rank Arkansas as a better job than Wisconsin, go ahead. You would still be wrong, but we sort of expect that from you.

Wisconsin is a niche program that needs a certain type of coach. But if you fit that mold, you will win a lot of games. I don't know how anyone could argue that Wisconsin isn't a top 25 job when we have finished in the top 25 for thirteen of the last eighteen years.

 

[Smart]

thing about Clemson is, the fans are seriously devoted. May not be as many as Michigan, but they really really love their school.

Also, it's a beautiful part of the country, and it doesn't become a dreary frozen tundra for half the year

I find it very hard to believe that any person could have been to Clemson, SC and Ann Arbor, MI and conclude that Clemson would be the more pleasant place to live.

 

[Deep Creek]

The joke is hilarious. Bielema left because his wife was constantly criticized as a whore and gold digger. If you think that is a legitimate reason to rank Arkansas as a better job than Wisconsin, go ahead. You would still be wrong, but we sort of expect that from you.

Wisconsin is a niche program that needs a certain type of coach. But if you fit that mold, you will win a lot of games. I don't know how anyone could argue that Wisconsin isn't a top 25 job when we have finished in the top 25 for thirteen of the last eighteen years.

IMHO you hit on the issue I have with this whole thing. "Fit" is an integral part for determining which job is more desirable/better for an individual. In horse racing they use the "horses for courses" term quite often. Some of them just run better on certain tracks than others. Best example of a bad fit recently was Tubberville at Texas Tech.