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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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ATLANTA, GA – DECEMBER 02: Head coach Gus Malzahn of the Auburn Tigers runs out of the tunnel with his team prior to the game against the Auburn Tigers in the SEC Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 2, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA – DECEMBER 02: Head coach Gus Malzahn of the Auburn Tigers runs out of the tunnel with his team prior to the game against the Auburn Tigers in the SEC Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 2, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

Quiet dominance. That is how I would describe Paul Chryst and the Wisconsin Badgers over the past two seasons. In a conference that truly is a handful of very good teams “just beating up on each other”, Chryst has made it to the Big Ten title game in each of the past two seasons. Additionally, he has won all three bowl games in the past three years. The Holiday, Cotton, and Orange Bowl were all significant bowl games, so the big game is no issue for the head coach. All this has been accomplished with essentially no misconduct. Chryst is a top-tier head coach.

Giving Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide two losses in five years is actually a significant accomplishment. Additionally, winning a national championship in the Saban era is also very tough to do. And keeping a job in the SEC for five years with a conference record of only 25-15, means you must be doing something right. Gus Malzahn has still made a New Year’s Six bowl the past two years with a decent chance of beating Alabama and winning a national title because he’s just that good of a coach.

Wait who? That’s right. Chip Kelly is back. Let’s not forget what he accomplished in his last three years at Oregon before taking his talents to the NFL. In 2009, he lost in the Rose Bowl. In 2010, he was undefeated until a loss in the national title game. In 2011, he had one loss season and a win in the Rose bowl. And in 2012, he had a one-loss season and a win in the Fiesta Bowl. In those years, Kelly had people seriously considering if the Pac-12 was the best conference in college football. With him back on the West Coast, look for Kelly to rely upon his strong recruiting ties in Southern California to lead UCLA to the top of all of college football.

David Shaw’s leadership and development of young men, paired with his dominance of the Pac-12 North since 2011, brings him to No. 4 on the list. Furthermore, Shaw demonstrates what it means to have such great loyalty to his alma mater. Shaw played at Stanford and has been with the program since 2007. Look for him to keep Stanford atop the Pac-12 for many years to come.

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