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College Football: Top 25 head coaches ahead of 2018 season

By Gavin Jernigan

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)
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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GLENDALE, AZ – DECEMBER 30: Head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions walks down the sidelines during the first half of the Playstation Fiesta Bowl against the Washington Huskies at University of Phoenix Stadium on December 30, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ – DECEMBER 30: Head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions walks down the sidelines during the first half of the Playstation Fiesta Bowl against the Washington Huskies at University of Phoenix Stadium on December 30, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Although his record at Vanderbilt wasn’t great, James Franklin has done an incredible job in the past two years at Penn State. In 2016, Penn State won the Big Ten title, and this year, went 11-2 with a win in the Fiesta Bowl. Additionally, it should be recognized that Franklin has essentially turned around the Penn State program, bringing them up as a top program again in college football. Furthermore, we all remember Franklin sprinting down the field to ensure his player shook the opposing teams hands. Whether or not this was a little excessive, he earns points in the sportsmanship category.

Probably the most surprising coach on the list, Ken Niumatalolo comes in at No. 17. But let’s consider a few facts. Since he has taken over at Navy, the Midshipmen have made it to a bowl game 10 out of 11 seasons.Additionally, Navy has competed for the AAC championship twice in the first three years of the conference existence.

Related Story. Navy Football Season Preview. light

The AAC has very good Houston, Memphis, Cincinnati, and Temple programs in addition to USF and the disputed 2017 national champs, UCF. With all the limitations and constraints that come with running a football program at the United States Naval Academy, Niumatalolo builds a team to compete with the likes of Notre Dame, year in and year out.

Mike Gundy may seem a little high on the list, however, he earns big points in the consistency category. Reaching a bowl game in every season since 2006 is hard to do, no matter what program you’re coaching. Furthermore, a top-three finish in the Big 12 in every season except one (2014) in the past decade is incredible. However, in the past few years, Oklahoma State has struggled to put together a complete season that has capped off with a big bowl win.

Mark Richt is one of the most established and accomplished coaches on this list. After a great 15 years at Georgia, Richt was let go, and was quickly hired by Miami. His success his first two years at Miami demonstrates his ability to quickly turn around a program. At one point last year, Maimi was ranked No. 2 in the country. Additionally, Richt won Coach of the Year in 2017. We’ll have to see if he can lead the Hurricanes to the top of the ACC in 2018.

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