College Football: Top 25 head coaches ahead of 2018 season

Justin Fuente revitalized the Memphis football program and established the Tigers’ presence as one of the top programs in the American Athletic Conference. His performance earned him an offer to coach at Virginia Tech, and he has not disappointed. As Fuente continues to exceed expectations at Virginia Tech, look for him to find himself in a big-time program that takes a chance.

Mark Dantonio has shown great ability winning games in a tough Big Ten conference. However, despite winning multiple conference championships, he has never won the big game (well unless you count the 2013 Rose Bowl game, but that was five years ago). The athletic department has come under fire, but Dantonio has seemingly handled everything the right way and came out with a 10-win season in 2017 after a 3-9 campaign in 2016.

It’s hard to discredit what has been accomplished by Lincoln Riley in just one year at Oklahoma. Taking a tremendous Georgia Bulldog team deep into overtime in a thrilling Rose Bowl game last year demonstrates Riley’s potential at Oklahoma. Yet, he did indeed have the Heisman Trophy winner in Baker Mayfield. On that same note, he essentially let Baker run the wild wild west through his repeated disrespect and lack of sportsmanship on the field. Riley’s coaching ability will truly be tested this coming year, giving us a better idea of whether this past year was a fluke.