Ranking the non-BCS coaches

[Cheesesteak]

Ranking the non-BCS coaches: Don't overlook these rising stars

April 15, 2008 - Tom Dienhart - The Sporting News

They work in the shadow of the BCS Big Boys, but don't underestimate the acumen of non-BCS head coaches. These are some of the best in the business.

In these ranks, you'll find a coach who has won a national championship (Howard Schnellenberger), a coach who has led his team to a BCS bowl win (Chris Petersen), a coach who has worked the BCS title game (Frank Solich) and a former NFL head coach (June Jones).

And Bronco Mendenhall is poised to be the next non-BCS coach to experience a BCS bowl breakthrough.

Some of these non-BCS talents are destined to coach at a BCS school: guys like Petersen, Todd Graham, Skip Holtz, Rick Stockstill, J.D. Brookhart, Butch Jones, Mario Cristobal, Gregg Brandon, Brady Hoke, Troy Calhoun, Al Golden and Bill Cubit, among others.

And look at some of the newcomers: Kevin Sumlin, Larry Fedora and Steve Fairchild are three of the fastest rising stars in the business.

RANKING THE NON-BCS COACHES

1. June Jones, SMU
2. Gary Patterson, TCU
3. Pat Hill, Fresno State
4. Bronco Mendenhall, BYU
5. Chris Petersen, Boise State
6. Todd Graham, Tulsa
7. Larry Blakeney, Troy
8. [deleted] Tomey, San Jose State
9. George O'Leary, Central Florida
10. Kyle Whittingham, Utah
11. Gregg Brandon, Bowling Green
12. Skip Holtz, East Carolina
13. Howard Schnellenberger, Florida Atlantic
14. Mike Price, UTEP
15. Rocky Long, New Mexico
16. Larry Fedora, Southern Mississippi
17. Frank Solich, Ohio
18. Troy Calhoun, Air Force
19. Rick Stockstill, Middle Tennessee
20. Chris Ault, Nevada
21. Butch Jones, Central Michigan
22. Bill Cubit, Western Michigan
23. Kevin Sumlin, Houston
24. Tom Amstutz, Toledo
25. Bob Toledo, Tulane
26. Brady Hoke, Ball State
27. Al Golden, Temple
28. Tommy West, Memphis
29. Joe Glenn, Wyoming
30. Hal Mumme, New Mexico State
31. J.D. Brookhart, Akron
32. Ken Niumatalolo, Navy
33. Shane Montgomery, Miami (Ohio)
34. Jeff Genyk, Eastern Michigan
35. Doug Martin, Kent State
36. Steve Fairchild, Colorado State
37. Mario Cristobal, Florida International
38. Mark Snyder, Marshall
39. Jerry Kill, Northern Illinois
40. Derek Dooley, Louisiana Tech
41. Steve Roberts, Arkansas State
42. Rickey Bustle, Louisiana-Lafayette
43. Mike Sanford, UNLV
44. Todd Dodge, North Texas
45. Neil Callaway, UAB
46. Turner Gill, Buffalo
47. Brent Guy, Utah State
48. David Bailiff, Rice
49. Robb Akey, Idaho
50. Greg McMackin, Hawaii
51. Stan Brock, Army
52. Chuck Long, San Diego State

[2112]

smu haters.....better brace themselves for some pain and woe!!!!!!!

[Mexmustang]

I even happy the frogs are no. 2--the better they are, the better we will be, even if it is just by field goal (ours of course).

[deepellumfrog]

I even happy the frogs are no. 2--the better they are, the better we will be, even if it is just by field goal (ours of course).

So anyone thinking the Ponies have the upper hand this year?

[mrydel]

I even happy the frogs are no. 2--the better they are, the better we will be, even if it is just by field goal (ours of course).

So anyone thinking the Ponies have the upper hand this year?

Depends on the subject. In many cases, yes. In reference to football, I will gladly accept the underdog role.

[redpony]

deepellumfrog
Yep- come September we plan to go 'frog-giggin'. After all froggie legs are for frying. Little 'froggiewoggie better hide his butt!

GO PONIES!!

[Warbow]

Gotta be a joke right?

I don't foresee any success for JJ in Texas. He didn't have to compete for local talent with any other NCAA Hawaii school thus getting his pick of Hawaii's recruiting crop. There wasn't to many non-BCS type schools to compete against for the local talent except maybe Utah. It won't be the same in Texas for him, whatever recruits Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma St don't want he would have to battle TCU, Houston, Rice, Tulsa and North Texas for. With his recruiting skills, I feel sorry for SMU. The future of SMU football still looks bleak.

Like a good sales man, JJ knew when to bail. He bailed when his stock was the highest and got the best deal for himself. It's always been about himself with JJ. It was always "I" did this or "I" did that with him.

I wouldn't consider a program who had the death sentence issued and hasn't had a winning team in over twenty years as a better program. It was all about the money, no other reason. Sure Hawaii has it's problems but it wasn't something new to JJ. He stayed here for 9 years and only bitched about it as an excuse to take the money and run.

[RGV Pony]

Gotta be a joke right?


Like a good sales man, JJ knew when to bail. He bailed when his stock was the highest and got the best deal for himself. It's always been about himself with JJ. It was always "I" did this or "I" did that with him.

And here I thought he said he was outta Manoa were it not for Jerry Glanville. And a couple of years later he stayed in part because of his relationship with Colt Brennan.

Oh yeah, when Honolulu businessmen rounded up what, a hundred grand or so to give JJ as a bonus, what did he do with it? I swear I remember hearing he gave it to his assistants.

[peruna81]

My junior high girlfriend left me for a guy with a car...still devastated all these years later...


It is a tough world. Hawaii had the chance to keep a coach that had taken them to the stratosphere of college football, and CHOSE not to do the things ( new practice facility, compensation for assistants, recruiting budget that reflected their place in NCAA football ) that would demonstrate a desire to have him on the sideline in the fall of 2008. You may want to question JJ's character now, but the words echo fairly hollow when those in the UH community would not deliver.

You may be right. JJ may be a failure at SMU...though his track record would indicate otherwise. But I am going to love watching the possibilities from Ford stadium this fall. Hopefully when he rights this ship we will be wise enough to 'pony-up' whatever is necessary to keep him here a long, long time.

[ponyboy]

I don't foresee any success for JJ in Texas.

He's succeeded everywhere he's been. It will be no different here.

[Charleston Pony]

I don't foresee any success for JJ in Texas.

He's succeeded everywhere he's been. It will be no different here.

Warbow thinks the Hawaii job was easy. Just ask the guy who took them to the 0-12 season before Jones arrived.

[Warbow]

My junior high girlfriend left me for a guy with a car...still devastated all these years later...


It is a tough world. Hawaii had the chance to keep a coach that had taken them to the stratosphere of college football, and CHOSE not to do the things ( new practice facility, compensation for assistants, recruiting budget that reflected their place in NCAA football ) that would demonstrate a desire to have him on the sideline in the fall of 2008. You may want to question JJ character now, but the words echo fairly hollow when those in the UH community would not deliver.

You may be right. JJ may be a failure at SMU...though his track record would indicate otherwise. But I am going to love watching the possibilities from Ford stadium this fall. Hopefully when he rights this ship we will be wise enough to 'pony-up' whatever is necessary to keep him here a long, long time.

It wasn't the conditions at Hawaii that drove JJ away, it was the money. He worked under the same conditions for nearly 10 years. Only until someone else came up with the money did he publicly mention them. He played his cards right until the very day he signed with SMU, he was going to the highest bidder no matter what he said the conditions were like. In fact, he used Hawaii's last minute attempt to re-sign him to get about 300k more from SMU.

The sad part about this deal for SMU is, he left the main reason for his success at Hawaii and couldn't deliever Coach Mac as his Defensive Coordinator for SMU. The only two times he won the WAC (out of 9 years) he had Coach Mac as his Defensive Coordinator.

I really don't know about any track record you speak of, seems to me, he was a failure at everywhere he's been at except Hawaii. Exactly what did he do at Atlanta and San Diego that could be considered a success? Every coach he coached under as an assistant has gotten fired. Great track record.

[Cadillac]

Gotta be a joke right?

-CoS

[peruna81]

Warbow, as stated above you may be right...we will both see the difference long about November when things shake out in football and in the Prez race. I will be happy to dress in traditional Hawaiian garb and preach my homily on the first Sunday in January '09 if SMU goes 1-11
or worse again. May disgust a few Baptists, but I will be far more disgusted and surprised with SMU's fortunes if that is the case.

That said, I will be equally interested to see how UH fairs without the turncoat JJ. You may be surprised at what you get, both short term and long term.

Good luck. I think our situation is markedly better with the arrival of a man that 'chased the money.'

[Alaric]

Gotta be a joke right?

Warbow needs to meet Mike Cavan and/or Phil Bennett. So how has McMackin fared in his career as head coach? ...and HC of Aloha HS doesn't count. Don't be so proud of McMackin until you see how he fares as captain of the ship. For the record, Phil Bennett was a hot defensive coordinator in the Big XII before going to SMU