Unveiling the nation's 10 best and five worst coaches

[Zonald]

Nice props to CJL at the end of the article...

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/stewart_mandel/07/10/mailbag/index.html?eref=si_ncaaf

Top 10 best coaches headed into the 2007 season

1) Pete Carroll, USC: Carroll's "worst" season since 2002 last year still involved 11 wins, a Pac-10 championship and Rose Bowl victory. He followed that up with a fifth straight top-three recruiting class.

2) Urban Meyer, Florida: Now 61-12 in six seasons as a head coach, Meyer has demonstrated a keen ability to adapt to his personnel, winning a national title while utilizing a receiver (Percy Harvin) and a QB (Tim Tebow) in lieu of a reliable tailback. Not a bad recruiter, either.

3) Jim Tressel, Ohio State: Throughout last year's 12-0 regular season, you could tell every last Buckeye marched to the beat of his coach. Tressel knows how to play to his team's strengths, whether by playing conservative during the '02 title season or spreading things out with Troy Smith.

4) Mack Brown, Texas: Another year, another 10-win season for the 'Horns, who have now posted six in a row. Last year's 10-3 finish came despite starting a freshman quarterback (Colt McCoy) and enduring a season of injuries and suspensions to what became an oft-torched secondary.

5) Bob Stoops, Oklahoma: As mentioned previously, Stoops' reputation has taken a hit in recent years, but let's keep things in perspective. The Sooners still won 11 games and a Big 12 title last year despite Rhett Bomar's dismissal and Adrian Peterson's injury.

6) Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech: After suffering a brief drop-off post-Michael Vick, the Hokies have won at least 10 games in four of the past five seasons and had the nation's top-ranked defense in each of the past two years (and No. 4 the year before that).

7) Jim Grobe, Wake Forest: Grobe was already highly respected even before last season. Then he led a moderately talented team (compared to the NFL-stocked rosters elsewhere in the ACC) to a conference title even after losing his starting quarterback and tailback to injury. Clearly, the guy can coach.

8) Rich Rodriguez, West Virginia: Rodriguez has been running the spread-option since before anyone knew what it was, but it's amazing how much recognition it can garner -- and how you can post consecutive 11-win seasons -- once you have Pat White and Steve Slaton.

9) Mark Richt, Georgia: You can't argue with his overall results -- 61-17 and two SEC titles in six seasons -- but Richt drops a few rungs this year for his mishandling of the Dawgs' quarterback situation early last season (when Georgia lost to Kentucky and Vandy) and the Sugar Bowl meltdown the year before.

10) Gary Patterson, TCU: Does anyone get less credit for running a consistently successful program than this guy? Since 2002, the Horned Frogs have posted records of 10-2, 11-2, 11-1 and 11-2 (wedged around a 5-6 aberration) and beaten the likes of Oklahoma and Texas Tech.

Just missed: Rutgers' Greg Schiano, Auburn's Tommy Tuberville, USF's Jim Leavitt, Navy's Paul Johnson and Cal's Jeff Tedford.

[HarveyGlass]

Grobe is garbage.  We'll see what he does with his newfound fame.  Probably the same thing he's done every other year sans one...mediocre/below average.

[Jamie]

Pete Carroll and Mack Brown, are you kidding me? 90% of their success is recruiting. They couldn't coach their way out of wet paper bags.

[Joe]

Pete Carroll and Mack Brown, are you kidding me? 90% of their success is recruiting. They couldn't coach their way out of wet paper bags.

Thats absurd. Pete Carroll has had his team in the top 5 the last 5 years, with 5 straight BCS bowls. Recruiting is a lot to do with sustained success, but you don't have 3 Heismans and 2 National Championship being a bad coach.

Similarly, although not as successful, Mac Brown has done a pretty good job at Texas.

Further, Ron Zook proved you can have all world talent and be a terrible coach.

[CoolBull1]

Urban Meyer may be 61-12 but he is 0-1 against the USF Bulls!  Take that Coach!

[I Bleed Awesomeness]

Grobe is garbage.  We'll see what he does with his newfound fame.  Probably the same thing he's done every other year sans one...mediocre/below average.

jim grobe ALWAYS gets more out of his given team than any other coach in the country.  why do u think his name is always on "top coaches lists"?  just for fun?

[USF-PMR]

Jim Leavitt

Ricardo Rodriguez

West Virginia Guy

Dave from Pitt

Robinson the superbowl wearing coach from Syracuse - Go Otto

U-Conn me into this job

Cincinatti Bearcat (what the heck is a bearcat)

Paterno Jr. from L'ville....

and that is my order!

[Jamie]

Pete Carroll and Mack Brown, are you kidding me? 90% of their success is recruiting. They couldn't coach their way out of wet paper bags.

Thats absurd. Pete Carroll has had his team in the top 5 the last 5 years, with 5 straight BCS bowls. Recruiting is a lot to do with sustained success, but you don't have 3 Heismans and 2 National Championship being a bad coach.

I'm staying with it. It's rare, but when USC and Texas end up in tough games, Carroll and Brown are overmatched.

BTW Zook coached in a tougher conference than either of those two. He's just as bad as them, but he had more tough games (3-4 per year compared to maybe 2 for Brown and Carroll) that showed his true colors.

[crambone]

Urban Meyer can lick it...he ain't even close to the Top 10.

[Bull Dozer]

Richt in now way deserves to be in the top 10