You're an Athletic Director of a large, public university playing in a BCS Conference with substantial financial resources and a passionate fan base. You don't like the direction your program has been taking in recent years, so you decide to completely overhaul the football program, starting with the head coach. In theory, you could have any coach you want to build your program... whom do you take and why?
Here's my list of the Coaching "Power Rankings"
1. Pete Carroll - Since returning to the college ranks, Carroll has built USC into the pre-eminent college football program in the country, producing an obscene amount of first round draft choices to go with his PAC-10 titles.
2. Urban Meyer - Like a college football Midas, everything he touches seems to turn to gold. First Bowling Green, then Utah, and finally Florida. Expect the Gators to be in the title hunt.
3. Jim Tressel - His accomplishments at OSU have been nothing short of jaw-dropping, winning four Big Ten titles in seven years. On top of all that, he's one of the classiest individuals in the sport.
4. Bob Stoops - It's not just the fact that he's established Oklahoma as one of the premier programs of the BCS era, guiding them to BCS bowls in an astounding 6 of his 9 years at helm, but how he's managed to keep his team relevant in seasons when his team has been beset by injuries and scandal.
5. Rich Rodriguez - Is there anyone who's breathed more life into a program in recent memory than did RR at West Virginia? His terms of departure may have left the 'Eer faithful with a sour taste in their mouths, but they weren't within five city blocks of national relevance before he took charge. It remains to be seen how he'll do at UM, but the Wolverines knew what they were doing in hiring this guy.
6. Mark Mangino - Quick, raise your hand if you expected Kansas to be relevant in FOOTBALL at a time when the likes of Texas, Oklahoma, and the rest were stockpiling talent in the Big XII.
7. Les Miles - Still in the shadow of Nick Saban, but hopefully the National Title will go a long way towards establishing Miles as a top coach.
8. Dennis Erickson - Jeff Tedford's the only one who's challenged Pete Carroll's chokehold on the PAC-10 in recent years, and the Bears have struggled to get over the hump. Enter Erickson, and the Sun Devils are suddenly giving the Trojans a run for the money out West, sooner than anyone had guessed.
9. Ron Zook - His turnaround at Illinois has shown that he's found a better fit than the Swamp.
10. Bobby Petrino - Abysmal NFL foray aside, he, along with Rodriguez, almost singlehandedly preserved the Big East's BCS bid following the departure of Miami, V-Tech, and BC. That's saying something.
11. Brett Bielema - His first couple of seasons at Wisconsin have been outstanding--now it's time to see if he can take them to the top and win a Big Ten title.
12. Greg Schiano - When you can convince recruits to turn down Notre Dame to play for RUTGERS, you know you're one of the hottest coaches on the market.
13. Mark Richt - His stock could soar if the Bulldogs are able to win it all this year. As of yet, he's done very well, but hasn't been able to break through.
14. Sylvester Croom - Hard to imagine a coach who's taken over a worse program in recent years and done a more impressive job with what he's been given.
15. Gary Pinkel - Since when are Missouri and Kansas the teams to beat in the Big XII? Since Pinkel and Mangino arrived.
16. Howard Schnellenberger - The only coach on this list who quite literally built a program from SCRATCH.
17. Frank Beamer - No, the Hokies don't belong in the same breath with USC, Ohio State, and LSU... but the fact that he's kept them atop the Big East, and now the ACC, for as long as he has, says a great deal. Sean Glennon ain't exactly Carson Palmer
18. Phil Fulmer - With a young team and a depleted receiver corps, Fulmer still managed to get the Vols to the SEC title game. Now he's got to show he can challenge Florida, LSU, Auburn, and Georgia... and hold off Arkansas, Alabama, and South Carolina... year-in and year-out.
19. Mark Dantonio - If he could make Cincinnati a player, imagine what he'll be able to do at the reins of a Big Ten program like Michigan State, which he's already turned around.
20. Brian Kelly - Like Dantonio before him, this is a guy who's name could well be mentioned for coaching vacancies at top programs over the next few years.
