College Football: Top 25 head coaches ahead of 2018 season

NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 01: Head coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide and head coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers greet after the AllState Sugar Bowl at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 1, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /

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The 2018 college football season is right around the corner and these 25 head coaches pace the sport as the best in their field.

Now before we get into the weeds of the rankings, we must establish what criteria is being considered in these rankings. Initially, we will narrow down our considerations based on some of the more obvious criteria.

Wins and winning percentage
Bowl game appearances and championships
Experience
Consistency

However, one of the most important, yet overlooked, aspects of a head coach is their ability to run a program. Because not all head coaches are play callers. Many of the best coaches spend very little time involved with the “Xs and Os”. Therefore, in order to consider how good a coach is, one must also consider the following:

Ability to hire and run a staff
Recruiting
Dealing with the media
Mentoring young men
Inevitably, handling misconduct

Essentially, consider a brand new college program is started. The rankings follow who you may want to start up the program as the head coach. Let’s get into the rankings.

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