Editor’s note: Virginia Tech’s Frank Beamer was accidentally left off the original version of this list. He has been added, at No. 27, so now it’s a top 101 list.
Nick Saban won his sixth national title in 12 years at Alabama, and his seventh overall, this past January. He had already put together maybe the greatest run of sustained dominance the sport has seen — only Bobby Bowden’s 14 straight top-five finishes could compete — and it’s jarring to realize that last year’s team was quite possibly his best ever.
Saban brought high-level success to Michigan State in the late 1990s (and pulled one of the sport’s most memorable upsets with the Spartans’ 1998 defeat of No. 1 Ohio State), then immediately awakened a sleeping giant at LSU and won his first national title in 2003. After a short dalliance in the pros, he was lured back to the college ranks, where he built the contemporary recruiting machine that so many others have attempted to emulate. He fielded some of the best defenses of the 21st century, and after realizing he needed to update his offensive attack, he fielded maybe the best offense of the century in 2020.
As a new season approaches, let’s take a moment to compare Saban’s accomplishments — and those of other active coaches — to the best of college football’s modern times. Let’s rank the top 100 coaches of the past 50 years.
Why 50 years? It’s primarily because the sport approached full integration 50 years ago, just as offensive innovation was taking place in a couple of different ways — the Wishbone took hold in a major way among powerful schools, while the forward pass was making innovative and exciting headway behind the scenes. It felt like a natural dividing line for defining modern college football.
(That, and I just didn’t want to figure out how to compare Walter Camp’s accomplishments to, say, Urban Meyer’s.)
One final note before we get started: This list is completely and totally about on-field accomplishments. You’ll see plenty of coaches on this list who ran into trouble with the NCAA or potentially had roles in far more devastating off-the-field scandals. It felt pithy to casually mention said scandals in short blurbs about achievements, so I decided to forego that and focus on only on-field exploits.
I wrote about 50 men in particular, but I wanted to take the time to mention as many awesome coaches as possible. Here are No. 100-51:
101. Bruce Snyder (Utah State 1976-82, Cal 1987-91, Arizona State 1992-2000)
100. Bronco Mendenhall (BYU 2005-15, Virginia 2016-present)
99. James Franklin (Vanderbilt 2011-13, Penn State 2014-present)
98. Rich Rodriguez (Salem 1988, Glenville State 1990-96, West Virginia 2001-07, Michigan 2008-10, Arizona 2012-17)
97. Bobby Wallace (North Alabama 1988-97, Temple 1998-2005, West Alabama 2006-10, North Alabama 2012-16)
96. Bobby Ross (The Citadel 1973-77, Maryland 1982-86, Georgia Tech 1987-91, Army 2004-06)
95. Kevin Donley (Anderson 1978-81, Georgetown-KY 1982-92, California-PA 1993-96, Saint Francis-IN 1998-present)
94. Charles McClendon (LSU 1962-79)
93. Kirby Smart (Georgia 2016-present)
92. David Shaw (Stanford 2011-present)
91. Dan Mullen (Mississippi State 2009-17, Florida 2018-present)
90. Mel Tjeerdsma (Austin College 1984-93, NW Missouri State 1994-2010)
89. Larry Coker (Miami 2001-06, UTSA 2011-15)
88. Ken Sparks (Carson-Newman 1980-2016)
87. Mike Bellotti (Chico State 1984-88, Oregon 1995-2008)
86. Claude Gilbert (SDSU 1973-80, SJSU 1984-89)
85. Mike Van Diest (Carroll 1999-2018)
84. Gene Stallings (Texas A&M 1965-71, Alabama 1990-96)
83. Kyle Whittingham (Utah 2005-present)
82. Darryl Rogers (Cal State Hayward 1965, Fresno State 1966-72, SJSU 1973-75, Michigan State 1976-79, Arizona State 1980-84)
81. Rich Brooks (Oregon 1977-94, Kentucky 2003-09)
80. Dick MacPherson (UMass 1971-77, Syracuse 1981-90)
79. Erk Russell (Georgia Southern, 1982-89)
78. Frank Solich (Nebraska 1998-2003, Ohio 2005-20)
77. Bobby Petrino (Louisville 2003-06, Arkansas 2008-11, WKU 2013, Louisville 2014-18, Missouri State 2020-present)
76. Sonny Lubick (Montana State 1978-81, Colorado State 1993-2007)
75. Butch Davis (Miami 1995-2000, North Carolina 2007-10, FIU 2017-20)
74. Jerry Claiborne (Virginia Tech 1961-70, Maryland 1972-81, Kentucky 1982-89)
73. Jim Butterfield (Ithaca, 1967-1993)
72. Wayne Hardin (Navy 1959-64, Temple 1970-82)
71. Kirk Ferentz (Maine 1990-92, Iowa 1999-present)
70. Jeff Tedford (Cal 2002-12, Fresno State 2017-19)
69. Don Nehlen (Bowling Green 1968-76, West Virginia 1980-2000)
68. Joe Tiller (Wyoming 1991-96, Purdue 1997-2008)
67. Bob Reade (Augustana, 1979-94)
66. Fisher DeBerry (Air Force 1984-2006)
65. Mike Gundy (Oklahoma State 2005-present)
64. Gary Pinkel (Toledo 1991-2000, Missouri 2001-15)
63. George Welsh (Navy 1973-81, Virginia 1982-2000)
62. Craig Bohl (NDSU 2003-13, Wyoming 2014-present)
61. Hayden Fry (SMU 1962-72, North Texas 1973-78, Iowa 1979-98)
60. Earle Bruce (Tampa 1972, Iowa State 1973-78, Ohio State 1979-87, Northern Iowa 1988, Colorado State 1989-92)
59. Jerry Moore (North Texas 1979-80, Texas Tech 1981-85, Appalachian State 1989-2012)
58. Chip Kelly (Oregon 2009-12, UCLA 2018-present)
57. Bill Yeoman (Houston 1962-86)
56. R.C. Slocum (Texas A&M 1989-2002)
55. Terry Donahue (UCLA 1976-95)
54. John Robinson (USC 1976-82 and 1993-97, UNLV 1999-2004)
53. Billy Joe (Cheyney 1972-78, Central State 1981-93, Florida A&M 1994-2004, Miles 2008-10)
52. John Cooper (Tulsa 1977-84, Arizona State 1985-87, Ohio State 1988-2000)
Now to the top 50.
51. Chris Ault
Team: Nevada (1976-92, 1994-95, 2004-12)
Record: 234-108-1
Conference titles: 1983, 1986 and 1990-91 Big Sky; 1992-94 Big West; 2005, 2010 WAC
You could make the case that Ault is the best and second-best coach in Nevada history. He retired on two occasions but won big in every stint and made a lasting innovation: His pistol formation brought downhill power running to the shotgun era.
50. Johnny Majors
Teams: Iowa State (1968-72), Pitt (1973-76), Tennessee (1977-92)
Record: 185-137-10
National title: 1976
Conference titles: 1985 and 1989-90 SEC
Majors is one of the best coaches ever at three different schools. He built something out of nothing at ISU, rode Tony Dorsett to a Pitt national title and turned Tennessee into a late-1980s SEC powerhouse. Down years sullied the win percentage, but the highs were stratospheric.
49. Phil Fulmer
Team: Tennessee (1992-2008)
Record: 151-52-1
National title: 1998
Conference titles: 1997-98 SEC
Fulmer got all the arrows pointed in the right direction in Knoxville, rode Peyton Manning to three top-10 finishes, then won a national title without him. He finished with eight seasons of 10-plus wins, and Tennessee hasn’t won an SEC East title without him.
48. Mark Dantonio
Teams: Cincinnati (2004-06), Michigan State (2007-19)
Record: 132-74
Conference titles: 2010, 2013 and 2015 Big Ten
Dantonio rode an old-school, flash-free formula — run the ball, defend — to a 2013 Rose Bowl, a 2015 CFP bid and three straight top-10 finishes. And he did so at a school with two top-10 finishes in the 40 years before his arrival.
47. Les Miles
Teams: Oklahoma State (2001-04), LSU (2005-16), Kansas (2019-20)
Record: 145-73
National title: 2007
Conference titles: 2007, 2011 SEC
He made OSU fiery and competitive again after a decade in the wilderness, then he succeeded Nick Saban in Baton Rouge and rode defense, attitude and the occasional trick play to five top-10 finishes and a national title.
46. Lance Leipold
Teams: Wisconsin-Whitewater (2007-14), Buffalo (2015-20), Kansas (2021-present)
Record: 146-39
National titles: 2007, 2009-11 and 2013-14 Division III
Conference titles: 2007-11 and 2013-14 WIAC
The former UWW QB absolutely wrecked shop from the start, winning an incredible 109 games and six national titles in eight years at his alma mater. In search of a new challenge, he built Buffalo into a MAC heavyweight, and now he takes on the ultimate challenge: the Jayhawks.
45. Shug Jordan
Team: Auburn (1951-75)
Record: 175-83-7
National title: 1957 FBS
Conference titles: 1957 SEC
He led Auburn during most of Bear Bryant’s Bama tenure but still managed to steal seven top-10 finishes, seven seasons of 9-plus wins, a Heisman (via Pat Sullivan) and a national title for himself. There’s a reason why Cliff Hare Stadium became Jordan-Hare in 1973.
44. Vince Dooley
Team: Georgia (1964-88)
Record: 201-77-10
National title: 1980
Conference titles: 1966, 1968, 1976 and 1980-82 SEC
A former quarterback and assistant for rival Auburn, Dooley moved to Athens in 1964 and became Georgia, serving as coach for 24 years and AD for 25. Oh yeah, and he went 43-4-1 from 1980 to ’83 thanks in part to a back named Herschel.
43. John Merritt
Teams: Jackson State (1952-62), Tennessee State (1963-83)
Record: 235-70-12
National titles: 1965-66, 1970-1, 1973, 1979, 1982
Conference titles: 1957 Midwest Athletic, 1961-62 SWAC, 1963-66 Midwest
From Samuel Freedman’s “Breaking the Line”: “Where [Eddie] Robinson went recruiting Bible in hand, Merritt arrived in a luxury sedan, sporting sunglasses, multiple rings, and an El Producto cigar.” Merritt won big for decades and produced 36 NFL draft picks in the 1970s alone.
42. Lloyd Carr
Team: Michigan (1995-2007)
Record: 122-40
National title: 1997
Conference titles: 1997-98, 2000, 2003-04 Big Ten
Carr’s Michigan tenure is defined primarily by what the Wolverines haven’t done since he left: finish higher than 10th in the polls (he did it five times), win a Big Ten (he won five), beat Ohio State more than once (he went 6-7).
41. Mike Leach
Teams: Texas Tech (2000-09), Washington State (2012-19), Mississippi State (2020-present)
Record: 143-97
Known more for his eccentricities and Air Raid influence, Leach has also won big at schools that don’t usually do so. Tech finished ranked five times but hasn’t done so since he left. Wazzu’s only ranked finish in 17 years also came under his watch.
40. Bill McCartney
Team: Colorado (1982-94)
Record: 93-55-5
National title: 1990
Conference titles: 1989-91 Big 8
CU had finished in the AP top 10 just twice ever before the former Michigan assistant transformed the Buffaloes into an option-heavy powerhouse. He enjoyed three 11-win seasons, first emanating rival Nebraska and then briefly surpassing the Huskers.
39. Danny Ford
Teams: Clemson (1978-89), Arkansas (1993-97)
Record: 122-59-5
National title: 1981
Conference titles: 1981-82, 1986-88 ACC
The 1980s’ most underrated coach, Ford took the Clemson reins at age 30, led the Tigers to their first national title three years later, then worked through NCAA sanctions and won three straight ACC titles. He also won Arkansas its first SEC West title.
38. Dennis Erickson
Teams: Idaho (1982-85), Wyoming (1986), Washington State (1987-88), Miami (1989-94), Oregon State (1999-02), Idaho again (2006), Arizona State (2007-11)
Record: 179-96-1
National titles: 1989, 1991
Conference titles: 1985 Big Sky, 1991-92 and 1994 Big East, 2000 and 2007 Pac-10
A journeyman, players’ coach and underrated offensive innovator, Erickson kept The U’s dominance chugging along for a few years after Jimmy Johnson’s departure, won conference titles on both coasts and, perhaps most impressively, brought Oregon State its only top-five finish.
37. Frank Kush
Teams: Arizona State (1958-79)
Record: 176-54-1
Conference titles: 1959 and 1961 Border Conference, 1969-73, 1975 and 1977 WAC
One of the sport’s more physically demanding coaches (to put it kindly), the dictatorial Kush willed Arizona State into a power-conference program, engineering four AP top-10 finishes in six years, including a No. 2 finish in 1975. ASU moved up to the Pac-10 in 1978.
36. Brian Kelly
Teams: Grand Valley State (1991-2003), Central Michigan (2004-06), Cincinnati (2007-09), Notre Dame (2010-present)
Record: 273-96-2
National titles: 2002-03 Division II
Conference titles: 1992, 1997-98 Midwest Intercollegiate, 2001-02 GLIAC, 2006 MAC, 2008-09 Big East
From Allendale, Michigan, to South Bend, Kelly is one of the few coaches who has both gotten the opportunity to win big, and done so, in multiple divisions. He nearly brought Cincinnati to the BCS Championship and has brought sustained, high-level success back to Notre Dame.
35. Mark Richt
Teams: Georgia (2001-15), Miami (2016-18)
Record: 171-64
Conference titles: 2002 and 2005 SEC
Richt’s résumé featured everything but a national title. He won two SEC titles in his first five seasons at UGA, engineered seven top-10 finishes and came within a game, or a single bounce, of title shots in 2002, 2007 and 2012.
34. Jimbo Fisher
Teams: Florida State (2010-17), Texas A&M (2018-present)
Record: 109-33
National title: 2013
Conference titles: 2012-14 ACC
Fisher succeeded Bobby Bowden and quickly reestablished FSU’s powerhouse bona fides. His Noles won 59 games in five years and were barely challenged during a national title romp in 2013. He got A&M back into the top five within three years, too.
33. Howard Schnellenberger
Teams: Miami (1979-83), Louisville (1985-94), Oklahoma (1995), FAU (2001-11)
Record: 158-151-3
National title: 1983
Conference titles: 2007 Sun Belt
The endlessly confident and gravelly voiced Schnellenberger turned Miami — a program that had considered dropping football — into a national powerhouse and created a football believer in Louisville. Then he took a startup FAU program to the FBS level and briefly thrived as well.
32. Barry Alvarez
Teams: Wisconsin (1990-2005)
Record: 120-73-4
Conference titles: 1993, 1998-99 Big Ten
It’s one thing to turn a program around. It’s another to turn it around permanently. Alvarez brought a physical style to Madison that the Badgers have maintained ever since; Alvarez’s fingerprints are still all over the program, and in the best possible way.
31. Pat Dye
Teams: East Carolina (1974-79), Wyoming (1980), Auburn (1981-92)
Record: 153-62-5
Conference titles: 1976 Southern, 1983 and 1987-89 SEC
Like Richt, Dye’s career had everything but a national title. His Tigers came agonizingly close in 1983 and came within seven points of an unbeaten record in 1988. Regardless, AU was the scariest SEC team of the late 1980s and had the top-10 finishes to prove it.
30. Frank Broyles
Teams: Missouri (1957), Arkansas (1958-76)
Record: 149-62-6
National title: 1964
Conference titles: 1959-61, 1964-65, 1968 and 1975 SWC
Broyles saw enough potential in Arkansas to leave his first head-coaching gig after just one year; he proceeded to back up that decision by leading the Hogs to nine top-10 finishes, shares of seven conference titles and a claim to the 1964 national title.
29. Bo Schembechler
Teams: Miami (Ohio) (1963-68), Michigan (1969-89)
Record: 234-65-8
Conference titles: 1965-66 MAC; 1969, 1971-74, 1976-78, 1980, 1982, 1986 and 1987-88 Big Ten
A vaunted member of the Miami (Ohio) Cradle of Coaches lineage, Schembechler fought Woody Hayes to a draw in the Ten Year War, ripped off 16 top-10 finishes and 10 Rose Bowl trips and finished with either one or zero losses six times.
28. Gary Patterson
Team: TCU (2001-present)
Record: 178-74
Conference titles: 2002 Conference USA, 2005, 2009-11 Mountain West, 2014 Big 12
In the 40 years before Patterson took over, TCU had zero AP top-20 finishes. Patterson has eight in 20 years. He got the Horned Frogs promoted into the Big 12 after a 36-3 run (and Rose Bowl title) from 2008-10 and has pulled off another three top-10 finishes since. Good guitar player, too.
27. Frank Beamer
Team: Murray State (1981-86), Virginia Tech (1987-2015)
Record: 280-143-4
Conference titles: 1986 OVC, 1995-96, 1999, 2004, 2007-08, 2010 ACC
Virtually every single thing you think of when it comes to Virginia Tech football — Michael Vick, the 1999 BCS Championship appearance, “Enter Sandman,” innovative defense, game-changing special teams explosions — came about during the Beamer era. That says it all.
26. Bob Stoops
Team: Oklahoma (1999-2016)
Record: 190-48
National title: 2000
Conference title: 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006-08, 2010, 2012 and 2015-16 Big 12
OU was at its lowest-ever ebb when Stoops took over in 1999 … and he won a national title in his second year. He couldn’t replicate that feat, but he turned the Sooners back into both an offensive innovator and the Big 12’s premier program.
25. Jimmy Johnson
Teams: Oklahoma State (1979-83), Miami (1984-88)
Record: 81-34-3
National title: 1987
He would have finished higher if he hadn’t left to become one of the best NFL coaches of the 1990s, but in a single decade Johnson first turned Oklahoma State around, then firmly established The U’s burgeoning credentials as college football’s dominant program.
24. Dan Devine
Teams: Arizona State (1955-57), Missouri (1958-70), Notre Dame (1975-80)
Record: 172-57-9
National title: 1977
Conference titles: 1957 Border, 1960 and 1969 Big 8
He went 10-0 in his last year at ASU, won Missouri its last two conference titles (among four top-10 finishes) and, after a brief NFL dalliance, led Notre Dame to three top-10 finishes and, behind Joe Montana, its second-to-last national title.
23. John Gagliardi
Teams: Carroll (1949-52), Saint John’s (1953-2012)
Record: 489-138-11
National titles: 1963 and 1965 NAIA, 1976 and 2003 Division III
Conference titles: 1950-52 Montana Collegiate, 1953, 1962-63, 1965, 1971, 1974-77, 1979, 1982, 1985, 1989, 1991, 1993-96, 1998-99, 2001-03, 2005-06 and 2008-09 Minnesota Intercollegiate
“Saint John” coached in parts of eight decades, won national titles in both the 1960s and 2000s, limited contact in practice and demanded no one call him “Coach.” A genuinely one-of-a-kind figure in a field full of pseudo-generals.
22. Don James
Teams: Kent State (1971-74), Washington (1975-92)
Record: 175-79-3
National title: 1991
Conference titles: 1972 MAC, 1977, 1980-81 and 1990-92 Pac-10
He mentored Nick Saban and Gary Pinkel at Kent State, then turned Washington around twice — first bringing the Huskies to three Rose Bowls and then, after a mid-1980s funk, turning UW into a national powerhouse. His 1991 Huskies might be the best Pac-10 team of all-time.
21. Mack Brown
Teams: Appalachian State (1983), Tulane (1985-87), North Carolina (1988-97), Texas (1998-2013), North Carolina again (2019-present)
Record: 259-132-1
National title: 2005
Conference titles: 2005 and 2009 Big 12
One of the most charismatic and renowned recruiters in history, Brown turned programs around at Tulane and UNC, then led Texas to seven top-10 finishes in nine years. Then he returned from retirement and brought life back to the UNC program once more.
20. Chris Petersen
Teams: Boise State (2006-13), Washington (2014-19)
Record: 147-38
Conference titles: 2006 and 2008-10 WAC, 2012 Mountain West, 2016 and 2018 Pac-12
Few mid-majors have reached the heights Petersen established in Boise. His Broncos went 13-0 and beat Oklahoma in 2006, then won 38 games with three top-10 finishes from 2009 to ’11. He also brought Washington a CFP bid and its first outright conference titles in nearly 30 years.
19. Lou Holtz
Teams: William & Mary (1969-71), NC State (1972-75), Arkansas (1977-83), Minnesota (1984-85), Notre Dame (1986-96), South Carolina (1999-2004)
Record: 249-132-7
National title: 1988
Conference titles: 1970 Southern, 1973 ACC, 1979 SWC
He won conference or national titles at four schools and took six to bowls. A journeyman for decades, he found his home in South Bend, where, with a title and five top-fives, he became the greatest Notre Dame head coach of the past 40 years.
18. Darrell K Royal
Teams: Mississippi State (1954-55), Washington (1956), Texas (1957-76)
Record: 184-60-5
National titles: 1963, 1969-70
Conference titles: 1959, 1961-63, 1968-73 and 1975 SWC
A former Oklahoma QB, Royal turned Texas into Texas, winning claims of three national titles, losing one or zero games eight times and overseeing Emory Bellard’s invention of the Wishbone, which turned both his and many other heavyweight programs around in the 1970s.
17. Larry Kehres
Teams: Mount Union (1986-2012)
Record: 332-24-3
National titles: 1993, 1996-98, 2000-02, 2005-06, 2008 and 2012 Division III
Conference titles: 1986, 1990 and 1992-2012 Ohio Athletic
Mount Union had made the Division III playoffs just once in its history when Kehres took over. Twenty-seven years later, the school had made the playoffs 23 more times, won 11 national titles and reached the finals five more times. He crafted one of the sport’s surest things.
16. Woody Hayes
Teams: Denison (1946-48), Miami (Ohio) (1949-50), Ohio State (1951-78)
Record: 238-72-10
National titles: 1954, 1957, 1968
Conference titles: 1947 OAC, 1950 MAC, 1954-55, 1957, 1961, 1968-70 and 1972-77 Big Ten
One of the most conservative and military-obsessed coaches ever, Hayes approached football like ground warfare and won big. After a mid-1960s slump, he raised his recruiting and soared to eight top-10s and six Rose Bowls in nine years. He lost one or zero games 12 times.
15. Jim Tressel
Teams: Youngstown State (1986-2000), Ohio State (2001-10)
Record: 241-79-2
National titles: 1991, 1993-94 and 1997 FCS, 2002 FBS
Conference titles: 1987 Ohio Valley, 2002, 2005-10 Big Ten
After turning YSU into FCS royalty (he’s now school president), Tressel took a leap to Ohio State and, in his second year, won the Buckeyes’ first national title in 34 years. His decade in Columbus ended with eight top-10s and shares of seven conference titles.
14. Pete Carroll
Team: USC (2001-09)
Record: 97-19
National titles: 2003-04
Conference titles: 2002-08 Pac-10
Like Jimmy Johnson, Carroll’s college run was cut short by a Super Bowl-winning move to the NFL. But he needed barely a year to awaken a sleeping giant and lead it to nearly unprecedented success: His Trojans earned seven straight top-fours and won two national titles.
13. Steve Spurrier
Teams: Duke (1987-89), Florida (1990-2001), South Carolina (2005-15)
Record: 228-89-2
National titles: 1996
Conference titles: 1989 ACC, 1991, 1993-96 and 2000 SEC
He won Duke’s only conference title in six decades. He led South Carolina to its only three top-10s. He turned Florida into a football heavyweight with 10 top-10 finishes and the school’s first six SEC titles in 11 years. A pretty good ol’ ball coach.
12. Eddie Robinson
Teams: Grambling (1941-97)
Record: 408-165-15
National titles: 1955, 1967, 1972, 1974-75, 1977, 1980, 1983 and 1992 HBCU national championships
Conference titles: 1960, 1965-68, 1971-75, 1977-80, 1983, 1985, 1989 and 1994 SWAC
Robinson recorded his first unbeaten season at age 23, won more than 400 games and nine Black college football national championships and saw more than 200 of his players play in the pros, and he’s the only person on this list portrayed by Harry Belafonte in a movie. Enough said.
11. Joe Paterno
Team: Penn State (1966-2011)
Record: 409-136-3
National titles: 1982, 1986
Conference titles: 1994, 2005 and 2008 Big Ten
We’re really testing the limits of the “don’t talk about scandals” policy here, but on the field, Paterno’s acumen was undoubtable. He engineered top-10 finishes in five different decades, and he won two national titles — nearly won five more.
10. LaVell Edwards
Team: BYU (1972-2000)
Record: 257-101-3
National title: 1984
Conference titles: 1974, 1976-85, 1989-93 and 1995-96 WAC, 1999 Mountain West
One of the most influential and prolific offensive coaches in history, Edwards was also one of its best. BYU hadn’t spent even a week ranked before he led the Cougars to the most unlikely of national titles, three top-10 finishes and shares of 19 conference titles.
9. Barry Switzer
Team: Oklahoma (1973-88)
Record: 157-29-4
National titles: 1974-75, 1985
Conference titles: 1973-80 and 1984-87 Big 8
Switzer rode the Wishbone and otherworldly recruiting to spectacular success in the 1970s, and after a brief identity crisis in the early 1980s, he returned to the Bone and went 33-3 from 1985 to ’87. Over half his seasons ended with the Sooners in the AP top three.
8. Bill Snyder
Team: Kansas State (1989-2005, 2009-18)
Record: 215-117-1
Conference titles: 2003, 2012
By far the best coach to never win a national title, Snyder took on a K-State job almost literally no one wanted, built it into one of the most elite programs of the late 1990s, retired, then returned and won the Big 12 for a second time. The ultimate program builder.
7. Dabo Swinney
Team: Clemson (2009-present)
Record: 140-33
National titles: 2016, 2018
Conference titles: 2011 and 2015-20 ACC
The best coach to have briefly retired to sell real estate, Swinney surprised many by landing the Clemson job, then surprised even more by building a Tiger warship. In the past six seasons, Clemson has gone 79-7 and won its second and third national titles. And he’s only 51.
6. John McKay
Team: USC (1960-75)
Record: 127-40-8
National titles: 1962, 1967, 1972, 1974
Conference titles: 1962, 1964, 1966-69 and 1972-74 Pac-8
USC had been terribly inconsistent post-war, but that changed in McKay’s third season. From 1962 to ’74, the Trojans won four national titles with nine top-10s and eight Rose Bowl bids. He turned USC into Running Back U and set the table for further success with John Robinson.
5. Urban Meyer
Teams: Bowling Green (2001-02), Utah (2003-04), Florida (2005-10), Ohio State (2012-18)
Record: 187-32
National titles: 2006, 2008, 2014
Conference titles: 2003-04 Mountain West, 2006 and 2008 SEC, 2014 and 2017-18 Big Ten
He immediately turned BGSU around. He went 22-2 at Utah. He won two national titles (and nearly a third) at Florida. He won another at Ohio State while losing just five conference games in seven years. Whatever your school’s potential was, you realized it under Meyer.
4. Tom Osborne
Team: Nebraska (1973-97)
Record: 255-49-3
National titles: 1994-95, 1997
Conference titles: 1975, 1978, 1981-84, 1988 and 1991-95 Big 8, 1997 Big 12
Field an awesome team every year, and eventually you’ll get the breaks and win titles. It’s the Osborne rule. His Huskers were ridiculously consistent in the 1970s and 1980s — only one team finished outside the top 15 — and finally broke through with three titles in his last four seasons.
3. Bobby Bowden
Teams: Samford (1959-62), West Virginia (1970-75), Florida State (1976-2009)
Record: 377-129-4
National titles: 1993, 1999
Conference titles: 1992-2000, 2002-03 and 2005 ACC
You almost literally can’t build a winner like Bowden did at FSU anymore. His indie Noles took on all comers and acted like a national power until they became one. Only Swinney has a shot at his 14 straight top-five finishes, and Bowden’s 26 top-15 finishes are jarring, too.
2. Bear Bryant
Teams: Maryland (1945), Kentucky (1946-53), Texas A&M (1954-57), Alabama (1958-1982)
Record: 323-85-17
National titles: 1961, 1964-65, 1978-79
Conference titles: 1956 SWC, 1950, 1961, 1964-66, 1971-75, 1977-79 and 1981 SEC
He nearly won national titles at Kentucky and A&M, and when “Mama called,” he came home to his alma mater, won three national titles in five years, then responded to a late-1960s funk by integrating his roster, adopting the Wishbone and ripping off seven top-fives in eight years.
1. Nick Saban
Teams: Toledo (1990), Michigan State (1995-99), LSU (2000-04), Alabama (2007-present)
Record: 256-65-1
National titles: 2003, 2009, 2011-12, 2015, 2017 and 2020
Conference titles: 1990 MAC, 2001, 2003, 2009, 2012, 2014-16, 2018 and 2020 SEC
Was there any doubt? Saban had already done enough to earn a spot on this list when he left for the NFL in 2005. Since coming to Tuscaloosa in 2007, he has put together simply the greatest-ever run of dominance: six national titles (with two more title game appearances), seven SEC titles and 13 straight top-10 finishes. He hasn’t quite matched Bowden’s 14 straight top-fives, but the rings more than make up for that. And if last year is any indication, this run is far from over.
