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What current head coaches do you consider elite in College Football?

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saban and Meyer

Next tier would include Dabo, Peterson, Kelly, Richt, Franklin, Shaw, others

/ if Dabo wins it all again this season, he moves into top tier. Maybe if he makes it to championship
 
Dabo did not inherit a blue blood program. He built one. Remember the whole running joke of “pulling a Clemson?”

Clemson was a middling ACC team when Dabo got there. Now they’re perennial Conference favorites and picked to go to their 4th consecutive CFP.

Dabo also didn’t walk into a situation where the school already had National brand appeal like a Bama, USC, Michigan, Ohio State, or Notre Dame. Dabo put Clemson into the national conversation when they were a team best known for always managing to drop a few games they weren’t supposed to lose.

For that, I put Dabo just a few notches below Saban. Urban is a scumbag who doesn’t even merit discussion. He inherited a good situation at Florida that he elevated slightly through nothing more than a willingness to turn a blind eye to abuse and criminal behavior, and Ohio State was already a championship caliber program. He was given the keys to a Lamborghini and told not to crash it—and he just drove it headlong into a ******* oak tree.

IMO, it’s Saban, Dabo, then everyone else.
 
Gary Patterson needs to be on these lists. He's taken TCU from pure crap to now a Big 12 contender each and every single year. He guided them from the WAC, Conference USA, Mountain West, and even won a share of the Big 12 title. Very few HC in history have guided a program up the ranks like this to national prominence.
 
OrdunaDrive said:
So if you coach at a school that doesn't spend 100s of millions on their football program, then you aren't an elite coach? Or if you coach at a school that, no matter how well you perform (Boise State, UCF) you won't get invited to play for a national championship, you also aren't elite?
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You beat me to this point. There are some great coaches that if they had the kind of financial backing some of the big boys have they would have to be included in the "elite" status.
Bill Snyder at K State had done one of the most amazing jobs in college football.
Cutcliff at Duke is able to field pretty good teams with quite a handicap.
He won't get a mention but Craig Bohl when he was at North Dakota State went 104 - 32 and won 3 NC's in a row
 
The usual suspects but the guy that doesn't get nearly enough credit is Chris Peterson at UW. What he did at Boise State was impressive and then he took over UW and got them in the playoff after just a couple years. Washington state sure doesn't have much elite talent to recruit he is **** good.
 
Heals85 said:
The usual suspects but the guy that doesn't get nearly enough credit is Chris Peterson at UW. What he did at Boise State was impressive and then he took over UW and got them in the playoff after just a couple years. Washington state sure doesn't have much elite talent to recruit he is **** good.
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He's good.

If Mark Richt can get us into the playoff mix, then he will stake his claim as well.
 
Why do people continuously forget about Chris Peterson? Guy can build a top 10 team anywhere he wants. Patterson too. He took a mountain west team and moved them up to the big boys and is perennially competitive
 
Elite: Saban, Dabo, Meyer.

Guys at the door: Franklin, Peterson, Chryst, Shaw, Fisher (Fisher was elite at one point but he has sharply declined since '13)

Guys who could be close but has some things to prove: Richt, D'Antonio, Kirby, Patterson, Scott Frost, Gundy, Malzahn, Helton, Chip
 
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canadianhurricane said:
Who do you guys think is on the verge of becoming elite????

I'd say:

Herman - if he can recreate what he did at UH at UT (which should be easier for him), he could be a problem

Peterson - had success everywhere

Frost - the turnaround at UCF was impressive. See herman

Cant think of anyone else
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James Franklin. I think he is elite but still needs to prove it. I don’t want him to because i hate penn state
 
For those questioning Harbaugh, he took over 1-11 Stanford and 4 years later had them #3 in country, 12-1 with a 40-12 Orange Bowl win over VaTech. He then takes over the miserable 49ers and goes 13-3 first year with 3 straight NFC championship games with two average QBs. Look at Sabans NFL record with average QBs.

His first two years at Michigan would look a lot different if their punter just holds onto the snap against Michigan State (would have been 11-2) and they don’t have a bad spot against Ohio State (would have made the playoff.) This year with Patterson they’re gonna have a great shot at the playoff.
 
Not buying Hawwwwbarfff in the same league as the Enabler, Satan or *****. He has a lot of bluster and for whatever success he has, he either corches a key moment or wears out his welcome.

Fisher is interesting. X and O wise, no question, he's among the best, but his evaluations in recruiting can be real spotty, see his QB parade. The Manbun is the best he's had and he was imploding against Bama before they put him out of his misery.

Richt is in the second tier until he wins a NC. He's a legit top 10 to 15 coach, but he's been around too long to not have a 'ship and be in the Top 5, IMO.

He shook off a few demons by beating VT and ND like he did, those were the classic in conference "Richt losses" we were warned about. Pitt and Wisconsin were disgraceful. Clemson was just beyond our reach last season.
 
TheChosenOne said:
Elite: Saban, Dabo, Meyer.

Guys at the door: Franklin, Peterson, Chryst, Shaw, Fisher (Fisher was elite at one point but he has sharply declined since '13)

Guys who could be close but has some things to prove: Richt, D'Antonio, Kirby, Patterson, Scott Frost, Gundy, Malzahn, Helton, Chip
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Just curious what Richt has to prove to get him into that second group of guys knocking at the door. You’ll have to refresh my memory. I don’t recall Franklin, Peterson, Shaw, Crist, or Fisher taking a team that was averaging 7 wins per season for 15 years and turning them into a team that averaged 10 wins over the next 15 years...in the SEC. The only person in that group with any real success is Jimbo and he was HC in waiting to take over a dynasty program. And he only really had 2 good seasons. Jimbo was average at best at FSU without Jamies. FSU recruits itself, so I give Jimbo very little credit for the classes they were able to land. He was shlt at hiring assistants. He held on to coaches who were clearly not cut out for the job. And because of that, FSU under Fisher was shlt at developing talent. They had more busts during his tenure than any other P5 program.
 
If Dabo could prove he could win at a second school, I would put him in the elite category.
 
TheEye said:
If Dabo could prove he could win at a second school, I would put him in the elite category.
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That’s odd logic considering what he’s done at a middle of the road program and the only likely situation for him to leave would be Alabama.
 
hughhoney said:
That’s odd logic considering what he’s done at a middle of the road program and the only likely situation for him to leave would be Alabama.
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Yeah I don't understand that. He built Clemson up and has been able to sustain their success (so far). He's elite.
 
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David Shaw has done an elite job at Stanford. He may not ever win a NC but we’ve seen a NC win is not the sole measuring stick. If a NC was the lone criteria Larry Coker and Gene Chisik would be elite, and they clearly are not that caliber. Gary Patterson is elite at TCU, but will likely never win a NC.

I don’t think Fisher is elite. His record at FSU without Winston is not impressive when you consider the standards and resources at FSU. If he can build Texas A&M into a powerhouse, I’ll reconsider.

Saban is clearly above all coaches. His record is unsurpassed. Most on this board this Bama is the best rule breaker, and more or less protected by the NCAA. Do we want to consider the ‘bagman’ factor?

Urban Meyer is proven elite.

I’d put Dabo Sweeney in the elite category. He beat Saban in a NC game, and crushed Meyer in a bowl game against Ohio State. Clemson is on a roll and shows no sign of slowing down.

Harbaugh needs to rebound at Michigan. His record in the NFL easily surpasses Saban’s at the Dolphins. Harbaugh took over a bad 49er team and built them into an NFC champion and was one play from a Super Bowl winner. I’d rate Harbaugh elite, but he needs a top QB at Michigan, like he had with Andrew Luck at Stanford.

Mark Richt will be elite if he wins a NC at Miami. I think it’s fair to say he underachieved at UGA.
 
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Twhizman said:
Elite means best of the best.championships are the barometer is it not.that doesn't mean that other coaches at smaller venues aren't good .there's a bunch of good coaches who deserve respect.Patterson,Bill Snyder etc but you can't call them elite.you could give a coach like golden a $100 million venue he wouldn't win one championship.
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Championships tell us which TEAM is the best (and they don't even tell us that very accurately). They don't tell us which safety or quarterback is the best, and they don't tell us which coach is the best. Gene Chizik won a championship, but none of us confuse him with elite.
 
Wildnation said:
Are you sure about Jim? What has he actually achieved? Isn’t his record against penn state and Ohio state horrible? And even Michigan state is pretty competitive?
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Depends if you’re talking just college or not IMO

What did in the pros was impressive and certainly more than Saban achieved

HAsnt quite translated yet though in college but still early
 
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