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The Top 10 Coaches in FBS history?
Posted on 11/14/24 at 7:54 pm
Posted on 11/14/24 at 7:54 pm
1. Nick Saban (297-71-1)
With seven national championships and 11 SEC championships, he is also one of only two FBS coaches to record 200+ wins while still maintaining a winning percentage over 80%.
2. Paul "Bear" Bryant (323-85-17)
Once the winningest head coach in college football history, Bryant racked up six national championships and 15 conference championships in his 37 seasons as a head coach.
3. Knute Rockne (105-12-5)
Coached the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to three national championships while compiling the best winning percentage (.869) of any head coach on this list. His career was cut short when he was killed in a plane crash prior to the start of the 1931 college football season.
4. Bud Wilkinson (145-29-4)
Oversaw the rise of the Oklahoma Sooners and was pacing the sidelines as the Sooners won 47 straight games between 1953-1957. Winner of three national championships and 14 Big 8 championships, he is a worth addition to this list.
5. Frank Leahy (107-13-9)
Responsible for arguably the first great dynasty of the Poll Era, Leahy led Notre Dame to four national championships and 87 victories in his 11 seasons in South Bend.
6. Woody Hayes (238-72-10)
The legendary Ohio State Buckeyes head coach led his beloved program to four national championships and 13 Big Ten championships during his tenure in Columbus, Ohio.
7. Barry Switzer (157-29-4)
Built off the success of his predecessor and led the Sooners to three national championships and 11 Big 8 championships during his tenure in Norman from 1973-1988.
8. Bobby Bowden (377-129-4)
Bowden single-handedly built Florida State into a perennial power, leading the Seminoles to two national championships, 12 ACC championships, and an impressive 14 straight Top 5 finishes from 1987-2000.
9. Tom Osborne (255-49-3)
Constantly ridiculed for failing to win the "big game," Osborne still won over 80% of his football games and managed to score three national championships in his last four seasons in Lincoln, Nebraska to go along with his impressive tally of 13 conference championships.
10. Joe Paterno (409-136-3)
The winningest coach in FBS history, Paterno was the longtime Penn State head coach from 1966 until his termination in the aftermath of the Jerry Sandusky scandal in 2011. JoePa would leave the university with a mixed legacy, two national championships, and three Big Ten championships (Penn State was Independent until the 1993 college football season).
Just Missing the Cut:
Urban Meyer (187-32)
While his absence from the Top 10 will no doubt be noted, I feel like Meyer is right where he belongs. But that's no big slight on him. He's still ranked just outside the Top 10 with three national championships and seven conference championships credited to his name.
Bo Schembechler (234-65-8)
The famed head coach of the Michigan Wolverines, Bo would lead his beloved university to 194 wins and nine Rose Bowl appearances.
Glenn "Pop" Warner (319-106-32)
Once the second winningest college football coach behind Bear Bryant, Warner would leave an indelible mark on the early iteration of college football, having been credited with four combined national championships during his time at Pittsburgh and Stanford.
With seven national championships and 11 SEC championships, he is also one of only two FBS coaches to record 200+ wins while still maintaining a winning percentage over 80%.
2. Paul "Bear" Bryant (323-85-17)
Once the winningest head coach in college football history, Bryant racked up six national championships and 15 conference championships in his 37 seasons as a head coach.
3. Knute Rockne (105-12-5)
Coached the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to three national championships while compiling the best winning percentage (.869) of any head coach on this list. His career was cut short when he was killed in a plane crash prior to the start of the 1931 college football season.
4. Bud Wilkinson (145-29-4)
Oversaw the rise of the Oklahoma Sooners and was pacing the sidelines as the Sooners won 47 straight games between 1953-1957. Winner of three national championships and 14 Big 8 championships, he is a worth addition to this list.
5. Frank Leahy (107-13-9)
Responsible for arguably the first great dynasty of the Poll Era, Leahy led Notre Dame to four national championships and 87 victories in his 11 seasons in South Bend.
6. Woody Hayes (238-72-10)
The legendary Ohio State Buckeyes head coach led his beloved program to four national championships and 13 Big Ten championships during his tenure in Columbus, Ohio.
7. Barry Switzer (157-29-4)
Built off the success of his predecessor and led the Sooners to three national championships and 11 Big 8 championships during his tenure in Norman from 1973-1988.
8. Bobby Bowden (377-129-4)
Bowden single-handedly built Florida State into a perennial power, leading the Seminoles to two national championships, 12 ACC championships, and an impressive 14 straight Top 5 finishes from 1987-2000.
9. Tom Osborne (255-49-3)
Constantly ridiculed for failing to win the "big game," Osborne still won over 80% of his football games and managed to score three national championships in his last four seasons in Lincoln, Nebraska to go along with his impressive tally of 13 conference championships.
10. Joe Paterno (409-136-3)
The winningest coach in FBS history, Paterno was the longtime Penn State head coach from 1966 until his termination in the aftermath of the Jerry Sandusky scandal in 2011. JoePa would leave the university with a mixed legacy, two national championships, and three Big Ten championships (Penn State was Independent until the 1993 college football season).
Just Missing the Cut:
Urban Meyer (187-32)
While his absence from the Top 10 will no doubt be noted, I feel like Meyer is right where he belongs. But that's no big slight on him. He's still ranked just outside the Top 10 with three national championships and seven conference championships credited to his name.
Bo Schembechler (234-65-8)
The famed head coach of the Michigan Wolverines, Bo would lead his beloved university to 194 wins and nine Rose Bowl appearances.
Glenn "Pop" Warner (319-106-32)
Once the second winningest college football coach behind Bear Bryant, Warner would leave an indelible mark on the early iteration of college football, having been credited with four combined national championships during his time at Pittsburgh and Stanford.
Posted on 11/14/24 at 8:06 pm to RollTide1987
What’re you some type of dumbass?
Posted on 11/14/24 at 8:52 pm to RollTide1987
John McKay???
Vince Dooley????
Shug Jordan????
Darryl Royal?????
Vince Dooley????
Shug Jordan????
Darryl Royal?????
Posted on 11/14/24 at 9:24 pm to RollTide1987
quote:
6. Woody Hayes (238-72-10)
And the only thing I remember about him is hitting a player running down the field…haha
Posted on 11/14/24 at 9:35 pm to RollTide1987
Interesting list. I agree with 1-7, but saw several of the Bowden-Osborne-Paterno teams. Those teams feasted on some inferior competition, and then when facing teams with a comparable talent level those coaches did not “out-coach”:the opposing head coach. I would be open to looking at some others for 8, 9, and 10.
Posted on 11/14/24 at 9:59 pm to RollTide1987
Dude are you a Alabama fan
Posted on 11/14/24 at 11:28 pm to Cleathecat
Phil Fulmer
1998 Tennessee football:
13-0
1998 Tennessee football:
13-0
Posted on 11/15/24 at 12:39 am to RollTide1987
People need to read up on Pop Warner.
Not even in the Top 10?
Not even in the Top 10?

Posted on 11/15/24 at 4:50 am to dukke v
quote:
John McKay???
Vince Dooley????
Shug Jordan????
Darryl Royal?????
John McKay is a Top 15 candidate, as is Darrell Royal. Vince Dooley is definitely in conversation for Top 20 but Jordan doesn't even crack the Top 25. I would rank Pat Dye ahead of Jordan. He coached at Auburn for a quarter century and only had one 10-win season.
This post was edited on 11/15/24 at 4:53 am
Posted on 11/15/24 at 5:16 am to RollTide1987
Switzer and Osborne simultaneously inherited perhaps the two best programs in the country in 1973. Neither had to build a program. Switzer would later inherit the best NFL team too.
I am not saying he was a bad football coach - he was an good recruiter and motivator and did have a lot of influence in OU adopting the wishbone and did win a Super Bowl (which isn’t easy under any circumstances) in Dallas - but no one in the history of coaching walked into more favorable situations than Switzer.
I am not saying he was a bad football coach - he was an good recruiter and motivator and did have a lot of influence in OU adopting the wishbone and did win a Super Bowl (which isn’t easy under any circumstances) in Dallas - but no one in the history of coaching walked into more favorable situations than Switzer.
Posted on 11/15/24 at 5:45 am to Globetrotter747
quote:
no one in the history of coaching walked into more favorable situations than Switzer.
Switzer helped create that favorable situation as he was Fairbanks's OC from the word go. The same goes for Tom Osborne. He was Devaney's OC before taking over the head job.
Compare them to other head coaches who walked into ideal situations like Larry Coker with Miami and Les Miles with LSU. While they were successful for a time, they eventually flamed out and were fired.
This post was edited on 11/15/24 at 5:52 am
Posted on 11/15/24 at 6:16 am to RollTide1987
I know everyone on your list won a NC but what Bill Snyder did at lowly K-State was incredible and deserves an honorable mention at the least.
Posted on 11/15/24 at 6:16 am to dukke v
Vince Dooley belongs no where near the top 10. Even as a UGA fan, he was a great coach and an even better person but he’s not up there with those guys.
Posted on 11/15/24 at 6:36 am to Porter Osborne Jr
quote:
No General Neyland?
He and McKay would round out the Top 15.
It’d be:
11. Urban Meyer
12. Bo Schembechler
13. Pop Warner
14. John McKay
15. Robert Neyland
This post was edited on 11/15/24 at 6:38 am
Posted on 11/15/24 at 6:42 am to RollTide1987
Is this just your personal rankings?
Posted on 11/15/24 at 6:57 am to FlyDownTheField83
quote:so did everyone else on that list
Bowden-Osborne-Paterno teams. Those teams feasted on some inferior competition
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