1. Nick Saban– Of course he was going to be in this spot. Whether you support or root against him, you can’t deny the fact that he’s still the best coach in the country today. We’re talking about a guy that has completely dominated a conference that many considered to be the best in all of college football. The numbers and his resume simply speak for themselves. He’s won a total of five championships (one at LSU and four with Alabama) seven SEC conference titles and ten SEC Western Division titles. When these types of discussions begin, Nick Saban’s name will always come up first. As long as he continues to roam the sidelines, he will continue to hold this title and 20 years from now, we could be discussing him as the greatest college football coach of all-time.
2. Urban Meyer– He’s the best coach in the nation not named Nick Saban and when you look at his track record, he has won wherever he’s been. He’s won three national titles (two at Florida, one at Ohio State) and during his coaching career, he has a conference record of 99-20 and this record includes his stops at Bowling Green, Utah, Florida and Ohio State. Since he’s been in Columbus as Ohio State’s head coach, he has a record of 39-2 in Big Ten play. Not only has he dominated the Big Ten, but his presence has helped pull the entire conference out of a rut as other schools followed Ohio State’s lead.
3. Jimbo Fisher– He’s replaced a legend in Bobby Bowden and has done a nice job of making a name for himself. He’s been the coach of Florida State for seven seasons and his worst record came in 2011 when the Seminoles went 9-4. Since that year, the Florida State Seminoles have truly become a powerhouse in college football and have a record of 59-9 with a national championship victory and three ACC conference titles. He loses key players as every college football team does, but he still keeps it moving regardless. They enter the 2017 season as a CFP contender.
4. Jim Harbaugh– He’s a good all-around coach. He had Stanford playing at a high level and he even helped groom some guy named Andrew Luck. He takes his first NFL job with the 49ers and he leads them to three straight NFC Championship games and a Super Bowl appearance. Now, he’s back at his alma mater in Ann Arbor and they’ve had winning seasons under him. If Michigan doesn’t let their foot off the gas when it matters the most, they could easily be a playoff team. He’s a good football mind and his players love playing for him. He’s the definition of a players coach.
5. Chris Pedersen– When he was at Boise State, I thought he was close to being elite. What I’ve seen him do since taking the job in Washington has further elevated his status to the elite conversation. It was only a matter of time before the Washington Huskies had success. I knew they were in good hands, but I never thought they’d be in the CFP last year and they’d win their conference either and what makes this more impressive is that he had them in the playoffs in just his third season as head coach. That’s phenomenal. He has a 27-14 record as coach of the Huskies and an 119-26 record as a coach overall.
