Sep 21, 2013; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish coach Brian Kelly (left) shakes hands after the game with Michigan State Spartans coach Mark Dantonio at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Who are the best college football coaches who have had a tremendous amount of success but have fallen short when it comes to the ultimate glory of a national championship?
This is an honor that you don’t want. Coaches and players compete to win a championship, but not everyone can be that lucky to win a national title, so this is their moment to get some as the best coaches who aren’t sporting a flashy diamond championship ring on their finger.
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Urban Meyer won his third national championship, Nick Saban has four and Jimbo Fisher, Les Miles, Steve Spurrier, Bob Stoops and Larry Coker are the only active college football coaches with national titles on their resume, but a host of great coaches patrolling the sidelines who have yet to reach the pinnacle of their careers.
Will that time come soon? For some of the coaches on this list, they will be in the running for a berth in the College Football Playoff this season, so this fraternity could shrink by one.
Some of these coaches have been champions on lower levels, whether it be high school or Division II and some have won as assistants, but none have finished the season on top as a head coach.
Without further ado, here are the top 15 college football head coaches without a national championship.
After reading through the list, please leave your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below and continue the conversation.
Next: Dabo Swinney
Dec 29, 2014; Orlando, FL, USA; Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney reacts during the second quarter of the 2014 Russell Athletic Bowl at Florida Citrus Bowl against the Oklahoma Sooners. Mandatory Credit: Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports
Next: Gary Pinkel
Oct 18, 2014; Gainesville, FL, USA; Missouri Tigers head coach Gary Pinkel during the second half against the Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Missouri Tigers defeated the Florida Gators 42-13. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Gary Pinkel is has the fifth most wins among active coaches with 186 and is one of the more seasoned men on the sidelines with 10 years at Toledo and entering his 15th season at Missouri this year.
Pinkel is associated with two of the best coaches of all-time in Don James who he played for at Kent State and later coached on his staff at Kent State and Washington and Nick Saban who was a college teammate at Kent State. Coincidentally enough, Pinkel took over for Saban at Toledo when he left to become the defensive coordinator for Bill Belichick’s Cleveland Browns.
Pinkel had two 10-win seasons at Toledo, including the 1995 season when he led the Rockets to a 11-0-1 record and the No. 24 rank in the final coaches and AP polls. He was 73-37-3 during his time in Toledo before taking the Missouri job in 2011. In his time in Columbia, Pinkel has six bowl wins, five 10-win seasons, three Big 12 north division titles, two SEC east division titles and a pair of top-five finishes.
He has a career record of 186-103-3.
Next: Frank Beamer
Nov 1, 2014; Blacksburg, VA, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies head coach Frank Beamer reacts in the fourth quarter at Lane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Next: Bobby Petrino
Mar 8, 2014; Louisville, KY, USA; Louisville Cardinals head coach Bobby Petrino speaks during a press conference at KFC Yum! Center. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports
Petrino has led Louisville to a top-five finish when the Cardinals won the Orange Bowl behind quarterback Brian Brohm to finish 12-1 in 2006 and another with Arkansas in 2011 after going 11-2 with both losses to Alabama and LSU who played in the national championship game that year.
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12
Bobby Petrino
Head Coach, Louisville
Bobby Petrino has an ugly reputation as a coach who is always looking for his next promotion in a new place and his infamous motorcycle wreck that exposed his affair with an Arkansas staffer led to his exit from the Razorbacks and cast a huge black eye on a talented coach.
Say what you will about Petrino as a human being, but as a coach, few understand the x’s and o’s and how to beat a defense like him. Currently in his second stint with Louisville, Petrino has a career record of 92-34 with stops at Louisville, Arkansas, Western Kentucky and now at Louisville again. In 11 seasons on the sideline, Petrino has only one losing season, his first at Arkansas when he went 5-7.
Petrino has led Louisville to a top-five finish when the Cardinals won the Orange Bowl behind quarterback Brian Brohm to finish 12-1 in 2006 and another with Arkansas in 2011 after going 11-2 with both losses to Alabama and LSU who played in the national championship game that year.
Next: Chris Petersen
Jul 24, 2014; Hollywood, CA, USA; Washington Huskies head coach Chris Petersen talks to the media during the Pac-12 Media Day at the Studios at Paramount. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Next: Mark Helfrich
Jan 1, 2015; Pasadena, CA, USA; Tournament of Roses president Rich Chinen and ESPN announcer Rece Davis present the Leishman Trophy to Oregon Ducks head coach Mark Helfrich after the Oregon Ducks defeated the Florida State Seminoles in the 2015 Rose Bowl college football game at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Next: Gus Malzahn
Oct 25, 2014; Auburn, AL, USA; Auburn Tigers head coach Gus Malzahn reacts to a call during the second half against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Jordan Hare Stadium. Auburn won 42-35. Mandatory Credit: Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY Sports
Next: Brian Kelly
Sep 27, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Brian Kelly reacts while speaking with Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Everett Golson (right) during a time out against the Syracuse Orange during the first quarter at MetLife Stadium. Notre Dame defeated Syracuse 31-15. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
Next: Art Briles
Nov 8, 2014; Norman, OK, USA; Baylor Bears head coach Art Briles watches his team warm up prior to action against the Oklahoma Sooners at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Briles took over the Baylor program in 2008 and after a 4-8 season in his first year developed quarterback Robert Griffin III into the program’s first Heisman winner in 2011. His time in Waco has been a series of firsts. Whether it was the first 10-win season, beating the team in the country in Kansas State, winning 11 games and the Big 12 title in back-to-back years and beating Oklahoma for the first time in program history.
Baylor had 11 conference wins in the 12 years before Briles’ arrived and in his time he’s won 33 games in the Big 12. He’s already the best coach in program history and he’s just getting started. Briles has a 89-62 career record.
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7
Art Briles
Head Coach, Baylor
Art Briles coached high school football in Texas from 1979-1999 where he developed a reputation as one of the best prep coaches in the nation with Stephenville High School and is credited with bringing the spread offense to Texas high school football.
His first college coaching gig came as the running backs coach at Texas Tech on Mike Leach’s staff in 2000 and stayed there for two years before he got his first head coach job at Houston in 2003. Briles took over the floundering program that went 0-11 two years before his arrival and went 34-28 in his five years. The Cougars put up prolific passing numbers under Case Keenum and won Conference USA in 2006.
Briles took over the Baylor program in 2008 and after a 4-8 season in his first year developed quarterback Robert Griffin III into the program’s first Heisman winner in 2011. His time in Waco has been a series of firsts. Whether it was the first 10-win season, beating the team in the country in Kansas State, winning 11 games and the Big 12 title in back-to-back years and beating Oklahoma for the first time in program history.
Baylor had 11 conference wins in the 12 years before Briles’ arrived and in his time he’s won 33 games in the Big 12. He’s already the best coach in program history and he’s just getting started. Briles has a 89-62 career record.
Next: David Shaw
Sep 6, 2014; Stanford, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal coach David Shaw runs onto the field at the start of the second half against the Southern California Trojans at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Next: Jim Harbaugh
Dec 30, 2014; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Jim Harbaugh speaks to the media as he is introduced as the new head football coach of the Michigan Wolverines at Jonge Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Next: Gary Patterson
Jan 10, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; TCU Horned Frogs head football coach Gary Patterson poses for a photo with the the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year trophy during a reception at Renaissance Hotel Dallas. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Next: Mark Richt
Oct 18, 2014; Little Rock, AR, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Mark Richt during the first half against the Arkansas Razorbacks at War Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
Next: Bill Snyder
Oct 4, 2014; Manhattan, KS, USA; Kansas State Wildcats head coach Bill Snyder looks on during a 45-13 win against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports
After retiring after the 2005 season, Snyder returned to the sidelines in 2009 and the 75-year-old coach is readying for his seventh season in his second stint with the Wildcats where he’s won 51 games in six years and three top-20 finishes.
Snyder holds a career record of 187–94–1.
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2
Bill Snyder
Head Coach, Kansas State
Bill Snyder’s 23 years at Kansas State are only surpassed by Beamer’s 28 years at Virginia Tech among active coaches and he’s arguably the most important person to ever come through Manhattan, KS. The Hall of Fame coach presided over the Wildcats 300th, 400th and 500th all-time wins, he has won a Coach of the Year award 14 times in his career, including seven times he was the Big 8/Big 12 winner. He even has the stadium at Kansas State named after him and his family.
Snyder’s first stint with Kansas State was from 1989-2005 when he had seven double-digit win seasons and six times finished ranked inside the top-10, including four straight from 1997-2000. In the 1998 season he led Kansas State to their first ever No. 1 ranking and in 2003 beat Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship Game to win the school’s second conference title.
After retiring after the 2005 season, Snyder returned to the sidelines in 2009 and the 75-year-old coach is readying for his seventh season in his second stint with the Wildcats where he’s won 51 games in six years and three top-20 finishes.
Snyder holds a career record of 187–94–1.
Next: Mark Dantonio
Oct 25, 2014; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Mark Dantonio walks the sidelines during the 2nd half of a game at Spartan Stadium. MSU won 35-11. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports
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