College Football: 25 greatest head coaches of the 21st century

Best college football coaches of 21st century: 17. Kyle Whittingham

• Utah Utes (2005-Present)

This might be a bit of a surprise on this list, but Kyle Whittingham has been a sneaky-good head coach in the Pac-12. In fact, he’s been good since before Utah joined the Power 5. Being a small school in a big conference is a tough transition, and Whittingham led the Utes really well.

The fact that Whittingham has coached for so long at one school is impressive. Most coaches either get fired or work their way up the ladder. Add in the fact that Utah was Whittingham’s first head coaching job, and you have to appreciate his loyalty. He probably could have taken other jobs, but he is determined to make Utah relevant.

Whittingham’s best season with Utah was when they were in the Mountain West in 2008. After a perfect record in the regular season, the Utes faced Alabama. The Crimson Tide were one game away from playing in their first title in the Saban era. Despite Alabama’s success that season, Utah beat the Tide in the Sugar Bowl to finish their perfect 13-0 season.

Speaking of bowl games, one stat is on Kyle Whittingham’s side. He surprisingly has the greatest win percentage in bowl games in college football history. His 11-2 record also puts him in the top 10 in bowl wins. Part of this is because they don’t always play in the toughest bowl games, but wins are wins.

This season comes with high expectations for the Utes. With a strong defense returning and a weak Pac-12 South, the Utes are a dark horse candidate to win their conference. We’ll see what they do under Whittingham in 2019.