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College Football: Ranking 10 best head coaches from past 5 seasons

By Ryan Kay

Nick Saban, Alabama Crimson Tide, Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma Sooners, Dabo Swinney, Clemson Tigers, Brian Kelly, Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
Nick Saban, Alabama Crimson Tide, Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma Sooners, Dabo Swinney, Clemson Tigers, Brian Kelly, Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – SEPTEMBER 07: Head coach Clay Helton of the USC Trojans instructs his team in the game against the Stanford Cardinal at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 7, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – SEPTEMBER 07: Head coach Clay Helton of the USC Trojans instructs his team in the game against the Stanford Cardinal at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 7, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

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

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