College Football: Ranking 10 best head coaches from past 5 seasons
By Ryan Kay
2. Nick Saban (Alabama)
Nick Saban was ranked No. 1 in the top coaches of the past decade rankings. Even though he is not ranked No. 1 in this top coach rankings, he still is considered the top coach in America by many publications. Even though Saban and his Crimson Tide not dominate every single season the past five years, Alabama has been very successful.
The 2015 season was not perfect but it was close to it. Saban and his Crimson Tide won their first two games that included a win against No. 20 ranked Wisconsin. The one hiccup and or loss that Alabama had that season was a home loss to No. 15 Ole Miss. The Crimson Tide were losing going into the fourth quarter and fought and made the game close but they ended up falling by a final score of 43-37. After that game, Alabama would not lose again.
After not allowing a point to Louisiana-Monroe, the Tide defeated two top 10 teams on the road in No. 8 Georgia and No. 9 Texas A&M both by double digits. They won five straight games and went into their game against No. 2 LSU ranked No. 4. Saban and Alabama defeated LSU 30-16 and the following week traveled to No. 17 Mississippi State and decisively beat the Bulldogs by 25. The Crimson Tide would also win their next two games including a road victory over their No. 1 rival Auburn.
After winning the SEC West, Alabama would play No. 18 Florida in the SEC title game. The game was not a blowout, by any means, but Saban and his team won by two touchdowns to become the 2015 SEC champions. Alabama would get a berth in the College Football Playoff as the No. 2 seed.
Saban had his team playing very well heading into the playoff with a dominating defense but also an efficient offense that could score when needed. Against No. 3 Michigan State, the game was close going into halftime with the Crimson Tide’s defense as stingy as ever. In the second half, Alabama’s offense would explode and the defense would continue to dominate on their way to a 38-0 shutout. Alabama would then play No. 1 Clemson in a highly-anticipated matchup in the national title game.
In a hard-fought game, Alabama and Clemson were tied at halftime. In the second half, it went back and forth as Alabama had a great fourth quarter and Saban’s team held on and defeated the Tigers 45-40. The Crimson Tide were national champions as they had another memorable season. Alabama beat five top 10 teams and only lost one game on the year.
They looked to become back-to-back national champs in 2016.
The 2016 season looked like it might be like 2009 when Alabama finished this season undefeated. The Crimson Tide dominated No. 20 USC by a score of 52-6 and then easily defeated Western Kentucky going into a rematch with Ole Miss. The Rebels were the only SEC team to have defeated Alabama the previous season and the Crimson Tide was ready and looking to avenge that 2015 loss.
They traveled to face No. 19 Mississippi and once again it was a back-and-forth game. In this matchup, both teams combined for over 90 points in a high-scoring affair. In the end, Alabama would win 48-43. The Tide kept on rolling in SEC play.
After defeating Kentucky, the Crimson Tide would beat four top 16 ranked teams with three of those victories being on the road. Alabama in four straight games defeated No. 16 Arkansas, No. 9 Tennessee, No. 6 Texas A&M and No. 15 LSU. Then, after beating Mississippi State and Chattanooga, they would not face an unranked team for the rest of the season.
Alabama defeated its biggest rival No. 16 Auburn to win the SEC West once again. Alabama would play again and face off against Florida in the SEC title game. Unlike last the previous conference championship game, the Crimson Tide dismantled the Gators defense, putting up 54 points and Alabama held Florida to only 16 points.
They would earn a No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff after completing the regular season undefeated.
In the national semifinal, Alabama would compete against the No. 4 Washington Huskies. The Crimson Tide offense went up against a tough Washington defense but Alabama scored 24 points and the defense held the Huskies offense to single digits.
With their victory over Washington, Alabama wound once again face Clemson in the national championship game.
In the national title game, the Crimson Tide would have a 24-14 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Unfortunately for Saban, the Tigers would score 21 fourth-quarter points on their way to a dramatic 35-31 victory, denying him a second straight title.