Who are college football’s most successful head coaches from the past five seasons? You might be surprised at who makes the list.
Which FBS head football coaches of late have had the best and most accomplishments from the past five seasons?
After looking at the coaching resumes over the past five years by inspecting and analyzing their recent on-field accomplishments, 10 coaches have shown to have been the most proficient and accomplished. These 10 are a select group who have impressive accomplishments with division and conference championships as well as bowl victories and playoff appearances.
There’s not much debate that many of these current and soon to be Hall of Fame coaches are still going strong. There are also some less experienced head coaches who have emerged as up-and-coming potential Hall of Fame members but how do their on-field accomplishments compare to one another?
When college football commentators, sportswriters and fans on social media compile best head coaching lists, it more than likely includes personal biases and is, for the most part, highly subjective in numerous instances.
Even though there are those who may see flaws in these rankings based on their own personal preferred criteria and furthermore, this list may not be perfect and the point system is not flawless, but it gives some math-based analysis to eliminate the subjective factors that many rankings of coaches are comprised of.
In the compilation of the top head coaches in college football over the past five seasons, there are numerous factors that were taken under consideration.
First, coaches had to meet requirement of having won some type of championship.
They must have won at least one national title, conference championship and/or division title in a Power Five conference or was in the College Football Playoff in the past decade. Second, he has to have been a head coach at a Power Five conference for at least two full seasons during this five years.
Below are some of the many factors that went into the making of the rankings:
- The amount of time that a head coach has been in the FBS and a Power Five conference.
- Ability to recruit highly-rated players as part of an incoming class of student-athletes so that they were able to be successful on the field as freshmen and sophomores.
- The ability or inability to handle off-field issues such as having their program being put on probation or sanctions so that it did not affect on-field performance.
- The previous condition of the program, good or bad, prior to them becoming head coach.
- The perception and reputation of being or not being a great Xs and Os coach or being a pure defensive or offensive-minded coach.
- Not critiquing how the coach influences the ADs handling of the schedules in terms of it being difficult or easy when picking non-conferences opponents each season as it affected on-field performances.
- How well the coach is perceived as making in-game decisions and play-calling during games.
- The ability to hire assistant coaches who recruit well and help advance the program overall.
- Factoring in a coach who is at a traditional powerhouse program or a lower-level Power Five program.
Third, below is the criteria and scoring breakdown to determine the ranking of the top coaches in the FBS over the past five seasons:
- 50 points for a national championship
- 40 points for College Football Playoff appearance
- 30 points for conference title
- 20 points for division title
- 10 points for bowl game victory (includes playoff games)
- 5 points for bowl appearance (includes playoff games)
- 5 points for every season with 10 or more wins
To reiterate what coaches qualified to be included in these rankings, the coach had to be at an FBS school from the period covering the seasons from 2015-19. He had to have won at least one national championship and/or a conference or division title while a coach in a Power Five conference or upper-echelon Group of Five conferences during the span of the last five seasons. The coach has to be currently coaching an FBS team for this upcoming season and been a head coach in a Power Five conference for at least two full seasons.
Let’s now take a look at the top 10 college coaches over the past five seasons.
Honorable Mention
Some coaches qualified but did not make our top 10 list due to the fact that they couldn’t get into the 100-point threshold for total coaching points.
Most of the below-mentioned coaches did not make the top 10 ranking due to lack of a conference championship or the fact that they have not coached during all five seasons to build up enough of a large point total based on the point system to rank the top coaches of the past five years that meet the criteria laid out earlier in the article.
However, the coaches below deserve some recognition and here is the point breakdown of each of them.
Gus Malzahn (Auburn)
- 0 National Championships: 0 points
- 0 College Football Playoff appearances: 0 points
- 0 regular-season conference titles: 0 points
- 1 division title: 20 points
- 2 bowl wins: 20 points
- 5 bowl appearances: 25 points
- 1 season with 10 or more wins: 5 points
Total coaching points: 70
Coaching highlight of the past five seasons: In 2017, he and his Auburn Tigers were the SEC West division co-champs as they defeated Alabama, Georgia and Texas A&M that season.
Pat Fitzgerald (Northwestern)
- 0 National Championships: 0 points
- 0 College Football Playoff appearances: 0 points
- 0 regular-season conference titles: 0 points
- 1 division title: 20 points
- 3 bowl wins: 30 points
- 4 bowl appearances: 20 points
- 2 seasons with 10 or more wins: 10 points
Total coaching points: 80
Coaching highlight of the past five seasons: In 2018, he and his Northwestern Wildcats won the Big Ten West and were Holiday Bowl champions.
Kirk Ferentz (Iowa)
- 0 National Championships: 0 points
- 0 College Football Playoff appearances: 0 points
- 0 regular-season conference titles: 0 points
- 1 division title: 20 points
- 3 bowl wins: 30 points
- 5 bowl appearances: 25 points
- 2 seasons with or more wins: 10 points
Total coaching points: 85
Coaching highlight of the past five seasons: In 2015, he and his Iowa Hawkeyes won the Big Ten West and were victorious in all 12 of their regular season games.
Jim McElwain (Florida, Central Michigan)
- 0 National Championships: 0 points
- 0 College Football Playoff appearances: 0 points
- 0 regular-season conference titles: 0 points
- 3 division titles: 60 points
- 1 bowl win: 10 points
- 3 bowl appearances: 15 points
- 1 season with 10 or more wins: 5 points
Total coaching points: 90
Coaching highlight of the past five seasons: In 2016, he and his Florida Gators had won their second consecutive SEC East title and were Outback Bowl champs.
Mario Cristobal (Oregon)
- 0 National Championships: 0 points
- 0 College Football Playoff appearances: 0 points
- 1 regular-season conference title: 30 points
- 1 division title: 20 points
- 2 bowl wins: 20 points
- 3 bowl appearances: 15 points
- 1 season with 10 or more wins: 5 points
Total coaching points: 90
Coaching highlight of the past five seasons: In 2019, he and his Oregon Ducks were Pac-12 North champions, won the Pac-12 title and were Rose Bowl champs.
10. Brian Kelly (Notre Dame)
Brian Kelly’s resume is complicated for many reasons and in particular, the Fighting Irish not being in a conference hurts his coaching ranking based on the criteria for these rankings.
Even though Kelly has been successful as the Fighting Irish head coach, on paper it is not as impressive as you would think due to the fact that when you compare him to other coaches, he doesn’t have any division or conference titles due to Notre Dame being independent.
Kelly and Notre Dame have had 10 wins or more in four of their last five seasons. He made the College Football Playoff in 2018 and he and his program have won 23 games over the past two seasons. The only blemish on Kelly’s resume in the past five years was a very disappointing 2016 season when the Irish only won four games.
The three seasons prior to 2019 should be seen as successes for Kelly as he led his program to two bowl victories while having an overall record of 33-6.
If Notre Dame were to join a conference like the ACC in the future, Kelly would be able to compete for division and conference titles and move up in future coaching rankings such as those similar to this. However, it appears Notre Dame and its alumni really value their independence and they are satisfied with remaining independent in football moving forward.
Point breakdown for Kelly
- 0 National Championships: 0 points
- 1 College Football Playoff appearance: 40 points
- 2 bowl wins: 20 points
- 4 bowl appearances: 20 points
- 4 seasons with 10 or more wins: 20 points
Total coaching points: 100
9. Clay Helton (USC)
Shocking to see Clay Helton here, I know.
Helton took over as the head football coach of the USC football program in mid-October of 2015. After losing his first game to Notre Dame, he won his next four games, leading the Trojans to a Pac-12 South championship. USC would end up losing in the conference championship game as well as their bowl game that season but he proved that he was — at minimum — able to keep the Trojans relevant.
In 2016, he won the last nine games of the season including an impressive Rose Bowl victory over top-five ranked Penn State. USC had 10 wins that season and Helton looked to carry that momentum into the next season.
In 2017, not only did he and his Trojans win 11 games and win the Pac-12 South but they also defeated Stanford in the conference title game.
The following season, USC and Helton won four of its first six games but had a disappointing 2018 season as the Trojans finished tied for third in the Pac-12 South. In 2019, USC bounced back, winning five of its last six Pac-12 games to finish with eight wins on the season.
Helton may not be who the majority of the USC alums and fans want as their head coach but he deserves more credit than he is given.
Point breakdown for Helton
- 0 National Championships: 0 points
- 0 College Football Playoff appearances: 0 points
- 1 regular-season conference title: 30 points
- 2 division titles: 40 points
- 1 bowl win: 10 points
- 4 bowl appearances: 20 points
- 2 seasons with 10 or more wins: 10 points
Total coaching points: 110
9. (Tied) James Franklin (Penn State)
Tied with Clay Helton with 110 points is James Franklin.
In Franklin’s second year at the helm of the Penn State program, the Nittany Lions could be simply described as having an ‘OK’ season. Penn State lost its season opener to Temple but won its next five games and seven of its next eight after the disappointing loss to the Owls. However, the Nittany Lions lost their last four games of the season giving them a 7-6 record.
Things did change in a big way the following season.
In 2016, after splitting their first four games of the season, the Nittany Lions won their next nine games. Franklin and Penn State not only won a share of the Big Ten East title but they also defeated Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship Game. He would be successful on the football field again the following season.
In 2017, Penn State won its first seven games of the season and was ranked No. 2 in the country. The Nittany Lions lost a very close game at Ohio State by a point and then lost at Michigan State by only three. Franklin and his team would win their last four games, including beating Washington in the Fiesta Bowl. That season, Penn State was only four combined points away from being undefeated.
The following season was a little bit of a letdown for Franklin as the Nittany Lions had won 11 games back-to-back the previous two years. Penn State did win nine games but three of its four losses were by four or fewer points.
The 2019 season was considered a success for Franklin as Penn State won its first eight games and was ranked No. 4 in the nation. The Nittany Lions would end the season with 11 victories as they did in 2016 and 2017, including a Cotton Bowl win.
Franklin looks to continue to compete with Ohio State in the Big Ten East.
Point breakdown for Franklin
- 0 National Championships: 0 points
- 0 College Football Playoff appearances: 0 points
- 1 regular-season conference title: 30 points
- 1 division title: 20 points
- 2 bowl wins: 20 points
- 5 bowl appearances: 25 points
- 3 seasons with 10 or more wins: 15 points
Total coaching points: 110
7. David Shaw (Stanford)
David Shaw did what his predecessor was unable to do at Stanford and that was to win a Pac-12 title. He won the Pac-12 for the third time in 2015 — an impressive achievement for a program with very elite academic standards and he had captured the first conference championship for Stanford since 1999.
Moreover, he won two Pac-12 North titles during these past five seasons.
Shaw has accomplished much success as his time as the head of the Cardinal program and has won at least nine games in four of the past five years. He could have left to go to a more high-profile program but has stayed at Stanford and has built a very strong and stable program.
During the past five seasons, Shaw and his football program have been successful but he has had more prosperity and triumphs as a coach for his program if this ranking was over a 10-year period as opposed to this five-year period. In 2015, Shaw and the Cardinals team did very well and after a season-opening loss won eight straight games and won their division and conference that season on their way to a 12-win season that was capped with a Rose Bowl victory.
The following season was not bad by any means as Shaw and his team defeated all three fellow California-based Pac-12 schools that season to win 10 games including winning their bowl game. In 2017, Stanford and Shaw did lose five games but they won the Pac-12 North and almost beat USC in the conference championship game as they lost by only three points. They played well in their bowl game but lost to TCU by two in a high-scoring affair.
The last two seasons have not gone as well for Shaw and Stanford, though.
The 2018 season started off positively for Shaw and the Cardinal as they won their first four games beating two top-20 ranked teams but then Stanford had some difficulties in the following weeks. The Cardinal would end up losing four of their next five games which ended their hopes to win the Pac-12 North. His team, however, did win their final four games including their bowl game to end the season.
Last season, the Cardinal did not have have a good year. They finished tied for last in the Pac-12 North, they lost five of their last six games and only won four games in 2019.
Shaw and the Cardinal have had their ups and downs in the past five years but they have done more than many teams around the country have accomplished in this time period.
Point breakdown for Shaw
- 0 National Championships: 0 points
- 0 College Football Playoff appearances: 0 points
- 1 regular-season conference title: 30 points
- 2 division titles: 40 points
- 3 bowl wins: 30 points
- 4 bowl appearances: 20 points
- 2 seasons with 10 or more wins: 10 points
Total coaching points: 130
Coaching highlights over the past five seasons
- Shaw led the Cardinals to a Rose Bowl victory in 2015
- 1 Pac-12 title (2015)
- 2 Pac-12 North titles (2015, 2017)
6. Paul Chryst (Wisconsin)
In his first year (2015) as the head coach of the Badgers, Paul Chryst led Wisconsin to a 10-win season that included a Holiday Bowl win over USC. In the following season, he took his program to the next leve.
Wisconsin started its season defeating No. 5-ranked LSU, winning its first four games. After a strong start, the Badgers lost two single-digit games to two top-four ranked teams. Chryst and his team won seven out of their last eight games to end their season that included a Cotton Bowl victory.
After winning 11 games in 2016, Chryst looked to do more the following season.
In 2017, the Badgers had a remarkable season. After going undefeated in non-conference play, the Badgers went 9-0 in conference play giving them the Big Ten West title and an opportunity to go to the conference championship game. The Badgers played well against Ohio State but ended up losing by six. Wisconsin did beat Miami to capture the Orange Bowl which ended a remarkable 13-win season.
Things, however, would be different the following year.
In 2018, the Badgers had a roller-coaster of a season. After winning four of their first five games, Wisconsin would trade wins and losses every other week. They finished the season in a three-way tie for second place in the Big Ten West along with eight wins and back-to-back bowl wins over Miami.
Chryst and his program looked for redemption the following season.
In 2019, the Badgers were dominant to start the season. The Badgers won their first six games and in four of those games, they did not allow their opponents to score a single point. Even though they lost their next two games, they would rebound and win their next four games to win the Big Ten West and have another chance to defeat Ohio State for the opportunity to win the conference title.
Unfortunately for Chryst, they would end up losing to the Buckeyes again in the Big Ten Championship Game. They had another close loss when they lost to Oregon in the Rose Bowl by one point to end their season. Regardless of how last season ended, Chryst has proven to be a top-tier coach.
Point breakdown for Chryst
- 0 National Championships: 0 points
- 0 College Football Playoff appearances: 0 points
- 0 regular-season conference titles: 0 points
- 3 division titles: 60 points
- 4 bowl wins: 40 points
- 4 bowl appearances: 25 points
- 4 seasons with 10 or more wins: 20 points
Total coaching points: 145
Coaching highlights over the past five seasons
- Chryst led the Badgers to an Orange Bowl victory in 2017
- 3 Big Ten West titles (2016, 2017, 2019)
- 4 straight bowl victories from 2015-2018
5. Kirby Smart (Georgia)
Kirby Smart took over as the head coach for Georgia in 2016.
In his first season at the helm, the Bulldogs had a decent season by the high standards already set in place for the football program. Georgia won their first three games of the season but he and his Bulldogs lost four of the next five games that season. However, Smart won four of his last five games that included an upset over No. 8-ranked Auburn and a Liberty Bowl victory over TCU.
The next season would be one to remember for him and his team.
Smart and his Georgia team played very well to start the 2017 season by winning their first nine games that earned them a No. 2 national ranking. Even though they lost their 10th game of the season at Auburn by 23 points, they would win their next two games and win the SEC East. In the SEC Championship Game, Smart led his Bulldogs to an impressive 21-point victory over Auburn to claim the conference title and earn a berth in the playoff.
In the College Football Playoff that season, Georgia defeated Oklahoma in a high-scoring game that went into double-overtime. Smart, with the victory, had his team competing in the national championship game against SEC rival Alabama where he was previously a defensive coordinator for seven years.
Georgia had a very impressive first half and looked to potentially win the national championship. Unfortunately for Smart and his Bulldogs, he and his team would lose to the Crimson Tide in overtime and come up short by three points. Overall, Smart had a very successful second season where he and his team won 13 games, the SEC conference, Rose Bowl and nearly had won the national title.
In 2018, Georgia had more than an above-average season even by their program’s high standards but he and his team did not accomplish what they had done the previous season. The Bulldogs were once again very successful on the field to begin the season as they won their first six games in 2018. At that point in the season, Smart’s team was ranked No. 2 in the country entering their game on the road against LSU. They ended up losing by 20 but they bounced back in a big way once again like when they had lost on the road to Auburn last year.
Midway during the 2018 season, Georgia would defeat two top-11 ranked teams back-to-back and then they went on to win the SEC East for the second straight season. They ended up winning 11 of their first 12 games of the season but then the season didn’t end like the previous year. Georgia played well against Alabama in the SEC title game but ended up losing by a touchdown.
Then his Bulldogs played Texas in the Sugar Bowl but lost by a touchdown like they had done the previous game. The following season would not bring the same success as did in 2017 for Smart and his team but better than in 2018.
Georgia once again played well to start the season winning their first five games of the year. Then, on the sixth game of the season, Smart had something happen to him that had not occurred since his first year as the head coach of Georgia which was being upset at home by an unranked team. South Carolina went into overtime with Georgia and defeated the Bulldogs by a field goal in a very close and competitive game. However, Georgia responded once again and defeated their next six opponents to earn their third straight SEC East title.
Unfortunately, the Bulldogs lost in the SEC title game again. Though he and his team didn’t make it to the College Football Playoff like last season, Georgia, unlike the previous year, won the Sugar Bowl by defeating Baylor and ending the season with 12 wins.
The Georgia program is in good hands with Smart as he is beginning to build a dynasty in the SEC East.
Having won three straight division titles and having a 21-3 record in SEC regular season games over the past three years is impressive, to say the least. Smart has won 11 or more games the past three seasons and looks to have his Georgia team competing for a national title again next season.
Point breakdown for Smart
- 0 National Championships: 0 points
- 1 College Football Playoff appearance: 40 points
- 1 regular-season conference title: 30 points
- 3 division titles: 60 points
- 3 bowl wins: 30 points
- 5 bowl appearances: 25 points
- 3 seasons with 10 or more wins: 15 points
Total coaching points: 200
Coaching highlights over the past five seasons
- Smart led the Bulldogs to the national title game in 2017
- 3 SEC East titles (2017-19)
- 1 SEC title in 2017
4. Ed Orgeron (LSU)
Ed Orgeron was named the LSU’s interim head coach in late September of 2016 when the Tigers fired Les Miles. He had a very impressive first game as the head of the Tiger program when his team defeated Missouri 42-7. He ended up winning his first three games as head coach of LSU, setting the tone for the rest of the season.
Orgeron and his Tigers won three of their last five games including a victory at Texas A&M and a Citrus Bowl win over No. 15 Louisville. LSU ended the season ranked No. 13 in the country with a total of eight wins. In late November of that year, Orgeron was officially named the head coach. He and his program looked to build on the positive momentum from their 2016 season.
The 2017 season was a bit of roller-coaster of highs and lows for Orgeron and his team. LSU opened up the season with an impressive 27-0 victory over BYU but in their third game, they lost at Mississippi State by double digits but would bounce back the following week in a victory over Syracuse.
The biggest letdown of the season came in the Tigers’ fifth game when they lost by three points at home to Troy. LSU was 3-2 and unranked prior to traveling to play against the No. 21 Florida Gators. Not only did Orgeron and his team defeat Florida but they would then beat No. 10 Auburn the following the week and win at Ole Miss by 16 points.
In a matter of three weeks in October, LSU defeated two top 25 ranked teams with two of those three victories being on the road in conference play.
LSU would lose at No. 1 Alabama in its ninth game of the season but it would bounce back once again and win its next three games by double digits to give the Tigers nine wins on the season. LSU would lose in the Citrus Bowl to Notre Dame but it would end the season ranked No. 18 in the nation.
Orgeron and his program looked to take the next step in year three of him being the Tigers’ head coach.
In 2018, LSU had a great start to its season, defeating No. 8 Miami and then in the Tigers’ third game, they traveled to play Auburn and they would end up beating their No. 7-ranked SEC rival. Orgeron and his squad would enter the month of October undefeated at 5-0 and ranked No. 5 in the nation.
Unfortunately for LSU, that momentum would be temporarily halted in a road loss at Florida. However, Orgeron’s team defeated No. 2 Georgia by 20 points the following week to mark arguably his most impressive win up to this point as the head coach of LSU. He followed that notable win with beating No. 22 Mississippi State and holding the Bulldogs to only three points.
LSU had very high expectations for the season until those expectations would not be met when they hosted No. 1 Alabama.
The entire nation looked forward to the matchup between the No. 3 rated Tigers and the No. 1 ranked Crimson Tide but the game itself would not live up to the hype. Alabama on the road dominated LSU by a score of 29-0. The Tigers would bounce back and win their next two games.
LSU would play in college football’s most entertaining game of the season. The Tigers traveled to play at Texas A&M in what would be an epic game. The game went into seven overtimes and both teams combined for 146 points but in the end, LSU would fall by a score of 74-72.
Even in defeat, the season would not end in failure.
LSU would end up defeating No. 7 UCF in the Fiesta Bowl in a high-scoring affair. Orgeron would end his season leading his Tigers to 10 wins with five over top 25 ranked teams in 2018 when LSU played against eight top 25 teams in total. He and his program were on the rise and they expected to compete for a national championship in 2019.
LSU didn’t have a very difficult 2019 schedule early on to start the season with one exception — that exception was playing at No. 7 Texas in their second game. The game itself was very competitive but Orgeron and his team used their experience in high scoring games from last season to help them defeat the Longhorns 48-38.
In a span of four games, LSU would play three top 10 nationally-ranked teams. Orgeron knew if his Tigers could win all three of these highly-anticipated games, they had a legit opportunity to not only make the playoff but to also win a national championship.
In a battle between No. 7 Florida versus No. 5 Tigers, Orgeron had his team ready to play as LSU won, 42-28. Then after a convincing win on the road at Mississippi State, LSU hosted No. 9 Auburn. In a hard-fought game, LSU won by a field goal, 23-20.
The final test came when Orgeron and his Tigers traveled to play No. 3 Alabama. In yet another high-scoring and competitive game, LSU did the unthinkable as they beat the Crimson Tide 46-41 for their third straight top-10 win.
LSU would end up scoring 50 or more points and winning by three or more touchdowns in its next three games as it ended SEC play undefeated as the SEC West champion.
The No. 2 Tigers faced No. 4 Georgia in the SEC title game. In that game, LSU dominated the Bulldogs and beat them by a final score of 37-10, earning them the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff.
In the semifinal against No. 4 seed Oklahoma, LSU showed the nation that they were deserving of the top seed of the playoff as they put up 63 points on the Sooners and defeated them by 35 points. The Tigers and Orgeron would face Clemson in the national championship game. The game was close early by LSU would win the national championship by beating Clemson, 42-25.
Orgeron has really built a program that can overtake Alabama for SEC West supremacy and compete for future national championships like Clemson and Alabama have done of late.
LSU will have the opportunity to prove that they are one of the top three programs in all of college football in 2020.
Point breakdown for Orgeron
- 1 National Championships: 50 points
- 1 College Football Playoff appearance: 40 points
- 1 regular-season conference title: 30 points
- 1 division titles: 20 points
- 4 bowl wins: 40 points
- 5 bowl appearances: 25 points
- 2 seasons with 10 or more wins: 10 points
Total coaching points: 210
Coaching highlights over the past five seasons
- Led LSU to a national championship in 2019
- Led his Tigers to three consecutive bowl victories
- 1 SEC title (2019)
- 1 SEC West title (2019)
3. Lincoln Riley (Oklahoma)
In 2017, Lincoln Riley and Oklahoma showed the country that they were a top-five team in all of college football. After easily winning their home opener, not only did the Sooners go into Columbus and defeat No. 2 Ohio State, they beat the Buckeyes by more than two touchdowns.
Oklahoma would win all of their first four games scoring 31 points or more in each of those games. However, Riley and his team dealt with adversity losing to Iowa State at home by a score of 38-31. Oklahoma would bounce back in a big way in the following weeks.
After a close win over Texas in the Red River Showdown, Riley and his team put up 42 or more points in the next two games to give them three straight victories. The Sooners would be tested again as they face No. 11 Oklahoma State and No. 8 ranked TCU in consecutive weeks. Against the Cowboys on the road, it was a back-and-forth high-scoring affair. The Sooners would prevail with a 62-52 victory over Oklahoma State.
In the following week, Oklahoma would face top-10 ranked TCU in a battle to determine who would win the Big 12. Even though it was the Sooners’ lowest-scoring output in their final four games, Riley led his team to a convincing 38-20 victory. Oklahoma was on its way to having a great season.
Oklahoma’s offense would keep roaring as they scored 41 and 59 points in wins against Kansas and West Virginia, respectively. In the Big 12 Championship Game, the No. 2 Sooners faced No. 10 TCU again. In that game, the Sooners dominated the Horned Frogs, defeating them by a score of 41-17 to not only become the Big 12 champions but to earn a spot in the College Football Playoff.
The Sooners would play the Bulldogs of Georgia in the Rose Bowl of their semifinal game. In yet again another back-and-forth high-scoring affair that lasted two overtimes, the Sooners played the first Rose Bowl in history that went into extra frames. A field goal that was blocked by Georgia and unfortunately denied Oklahoma the opportunity to play for the national title.
Riley had an amazing first season as the head coach of Oklahoma. He not only won 12 games, but he also led his team to a Big 12 title and a playoff appearance. The Sooners ended the season ranked No. 3 and they defeated four top-10 teams.
The 2018 season was similar in many ways to the previous year but also a little different. The Sooners played well early on winning their first five games but none of those victories were against ranked opponents. Oklahoma struggled in some games as well as needing overtime to defeat Army at home. In their first game against a ranked opponent in No. 19 Texas, both teams combined for just shy of 100 points and the Longhorns ended up winning by a field goal.
Oklahoma needed to win out if they wanted another Big 12 championship and they responded.
Oklahoma put up 51 or more points in five of their next six games that all resulted in victories. None of the six wins were against ranked opponents with the exception of their last regular season game when they traveled to play No. 12 West Virginia and in a game that combined for 115 points, Oklahoma won 59-56. The Sooners would play the Longhorns with a chance at redeeming an earlier loss to Texas.
In the Big 12 title game, Riley had his team prepared to take on the Longhorns. Unlike the last time these two teams met, Oklahoma’s defense stepped up and held the Texas offense to 29 points. The Sooners offense put up 39 points on the Longhorns to give Riley his second consecutive Big 12 title. The win over No. 9 Texas once again put Oklahoma in the playoff.
In the Orange Bowl between Alabama and Oklahoma, the Crimson Tide dominated early jumping out to 28-0 lead. Riley and his team fought back to make the game respectable but the Sooners — for the second straight year — fell short of the title game. Oklahoma finished the season ranked No. 4 and once again won 12 games and captured the Big 12 title.
The 2019 season was supposed to be the year that Riley would rise up and win the national championship. He had his best start to a season as his team jumped out to a 7-0 record that included a win over No. 11 Texas. Then, on the road against Kansas State, Oklahoma tried to dig itself out of an early deficit but was unable to avoid the surprising upset as the Wildcats pulled off the upset. That loss didn’t necessarily stall the momentum that Riley and his team were experiencing, but it put doubt in their ability to compete for a national title.
Oklahoma would win its next four games including two wins both on the road over No. 13 Baylor and No. 21 Oklahoma State to put them in the Big 12 championship once again.
The Sooners faced Baylor again as, like last time they met which the game was decided by a field goal, the conference championship game went into overtime. Riley would lead his team to victory again. The Sooners would face LSU in the Peach Bowl as a playoff semifinal.
Unlike before, Riley and his team were not competitive in their playoff game. LSU dominated early and ran away with the game with a 63-28 victory. The season was not a failure but just like the previous two seasons as Oklahoma won 12 games, won the Big 12 championship, but failed to make it to the national title game.
Riley just completed his third year as the head coach of the Sooners. To sum up his accomplishments in the short period of time as the head coach of the Oklahoma, he has won the Big 12 three times, won at least 12 games every season and has taken the Sooners to the College Football Playoff in three straight years.
He has a very bright future and he could possibly be up there with Nick Saban and Dabo Swinney when it’s all said and done.
Point breakdown for Riley
- 0 National Championships: 0 points
- 3 College Football Playoff appearances: 120 points
- 3 regular-season conference titles: 90 points
- 3 division titles*: 60 points (Big 12 doesn’t have divisions but because Oklahoma won their conference championship game, they also get division reward points as well)
- 0 bowl wins: 0 points
- 3 bowl appearances: 15 points
- 3 seasons with 10 or more wins: 15 points
Total coaching points: 300
Coaching highlights over the past five seasons
- Led the Sooners to three consecutive playoff appearances
- 3 Big 12 titles (2017-2019)
- 3 straight 12-win seasons
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.
Nick Saban (continued)
Even though Alabama did not win the national championship, Nick Saban and his team once again won arguably the toughest division of all of college football in the SEC West as well as winning the conference. They won 14 games with nine of those being against the top 20 teams.
Saban still had the best program in all of college football but Clemson would be challenging Alabama for supremacy moving forward.
In 2017, Alabama entered the season ranked No. 1 in the country and it looked like it, defeating No. 3 Florida State, 24-7. The Crimson Tide would put up 41 points in both of their next two games as they easily defeated Fresno State and Colorado State. The offense would take it up a notch as it scored 59 and 66 points in wins over SEC opponents Vanderbilt and Mississippi, respectively. The Crimson Tide only allowed a total of three points in those two games.
After a tough hard-fought victory at Texas A&M, Alabama beat Tennessee and Arkansas both by 30-plus points. Then Saban and his team would play two top 20 teams in No. 18 LSU and No. 19 Mississippi State and both resulted in victories for the Crimson Tide. After an easy win over Mercer, Alabama would play Auburn for who would win the SEC West and play in the SEC title game.
As the No. 1 Crimson Tide traveled to play at No. 6 Auburn, a lot was on the line. Alabama for the first time in 2017, was not able to score 24 points or more points as the Tigers defense held the Crimson Tide’s offense to only 14 points. Alabama’s defense would give up the most points in a game for the season as Auburn put up 26. The loss wasn’t devastating for Saban and his team but losing to your bitter in-state rival and not being able to play for the opportunity to win the SEC title ended two good streaks that Alabama had going for it.
However, Alabama still got into the playoff thus having an opportunity to compete for a national title. Even as the No. 4 seed, Saban and his Crimson Tide team were still very capable of defeating No. 1 seed Clemson. The most surprising aspect of the game was not that Alabama would beat the Tigers, but how they stifled Clemson’s high-powered offense and limited them to only six points. The Crimson Tide scored 24 points and fairly easily defeated their rival to advance to the national championship game.
Alabama would face an SEC opponent in No. 3 seed Georgia in the national title game. The offense struggled mightily against Georgia in the first half as they were unable to score any points. The Crimson Tide made a surprising move by switching quarterbacks to start the second half. The gamble ended up working as Alabama put up 20 points in the third and fourth quarters to force overtime.
In overtime, Saban would reach his goal of getting another national title as the Crimson Tide defeated the Bulldogs thanks to a Tua Tagovailoa heave to win by three. It was a season to remember as Alabama showed the college football world that they weren’t going anywhere.
In 2018, Alabama dominated the regular season more so than in previous seasons. When Saban and his team completed their first 12 games of the season, their closest game was a 45-23 victory over No. 22 ranked Texas A&M. Alabama scored 50 or more points eight times in that 12-game span. The Crimson Tide also pitched shutouts of No. 4 LSU and No. 18 Mississippi State in back-to-back weeks.
Saban and won another SEC West title and would face Georgia in a rematch of the previous season’s national title game in the conference championship.
In the SEC title game, Georgia would give Alabama its toughest game of the season by far. The Bulldogs led the Crimson Tide by a score of 21-14 at halftime. The Tide would outscore Georgia 14-0 in the fourth quarter giving Alabama a 35-28 victory and another SEC title. The Crimson Tide would earn the No. 1 seed in the playoff and square off against No. 4 Oklahoma.
In the semifinal, Oklahoma, like Georgia, gave Saban and his team a game, especially in the second half. The first half looked like a blowout as Alabama went into halftime with a 31-10 lead. However, the Sooners would score 24 second-half points to put up the most points of the season on the Crimson Tide defense. However, Alabama won 45-34, allowing Saban to compete for yet again another national championship.
In yet again a college football matchup against Clemson, Alabama knew that the game would not be easy. What Alabama didn’t know was how difficult the game would be as the Tigers looked more than ready to not only win the national championship but to do it in dominating fashion. The Crimson Tide defense was shellshocked as Clemson’s offense looked like a well-oiled machine in the first half scoring 31 points. Alabama’s offense was decent in the first half, putting up 16 points.
In the second half, the Tigers’ defense didn’t give Saban and his offense an inch as they shut out Alabama. The final score was a shocking 44-16 victory for Clemson and Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney made a huge statement that they were ready to take over the college football kingdom that Alabama had dominated over the past decade.
The 2019 season was a letdown for Saban and his team not because they didn’t play well or that they didn’t win a lot of games, because they didn’t win their division and most importantly didn’t make the playoff. Last season, Alabama won their first eight games but their schedule in 2019 was much easier early on as Crimson Tide only played one top 25 ranked team.
In the much-anticipated game against No. 2 LSU at home, Alabama played well but lost 46-41. Saban and his team would win their next two games in easy fashion to be 10-1 on the season but Alabama had a tough task as they would travel to play at No. 15 Auburn.
In the Iron Bowl matchup, the Crimson Tide looked to defeat their in-state rival. However, in a very hard-fought game, Alabama would lose by a field goal. The loss knocked them out of the playoff picture as they had two on the season. Saban’s team would end the season on a good note as they defeated Michigan in the Outback Bowl but not qualifying for the College Football Playoff was disappointing based on the very high expectations for the program.
Some coaches have built kingdoms over the past five seasons, Nick Saban continued to build an empire these past five years as the head coach of the Crimson Tide. Not only did he dominate most of his opponents in order to expand his vast empire, but he, for the most part, dominated in arguably the toughest division in all of the college football which is the SEC West.
No coach comes close to his five national championships in the past 10 seasons but Clemson’s Dabo Swinney has equaled his two national titles in the past five seasons. Saban, however, has taken Alabama to four national title games over the past five years and that is a major accomplishment in itself.
Every season for the past five seasons, he has lead Alabama to 11 or more victories. Other than Swinney, no coach in America has come close to what he has accomplished as an FBS head coach. He still more than likely will be considered the greatest college football coach of all time when it’s all said and done.
Point breakdown for Saban
- 2 National Championships: 100 points
- 4 College Football Playoff appearances: 160 points
- 3 regular-season conference titles: 90 points
- 4 division titles: 80 points
- 7 bowl wins: 70 points
- 9 bowl appearances: 45 points
- 5 seasons with 10 or more wins: 25 points
Total coaching points: 570
Coaching highlights over the past five seasons
- Saban led the Tide to national titles in 2015, 2017
- 3 SEC titles (2015-16, 2018)
- 4 SEC West titles (2015-18)
1. Dabo Swinney (Clemson)
Dabo Swinney has dominated the ACC of late and has challenged Alabama, beating them twice to earn two national titles. He is considered by many as a coach who took over a program and took it to heights it has never seen before. For the past five seasons, he and his team have accomplished more than any other coach or team in all of college football.
In 2015, Swinney and his team took a large step forward in the right direction. Clemson won their first two games easily scoring 41 or more points and winning by 31 or more points.
In their third game, they traveled to Louisville and played in a relatively low-scoring game that resulted in the Tigers defeating the Cardinals by a field goal, 20-17. The following game, Clemson would face their first ranked opponent of the season.
Swinney had his team prepared to host No. 6 Notre Dame. In yet another, not so high scoring game, Clemson showed grit and determination in beating the Fighting Irish by two points, 24-22. The Tigers would jump up in the rankings to No. 6 after that victory. Clemson was gaining more and more confidence and even more importantly, they were progressing with a large amount of momentum.
The Tigers would defeat both Georgia Tech and Boston College at home and by double digits before traveling on the road for two straight games. Clemson would dominate Miami in every way as they beat them by a score of 58-0. In a more competitive game against North Carolina State, Swinney and his team would win in a high scoring affair by a final score of 56-41.
Clemson would then face their second nationally ranked team of the season when they hosted No. 16 Florida State.
Against the Seminoles, it was not a high scoring game and it was the Tigers defense that really stepped up, holding Florida State to only 13 points. Swinney and his team would end up defeating the Seminoles by 10 points as well as Syracuse who they traveled to play the following week. Clemson would then easily defeat Wake Forest before traveling to face their in-state rival.
As Clemson entered the game as the No. 1 ranked team in the country and South Carolina was unranked and having only won three games on the year, it figured to be a lopsided game. The Tigers defense was dominating the Gamecocks offense in the first half with Clemson going into halftime with a 14-3 lead. Going into the fourth quarter, both offenses found their rhythm. South Carolina scored the first touchdown in the quarter and narrowed the Tigers lead to only three points.
However, Clemson would score twice in the fourth quarter and with a late Gamecocks touchdown, Swinney and his team survived an upset by their rivals, 37-32.
Clemson would be put to the test the faced off with their neighbors to the north in the ACC championship game. No. 10 North Carolina entered the game with their only loss of the season being in the season opener when they lost by four points to South Carolina. The Tar Heels were the ACC Coastal champions as Clemson was the ACC Atlantic champions.
The game was competitive and high scoring and North Carolina even had a lead entering the second quarter. The Tigers offense would be too much for the Tar Heel defense to handle in the end as Clemson captured the ACC title by a final score of 45-37. The Tigers were heading into the playoff as the No. 1 seed.
Against the No. 4 seeded Oklahoma Sooners, Swinney would be facing his first top-five ranked team of the season. Oklahoma led Clemson at the half, leading by one point entering the second half. However, the Tigers defense pitched a shutout in the second half and Clemson’s offense scored three touchdowns giving Swinney and his team a 20-point victory and an opportunity to win a national title.
Clemson would start which would become the best rivalry over these past five years when they faced off against Alabama in the national championship game. In what would be a remarkable and competitive game as both teams went back and forth. At the half, the game was tied at 14 apiece. In the third quarter, Clemson would take a three-point lead heading into the final quarter. However, Alabama would outscore the Tigers 24-16 in the fourth quarter giving the Crimson Tide the national title.
Unfortunately for Swinney and his team, their only loss of the season came in the national championship game where they lost by only five. However, Clemson let the entire college football community know that they were ready for the national stage and they intended to not only expect to continually make the college football playoffs but to compete to win national championships.
In 2016, Clemson had a more difficult regular-season schedule and they hoped that would pay dividends later on in the season. Swinney and his team opened up on the road as they traveled to face Auburn. Clemson in a tough defensive battle found a way to win, 19-13. The next game would be very close as well but it came as a surprise.
When the Tigers hosted Troy in week two, it was supposed to be a relatively easy game for the No. 2 Clemson team. However, the Trojans who would end up winning 10 games and winning their bowl game, gave the Tigers everything that they could handle. At halftime, Swinney and his team were only up by three points. In the third quarter, neither team would score meaning Clemson was only up by a field goal at home entering the final frame.
Both teams scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter but a field goal late in the game gave the Tigers some cushion in a 30-24 victory. Clemson would win their next two games easily by double digits before being tested again.
Swinney and his Tigers welcomed in No. 3 Louisville which came into the game undefeated. Surprisingly, Clemson would not score in the first and third quarters. However, even though the Tigers gave up double-digit points in three quarters to the Cardinals and their future Heisman quarterback, Clemson would come out victorious with a 42-36 win.
The Tigers would easily defeat Boston College on the road but they would once again play an unranked opponent that would give them everything that they could handle.
In what was not supposed to be a difficult game for Swinney and his No. 3 Tigers, Clemson hosted unranked NC State. The game itself ended up having to go to overtime to determine the winner. The Clemson offense had a difficult first half as they only scored 10 points. To make matters worse, NC State would outscore the Tigers in the second half, forcing overtime. Clemson would score a touchdown in overtime to remain undefeated.
Things didn’t get easier in their next game as Clemson traveled to play at No. 12 Florida State. It was a game of quarters where the Tigers outscored the Seminoles in the first and fourth by a combined score of 31-6. However, Florida State would outscore the Tigers in the second and third 28-6. Clemson’s field goal kicker went three for three on field goals helping the Tigers to a 37-34 victory. After a decisive 54-0 shutout of Syracuse, Clemson would experience something that had not happened since November of 2014.
Pittsburgh came into town and what should have been a relatively easy win for Swinney and his team was far from it. It appeared defense seemed optional for both teams in the first half as Clemson went into halftime with 28-27 lead. In the second half, adjustments were made but the Panthers’ defense and field goal kicker really stepped up in the fourth quarter outscoring the Tigers 9-0 to giving them the 43-42 upset against the No. 2 team in the nation.
Swinney and his team would bounce back easily defeating Wake Forest and South Carolina to once again become the Atlantic champions.
In the ACC title game, Clemson faced No. 23 Virginia Tech. Even though the Hokies kept it relatively close, the Tigers led the whole game and would capture another ACC championship with a 42-35 victory to once again make it to the playoff.
As the No. 2 team, Clemson would face off against No. 3 Ohio State in the semifinal. It could be argued that Swinney and his team placed their best game of the season in the Fiesta Bowl as they shut out the Buckeyes by a score of 31-0. The victory was a sign of things to come as the Tigers would once again face Alabama in the national championship game.
In the national title game, Alabama steadily held the lead entering the fourth quarter. Entering the final quarter of the game, the Crimson Tide led 24-14. Then Swinney and his team really stepped up in the fourth quarter outscoring Alabama, 21-7 to give Clemson the crown.
Becoming national champions officially made the Tigers a top three program in the country and some would even argue that along with Alabama, Clemson was one of the top two programs in college football.
Dabo Swinney (continue)
In 2017, Dabo Swinney and his team had a good year but due to the amazing achievements and success of the past two seasons, this season in comparison did not meet the extremely high expectations that are now expected of the Clemson program.
During the span of the first five games of the season, Clemson did very well in defeating three top 15 ranked teams. First, the Tigers defeated No. 13 Auburn and then on the road and then Tigers beat No. 14 Louisville and No. 12 Virginia Tech. After beating Wake Forest, Clemson traveled to play Syracuse.
The Orange entered the game with a 3-3 record. The Tigers were 6-0 and ranked No. 2 in the country. Syracuse jumped on Clemson early and entered halftime with a 17-14 lead. The offenses for both teams would cool down in the second half and Swinney and his team tied the game heading into the fourth quarter.
In the final quarter of the game, it was a defensive battle where no points were scored on offense. However, the Orange’s special teams came up big as Syracuse’s field kicker made the game-winning field goal to give them the upset over No. 2 Clemson.
The Tigers would rebound winning their next five games to once again clinch the Atlantic Division title. Clemson would play No. 7 Miami in the ACC title game. The Tigers would dominate the Hurricanes by a final score of 38-3 to capture the ACC title for the third consecutive year.
The No. 1 seed Clemson Tigers would once again face off against Alabama in the College Football Playoff. The Crimson Tide did not win the SEC in 2017, so they were the No. 4 seed in the Sugar Bowl matchup between them and the Tigers. In a somewhat of a surprise, Alabama’s defense absolutely dominated Clemson’s offense. The Crimson Tide would easily cruise to a 24-6 victory over Swinney and his team. Clemson’s season was over but they were focused on redemption for next season.
Entering the 2018 season, Swinney and his team had one goal and that was to win a national championship. Clemson’s season set up nicely for them as they would not play a ranked opponent in non-conference play and seven of the nine ACC opponents that the Tigers would face in the reason were not ranked. The two that were ranked that Clemson would face in 2018 were not in the top 15.
Not everything came easy for Swinney and his team as in their second game of the season they struggled late in their road game at Texas A&M. Clemson had played well the first three quarters leading the Aggies 28-13 heading into the fourth quarter. Texas A&M’s defense would shut out the Tigers in the fourth quarter and the Aggies offense would put up 13 points making it a two-point game. Texas A&M had an opportunity to tie the game but failed on its two-point conversation attempt.
Clemson would once again have difficulty with Syracuse. At home, the Orange in the first half looked like they were going to upset Swinney and his team again. Syracuse led 16-7 at the half. In the second half, the Tigers would respond outscoring the Orange 20-7 to give Clemson a 27-23 win.
Swinney would have his team dominating their next four opponents scoring a total of 240 points over the span of those four games and only allowing a total of 36 points during that same time frame. Even in the following to games where Clemson defeated No. 17 Boston College and Duke, they combined outscored them 62-13.
After defeating their in-state rival South Carolina in a high scoring affair, Clemson would face Pittsburgh in the ACC title game. The No. 2 ranked Tigers as they had but in all but two games in the season, they easily controlled the game and easily defeated the Panthers by a final score of 42-10. The Tigers captured their fourth straight ACC conference title and they earned the No. 2 seed in the playoff.
In the Cotton Bowl of the semifinals of the college football playoffs, Clemson would face No. 3 seed Notre Dame. As they did in six previous games, the Tigers defense held the Fight Irish’s defense to single digits. Clemson’s offense for the 11th time in 2018, put up 30 or more points to help them defeat Notre Dame 30-3. For the fourth straight year, Swinney and his team would face a similar opponent in the playoff.
Alabama had won two of the last three meetings but Clemson arguably was playing as well as any team in America entering this game. After a close and entertaining first quarter where the Tigers were leading the Crimson Tide 14-13, Swinney and his team took over in the second quarter. Clemson scored 17 points in the second quarter and 13 points in the third while limiting Alabama to only three points in the second quarter and none in the second half.
The Tigers dominated Alabama for two quarters and didn’t need to score in the final quarter as Clemson easily won 44-16.
Swinney and his program had won their second national title in three years and 2018 was his first time, however, that he lead his team to an undefeated season. An argument can definitely be made that this was Swinney’s best team as they clearly demonstrated in their victory over Alabama.
The beginning of the 2019 season looked a lot like the previous year as Clemson’s offense was solid and the defense was relentless. The Tigers set the tone in the season opener by defeating Georgia Tech by 38 points. They then had a great game led by their stellar defense as they beat No. 12 ranked Texas A&M, 24-10.
Even against Syracuse, which has given the Tigers trouble in recent years, Clemson easily defeated the Orange 41-6. In the regular season, Swinney and his team would only have one close game in which they were in danger of losing.
On the road against North Carolina, the Tar Heels jumped out to a 7-0 lead heading into the second quarter. Clemson would tie the game up at 14 going into the half. After a scoreless third quarter, the Tigers would score to take the lead. North Carolina scored a touchdown but instead of kicking the extra point to tie the game, they elected to go for the two-point conversation. Fortunately for Clemson, the Tar Heels did not covert the two-point and the Tigers won the game by a point.
No team in ACC play what even come close to challenging Swinney and his team the following months.
In October and November, Clemson played seven games. In that span of games, the Tigers offense averaged just over 50 points a game and the defense only allowed just below nine points per game. Swinney and his team dominated the competition and easily won the division title for the fifth season in a row.
Clemson was undefeated and ranked No. 3 in the country heading into the ACC title game against No. 23 ranked Virginia. The Tigers did not only beat the Cavaliers they dominated them by very easily defeating them by a final score of 62-17. If Swinney wanted to win back-to-back national titles, he had a tough road ahead of him starting with a showdown with No. 2 Ohio State.
In arguably the most anticipated semifinal game of the playoff era, the game lived up to the hype. The Buckeyes played very well early but were unable to convert that play into a lot of points in the first quarter as they only ended up with 10. After a stellar defensive first quarter for Ohio State, Clemson got going and scored two touchdowns. The Tigers’ defense stepped up as well, only allowing Ohio State to score six points in the second quarter. Even with two-point halftime led for the Buckeyes, Clemson had momentum heading into the second half.
In the second half of the Fiesta Bowl college football semifinal matchup between the two heavyweight programs, Clemson’s defense would shut out the high-powered Buckeye offense in the third quarter and the Tigers’ offense would score a touchdown to take the lead into the final quarter. In the fourth quarter, both teams each scored a touchdown and Ohio State’s failure to score another resulted in a 29-23 victory for the Tigers.
Clemson would face a team in LSU that was the overwhelming favorite to win the game. However, Swinney and his team have been underdogs before and they were going to put forth their best efforts against coach Orgeron and his team.
In the title game, Clemson went toe-to-toe with LSU, ending the first quarter tied at seven. However, Ed Orgeron and his team would score 21 second-quarter points to take a 28-17 halftime lead. LSU only outscored Clemson 14-8 in the second half but that was enough for Swinney and his team to come up short of winning a second straight title.
It may have been a bumpy journey with some not so great early seasons for Dabo in the early part of the decade but now his team is dominating the ACC and is on track to win the conference again and look to not only qualifying for the playoff in 2020 but to win another national championship.
Clemson, along with Alabama, is considered the most respected and powerful college football programs in the entire nation. Swinney is responsible for that and he is ranked No. 1 on this list should not surprise anyone.
Like Nick Saban, he built a kingdom and has started building an empire that will last for years to come. However, in the past five seasons, Swinney overall by the numbers has outperformed him. As the old saying goes, “The numbers don’t lie.”
Point breakdown for Swinney
- 2 National Championships: 100 points
- 5 College Football Playoff appearances: 200 points
- 5 regular-season conference titles: 150 points
- 5 division titles: 100 points
- 6 bowl wins: 60 points
- 9 bowl appearances: 45 points
- 5 seasons with 10 or more wins: 25 points
Total coaching points: 680
Coaching highlights over the past five seasons
- Led Clemson to two national titles in 2016, 2018
- Led Tigers to five consecutive College Football Playoff appearances
- 5 ACC titles (2015-19)
- 5 ACC Atlantic titles (2015-19)
Who would you rank as your No. 1 coach of the past five years?