Richt, Johnson score high on rankings, not Chizik, Muschamp
Sporting News has Mark Richt (14) just ahead of Paul Johnson (19) among 124 FBS coaches.
The problem with most “rankings” in sports is that there’s a large degree of knee jerk thinking in the thought process. Somebody wins, they deserve a stature. Somebody loses, they’re road kill. A coach wins a BCS title, he’s a sudden visionary.
But The Sporting News just ranked 124 FBS (Division I) coaches in college football and in my view the publication pretty much nailed it. Not so much because Nick Saban of Alabama is No. 1 or Charley Molnar of Massachusetts is No. 124 (UMass has a football team?) but because of the placement of so many others. A few examples:
– Boise State’s Chris Peterson (No. 2) and Texas Christian’s Gary Patterson (No. 7) both received lofty rankings for their success in actual games, not on national signing day. Winning games really is what coaching is all about, is it not?
– Auburn’s Gene Chizik was ranked only 36th nationally and seventh among 14 SEC coaches, despite winning a national championship two years ago. The reason: He has yet to prove he can accomplish something without Cam Newton.
– High rankings were given to often overlooked coaches in the SEC and ACC, specifically Vanderbilt’s James Franklin (fifth in the SEC, 25th overall) and Wake Forest’s Jim Grobe (fourth in the ACC, 31st overall).
As for Georgia’s Mark Richt and Tech’s Paul Johnson, both fared well. Richt ranked fourth among SEC coaches — behind only Saban, Les Miles and Steve Spurrier, all of whom have won BCS titles — and 14th in the nation.
Here’s The Sporting News on Richt:
A crossroads season at Georgia resulted in 10 wins—but nothing the ‘Dawgs weren’t supposed to do. In fact, all four losses were against the four best teams on the schedule, and left everyone wanting more despite another double-digit win season (his seventh in 11 years). Richt signed a contract extension after last season through 2016—hard to argue 4-0 vs. your rivals (Florida, Georgia Tech, Tennessee, Auburn)—so UGA is committed to his process.
Johnson ranked second in the SEC behind only Virginia Tech’s Frank Beamer and 19th overall.
Here’s The Sporting News on Johnson:
The best way to describe Johnson’s triple-option offense in the ACC: It works. The Yellow Jackets have led the conference—and ranked in the top four nationally—in rushing in all four of Johnson’s seasons in Atlanta, and in each of the past two years have topped 300 yards per game on the ground. The 2009 league title still looks good, as does Johnson’s 6-0 record vs. Army when he was at Navy.
Among those getting pounded: Florida’s Will Muschamp was ranked only 59th nationally (10th among SEC coaches) and Tennessee’s Derek Dooley finished 99th overall (worst in the SEC, even behind No. 90 Joker Phillips of Kentucky).
Also noteworthy: Among former Falcons head coaches June Jones, now of SMU, ranked 22nd overall and far ahead of Jim Mora, now of UCLA, at 68th.
TSN on Mora:
Mora, who led the Atlanta Falcons to 11 wins and a berth in the NFC championship game, is back at the college level for the first time since 1984, when he was a graduate assistant at Washington. He’s off to a pretty good start at UCLA, having signed a well-regarded initial recruiting class. But we don’t have the sense that he’s suddenly on the road to glory. He could struggle with the adjustment from the pro game.
One flaw in the article: The Sporting News states that Big 12 coaches have the best average ranking (27.2), far ahead of No. 2 SEC (43.3). The problem with that statistic, which TSN admits, is the Big 12 goes only 10 teams deep and the SEC now goes 14 deep.
Here’s a link to the entire list (in four parts).
But here’s a breakdown of SEC and ACC coaches and the overall top 10:
•
Top 10 1. Nick Saban (Alabama) 2. Chris Peterson (Boise State) 3. Urban Meyer (Ohio State) 4. Les Miles (LSU) 5. Bob Stoops (Oklahoma) 6. Chip Kelly (Oregon) 7. Gary Patterson (TCU) 8. Steve Spurrier (South Carolina) 9. Frank Beamer (Virginia Tech) 10. Mike Gundy (Oklahoma State) •SEC coaches 1. Nick Saban (Alabama) 4. Les Miles (LSU) 8. Steve Spurrier (South Carolina) 14. Mark Richt (Georgia) 25. James Franklin (Vanderbilt) 26. Gary Pinkel (Missouri) 36. Gene Chizik (Auburn) 46. Dan Mullen (Mississippi State) 47. Kevin Sumlin (Texas A&M) 59. Will Muschamp (Florida) 74. John L. Smith (Arkansas) 77. Hugh Freeze (Mississippi) 90. Joker Phillips (Kentucky) 99. Derek Dooley (Tennessee) •
ACC coaches 9. Frank Beamer (Virginia Tech) 19. Paul Johnson (Georgia Tech) 27. Dabo Swinney (Clemson) 31. Jim Grobe (Wake Forest) 34. Al Golden (Miami) 38. Jimbo Fisher (FSU) 45. Mike London (Virginia) 49. Tom O’Brien (North Carolina State) 53. Larry Fedora (North Carolina) 65. Randy Edsall (Maryland) 67. David Cutcliffe (Duke) 110. Frank Spaziani (Boston College)
•
So what are your thoughts on the list?
By Jeff Schultz
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238 comments Add your comment
Dumb Dawgs
May 10th, 2012
3:20 pm
It took an Auburn grad to get UGA it’s last championship 32 years ago.
Richt is a second tier coach.
Dumb Dawgs
May 10th, 2012
3:21 pm
“Urban sends his regards!”
Turban could never beat Auburn but he owned UGA. UGA is owned by UCF as well.
Dumb Dawgs
May 10th, 2012
3:22 pm
1. Nick Saban (Alabama)
2. Chris Peterson (Boise State)
3. Urban Meyer (Ohio State)
4. Les Miles (LSU)
5. Bob Stoops (Oklahoma)
6. Chip Kelly (Oregon)
7. Gary Patterson (TCU)
8. Steve Spurrier (South Carolina)
9. Frank Beamer (Virginia Tech)
10. Mike Gundy (Oklahoma State)
What’s funny is that only 4 of those coaches have won a national championship.
5150 UOAD
May 10th, 2012
3:23 pm
Steve will you watch UGa v Kentucky at 5pm? No?
UGa the Girls College of Georgia that wins CHAMPIONSHIPS. The Boys at UGa not so much. Is there a Bong Hits Championship?
Dumb Dawgs
May 10th, 2012
3:24 pm
“Richt signed a contract extension after last season through 2016—hard to argue 4-0 vs. your rivals (Florida, Georgia Tech, Tennessee, Auburn)”
And only one of those teams was ranked. Auburn lost 33 players due to draft/graduation. I guess facts don’t matter to buffoons who write for a mag that no one cares about.
Dumb Dawgs
May 10th, 2012
3:25 pm
“1. Nick Saban (Alabama)
4. Les Miles (LSU)
8. Steve Spurrier (South Carolina)
14. Mark Richt (Georgia)
25. James Franklin (Vanderbilt)
26. Gary Pinkel (Missouri)
36. Gene Chizik (Auburn)
46. Dan Mullen (Mississippi State)
47. Kevin Sumlin (Texas A&M)
59. Will Muschamp (Florida)
74. John L. Smith (Arkansas)
77. Hugh Freeze (Mississippi)
90. Joker Phillips (Kentucky)
99. Derek Dooley (Tennessee)”
Steve Spurrier hasn’t done one single thing at USC East. Got his a$$ handed to him by Auburn in the SEC Championship game. Missouri?????? What in the world have they done?
JAMES FRANKLIN??? HAHAHAAHAHAHHAAH
Steve Spurrier hasn’t been relevant since the 90s. This is too much fun.
Dumb Dawgs
May 10th, 2012
3:27 pm
“Look at the Auburn (tiger7_88) fan building these straw men! When you can’t win, just make it up right?”
I would buy you a DVD of UGA’s championship season but I could only find it on VHS at the local gas station.
Dumb Dawgs
May 10th, 2012
3:28 pm
“Hey Auburn moron, Coach Mark Richt has won 106 games in eleven seasons in the Southeastern Conference, and has outlasted ALL other SEC coaches in that same time period.”
HAHAHAAHAHAH!!!!!!!!! A UGAG fan talking trash about another teams coach. PRICELESS!!
Hey Gump, let us all know when UGA actually wins a bowl game. It’s been what, 3-4 years now?
bo
May 10th, 2012
3:47 pm
In fact, Richt should be higher. 1. Excellent coach with one of the best records among active coaches. 2. Impeccable character. A coach that will not, does not embarass UGA and is a man of his word. 3. Quality assistants around him. With all of the flack that Bobo gets–in fact he is considered as a top assistant in line to be a head coach somewhere. Only those most ignorant of college football see it differently.
LHarding Dawg
May 10th, 2012
3:49 pm
As long as we beat Auburn, who cares about a bowl game.
Wet Willie...keep on smiling
May 10th, 2012
3:53 pm
Well there you have it sports fans……Nick Saban #1…I have to agree and I know you do as well.
Cheezestraw will be gone after this year and either Houston (Text me baby) Nutt or Bobby (hold on baby) Petrino will be the HC after this losing year. Auburn fired Gus and he was the reason (along with Cam) for their NC. I bet Lowder is going crazy knowing he has both Houston and Bobby to select from but can’t until after this season.
DawgMan
May 10th, 2012
4:02 pm
I would’ve agreed about Spurrier’s relevance before the last 2 seasons. 20-7 with recruiting really picking up has changed that. USC is more relevant now than they’ve been in the program’s history. We’ll see if he can keep it going, but don’t think you can say that Carolina is irrelevant in the SEC right now.
GTBob
May 10th, 2012
4:07 pm
In fact, Richt should be higher.
If I told you that a team consistently has top 10 recruiting classes, and plays in the best conference in the country, yet hasn’t beaten a team that ended the year ranked in 2 years, would you say the coach should be considered one of the best in the business?
Chris
May 10th, 2012
4:12 pm
Not trying to be a complete homer, but almost every time I see articles grading coaches, I see Al Golden above Jimbo Fisher. Not saying Jimbo isn’t ranked right about where he should be, but I’m not seeing the great appeal of Al Golden. He’s not a bad coach, but he did inherit a good bit of talent in his first year at Miami, and did virtually nothing with it. It’s not going to get any easier for him, but if he can continue with 6 or 7 win seasons, I guess he will have accomplished a lot.
Randy Edsall in the top 65? You’ve gotta be friggin’ kidding me. If a HC’s ego, control issues, denial of reality and possible psychiatric conditions single-handedly dismantle a half-way decent program, following a nine-win season from the previous coach who was their conference coach of the year with a two-win season, and cause what has to be some kind of record in transfers, shouldn’t they plummet in the rankings? Hell, Spaziani can win two games.
5150 UOAD
May 10th, 2012
4:18 pm
Richt
1st 4 years………….41-10
2nd 4 years………..40-12
3rd 4 years?……….24-11
Getting BETTER every year.
Last 4 complete season
34-19
Paul Johnson
34-19
reebok
May 10th, 2012
4:20 pm
The list looks pretty good to me. As a Tech fan, I don’t begrudge acknowledging that Richt is a very good football coach.
Dumb Dawgs
May 10th, 2012
4:22 pm
“As long as we beat Auburn, who cares about a bowl game.”
Mediocrity is what UGAG fans live for.
Dumb Dawgs
May 10th, 2012
4:24 pm
“1. Excellent coach with one of the best records among active coaches.”
ZERO national championships. 0-2 in bowl games in the last two years.
” 2. Impeccable character. A coach that will not, does not embarass UGA and is a man of his word. ”
Fulmer Cup Champs in 2010. Red Panties. 12 players arrested in one year. Nope, no embarrassment there.
Dumb Dawgs
May 10th, 2012
4:25 pm
“Cheezestraw will be gone after this year ”
Coachers who win national championships don’t get fired that easily, UGAGer.
“Auburn fired Gus and he was the reason (along with Cam) for their NC. I bet Lowder is going crazy knowing he has both Houston and Bobby to select from but can’t until after this season.”
HAHAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a MORON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LHarding Dawg
May 10th, 2012
4:26 pm
DD = Dumbazz
Delbert D.
May 10th, 2012
4:26 pm
The SI ranking includes performance at previous schools. Al Golden accomplished a near-impossible job in rebuilding Temple’s program. Hugh Freeze is getting a lot of credit as a head coach for 2 years at Lambuth and 1 at Arkansas State.
Dumb Dawgs
May 10th, 2012
4:26 pm
“As a Tech fan, I don’t begrudge acknowledging that Richt is a very good football coach.”
UGA has the easiest schedule in the SEC. Richt can beat teams as long as they are not ranked.
SteveO
May 10th, 2012
4:28 pm
Sounds about right except for Beamer and Gundy?? Gundy plays in a weak conference and Beamer is nothing but an ACC whiner that can’t beat much of anybody outside of the ACC….neither would fair well playing an SEC schedule every year….there are better coaches than these 2….year in and year out I would rate Tom O’Brien and David Cutcliffe better than Beamer or Gundy….
Big Crimson 75
May 10th, 2012
4:38 pm
It doesn’t suck being the Best!!
5150 UOAD
May 10th, 2012
4:39 pm
Cutcliffe over Beamer? How? Cutcliffe was in the ACC and didn’t scare Beamer.
5150 UOAD
May 10th, 2012
4:40 pm
Well Bi Cri 75 unless you are the Best at Sucking! Just ask Linda Lovelace.
Big Crimson 75
May 10th, 2012
4:44 pm
72 is awfully low for the drunken Irishman!!!
I see lots of Coaches on that list ranked higher that couldn’t hold ol’ resumes Guinness!!!
Big Crimson 75
May 10th, 2012
4:45 pm
Hey-Now!!!!
Forget Mark Felt — Mrs. Lovelace is the Real D.T.!!!!
PMC
May 10th, 2012
4:47 pm
The thing with Chizik and CO. How can you not give him credit for Cam? Cam was not that player coming TO Auburn. He was a pariah. He left as a heisman winner and national champion.
Houston Nutt tried that same act and fell flat on his face.
Like or hate the Auburn staff. That team went from decent when they began the season (struggling to beat auburn) to spectacular beating Alabama and then on to the National Championship game.
and I don’t even care for Auburn.
PMC
May 10th, 2012
4:48 pm
struggling to beat Clemson sorry.
Paul in NH
May 10th, 2012
4:57 pm
Dumb Dawgs
May 10th, 2012
3:22 pm
1. Nick Saban (Alabama)
2. Chris Peterson (Boise State)
3. Urban Meyer (Ohio State)
4. Les Miles (LSU)
5. Bob Stoops (Oklahoma)
6. Chip Kelly (Oregon)
7. Gary Patterson (TCU)
8. Steve Spurrier (South Carolina)
9. Frank Beamer (Virginia Tech)
10. Mike Gundy (Oklahoma State)
What’s funny is that only 4 of those coaches have won a national championship.
—–
There are 5 coaches on the list with MNCs
Pitbull
May 10th, 2012
5:02 pm
Steve Spurrier should have been voted No.1 simply for agreeing to coach football over in that cesspool named Columbia, SC. He must have wanted to get back into the SEC really badly.
As for Auburn ie the Barn, everyone know that the Georgia kids that go there who arn’t on athletic scholarship do so because their parents have money to pay the out of state tuition and the kids did not qualify for acceptance to either Tech or Georgia.
Thus the second class education in a town who’s social structure is based around two trees that may be dying – but I hope not for the trees’ sake. We need trees in this world.
Dumb Dawgs
May 10th, 2012
5:05 pm
“There are 5 coaches on the list with MNCs”
1 of them hasn’t won since Clinton was getting a BJ.
Dumb Dawgs
May 10th, 2012
5:07 pm
“As for Auburn ie the Barn, everyone know that the Georgia kids that go there who arn’t on athletic scholarship do so because their parents have money to pay the out of state tuition and the kids did not qualify for acceptance to either Tech or Georgia.”
Next time you fly on a commercial airline, thank a pilot for going to Auburn. Next time you buy an Apple product, thank the CEO who went to Auburn.
I love how dawg fans, not grads, say that Auburn is an easy school to get into when we ALL know most of the kids that go to UGA are dirt poor and have to have the HOPE scholarship to get in.
Where does the state of GA rank with other states in the US.
At the bottom.
Dumb Dawgs
May 10th, 2012
5:09 pm
“The thing with Chizik and CO. How can you not give him credit for Cam? Cam was not that player coming TO Auburn. He was a pariah. He left as a heisman winner and national champion.”
Chizik recruited Cam, Fairly etc. It was HIS class that won that title. Tubberville left it in shambles. Auburn has had 3 top 10 recruiting classes in a row and just brought in the best offensive line class in the nation. Auburn has 2 really really good QB’s that are fighting for the starting job. EVERY single player from last year, except for a couple that went to the NFL, will be back.
Pitbull
May 10th, 2012
5:09 pm
I am so glad that Mark Richt is our coach. Take an objective look:
Mark Richt has graduated 222 players in 11 years which is pretty much an entire recruiting class each year and won 106 games during that same period of time.
Mark may not have won a NC and that is OK. We have been in the SECCG 5 times since he came to Athens and won it twice. We never went to the SECCG before he got here.
I believe your bowl record is 8-3.
You have run a clean winning program, have never embarrassed us, and we have never been placed on probation during your tenure, unlike the dirty program over on North Avenue which just ended one four year probation and is beginning another four year probation after forfeiting an ACC championship.
Oh and lets never forget that the reason Tech folks hate you is that you are 10-1 against Tech.
Pitbull
May 10th, 2012
5:12 pm
Question: Where does the state of GA rank with other states in the US?
Answer: Right above Alabama
Sloppy Track Slogger
May 10th, 2012
5:13 pm
You have to place Saban at the top of the list, then any of the active head coaches who have WON a BCS title, then the ones who actually played in the game in the last 10 years…then the also rans based one winning a conference title, a division title, a major bowl game, and on and on, and on..
I guess if you included recruiting, and winning games against poor opponents while losing to the BIG BOYS you play one could add Mark Richt’s name to the list, but he has yet to prove he is a big game coach, while still living off of the great players his predecessor had brought in….
Sloppy Track Slogger
May 10th, 2012
5:17 pm
Pitbull
May 10th, 2012
5:12 pm
Question: Where does the state of GA rank with other states in the US?
Answer: Right above Alabama
Pitbull, I also always find it amusing to see who is the one who actually ranks these states, the internal bias in these rankings whether it be education, income etc…all those so called “indexed” rankings are full of subjective opinions and biased input.
Dumb Dawgs
May 10th, 2012
5:20 pm
” We have been in the SECCG 5 times since he came to Athens and won it twice.”
So he’s 2-3 in the SECCCG. That is horrible.
Sloppy Track Slogger
May 10th, 2012
5:20 pm
One more thing, without Tebow we see Meyer in the same light as The Chiz without Preacher son’s boy. Urban has yet to prove anything without Tebow in the huddle…I will keep my rankings on him a great deal lowere until I see him do Anything at OSU.
Dumb Dawgs
May 10th, 2012
5:20 pm
“You have run a clean winning program, have never embarrassed us”
Fulmer Cup Champs
12 players arrested in one year.
Red panties…
Nope, no embarrassment there.
Dumb Dawgs
May 10th, 2012
5:21 pm
“Urban has yet to prove anything without Tebow in the huddle’
Guess you missed the 2006 season when Chris Leak led the Gators to the national championships.
Dumb Dawgs
May 10th, 2012
5:22 pm
“One more thing, without Tebow we see Meyer in the same light as The Chiz without Preacher son’s boy.”
UGA without Herschell. USC without Bush.
Keep on talking, UGAGER.
Sloppy Track Slogger
May 10th, 2012
5:26 pm
Dumb Dawgs
May 10th, 2012
5:21 pm
“Urban has yet to prove anything without Tebow in the huddle’
Guess you missed the 2006 season when Chris Leak led the Gators to the national championships.
THose players were GUYS that Spurrier and Zook left stockpiled…..we saw what kind of talent he brought in, Theives, crooks, druggies, special priviledged and convicts…living off other coaches players and as bad as a coach as zook was, he was a great recruiter and left Urban a ton of talent.
Sloppy Track Slogger
May 10th, 2012
5:27 pm
Dumb Dawgs
May 10th, 2012
5:22 pm
“One more thing, without Tebow we see Meyer in the same light as The Chiz without Preacher son’s boy.”
UGA without Herschell. USC without Bush.
Keep on talking, UGAGER.
Just to set the record straight…..ROLL TIDE is more my speed…
5150 UOAD
May 10th, 2012
5:27 pm
pitbull………..I want a LINK to the list of those 222 players that GRADUATED. I also know many took the JOKE Majors but where is the List of the 222 players that Graduated. 222/11=20.18 players/year. I am pretty sure UGa had many Jr.s go and Sr.s never finish their degrees.
Dumb Dawgs
May 10th, 2012
5:28 pm
“THose players were GUYS that Spurrier and Zook left stockpiled”
Contradict much?
” Theives, crooks, druggies, special priviledged and convicts”
SEE:UGA
Sloppy Track Slogger
May 10th, 2012
5:28 pm
We all know that without HW…Dooley would have left UGA without a National Title on his resume…
Dumb Dawgs
May 10th, 2012
5:28 pm
“Just to set the record straight…..ROLL TIDE is more my speed…”
As is getting tea bagged by your fellow troglodyte fans.