10 college football coaches who were better off as big fish in little ponds

2. Charlie Strong

Charlie Strong had his first taste as head coach back in 2004 when he was an interim for a game and lost, but it was clear that he was a rising star in the coaching world. Six years later, he took over at Louisville where he made four straight bowl games and finished 37-15 before getting hired at Texas.

It was a big leap going from the Big East and then the AAC to the Big 12 at one of the most prominent programs in the country, but Strong felt like the right fit.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case and he went just 16-21 over three years and his teams got worse each season. He also only made one bowl game in three seasons which is unacceptable at a program like Texas where the expectations are sky-high.

Following his Texas tenure, he took over at South Florida and won 10 games in his first season before winning just 11 in his final two to finish 21-16 with the Bulls.

Imagine if he just stayed at Louisville where he made the Cardinals legit national contenders.