We gave you our list of overrated coaches. Now, the underrated ones…
1. Art Briles, Baylor–One of the finest offensive minds in the game, he helped revive the Houston program and now appears to have Baylor on the quick turnaround as well.
2. Turner Gill, Buffalo–How many coaches from the overrated list could find a way to win at Buffalo? And why is this guy still in Buffalo?
3. Kyle Wittingham, Utah–He had a tough act to follow in Urban Meyer. But he just went 13-0, too. Either going 13-0 is easy to do at Utah, or the Utes have had some really good coaches lately.
4. Mike Riley, Oregon State–Has done something only one other current coach in the country has done: Beaten Pete Carroll twice (the other is Bill Snyder, who just returned to coaching).
5. Kevin Sumlin, Houston–When Briles left, the Cougars could’ve taken a dive. But Sumlin did an admirable job and led Houston to a bowl. Is anyone noticing?
6. Houston Nutt, Ole Miss–Seems to win wherever he goes, but is never fully appreciated. Sure, he’s using Ed Orgeron’s talent, but he knows what to do with it.
7. Bobby Johnson, Vandy–He got Vandy to a bowl. How many coaches on the overrated list could get Vandy to a bowl?
8. Dick Tomey, San Jose State–Was run out of Arizona for no real good reason then sat out a few years before doing a solid job for the Spartans. He’s still got it.
9. Jim Grobe, Wake Forest–Has won 28 games in three seasons at Wake, not that anyone seems to care.
10. Jim Harbaugh, Stanford–Has turned Stanford into a hard-nose, competitive team. Beat an extremely talented USC team with almost no talent. Now, he’s starting to bring in some talent. Look out.
Honorable Mention: Chris Peterson, Boise State; Paul Johnson, Georgia Tech; Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State; Bronco Mendenhall, BYU; Gary Patterson, TCU
Almost every coach you listed as “overrated” wins on a consistent basis. And vice versa for every coach you listed as “underrated”. Bored?
Turner Gill, Buffalo–How many coaches from the overrated list could find a way to win at Buffalo? And why is this guy still in Buffalo?
Early in his stint at Cal, Jeff Tedford was asked if he thought it was possible to win anywhere. He said “yes”. I think he is correct, and I think Tedford is a coach who could win anywhere. That said, I don’t think it’s possible for any coach to turn any program into an elite program. After 2004 it was expected by many that JT would do this at Cal; since he has not yet done it, I guess you could call him “overrated”. But this Cal fan wouldn’t trade him for any other coach in the country.
Torbear, I agree that Tedford could win at Buffalo. Les Miles would not, though, nor would Lane Kiffin..
Tedford is a good coach and he has done well at Cal. However, he is in my mind still living a bit off his earlier reputation and has not been the innovative guy he once was.
Hey Anonymous: Do you know what the term ‘overrated’ and ‘underrated’ means? It does not mean good or bad.
Turning around Buffalo would not be a difficult task, since Buffalo plays in the worst conference in college football. Turning around programs in top conferences, say like Iowa State or Mississippi State, that would be a challenge for a coach and add more value to their resume.
I think PJ should be higher on this list, and I also think Troy Calhoun should be included. If you can win at an SA (especially in the MWC) you are among the very best in the game – both from an “X’s and O’s” standpoint and from a “leading players” standpoint.
I don’t know what the definition of underrated is. Nutt was recruited by other schools when he was at Arkansas and always turned them down. I recall Nebraska reportedly being interested in him a few years ago. Grobe made some short lists and turned them down. Wasn’t he mentioned for jobs like Alabama and Auburn?
after reading both overrated and underrated, i came to conclusion that the writer’s knowledge of college football is no more than ordinary fan.
Anonymous
Why are you anonymous? Are you more knowledgeable than the ordinary fan? Are you really Kirk Herbstreit?
I wouldn’t put Grobe on this list. Every Wake game I’ve watched in the past 2 years the announcers never stop talking about how great he is and how good he’s made the program at Wake – people are giving him credit. Then he goes and does something like lose to Navy at home.
After reading anon’s posts, I’ve come to the conclusion that the writer’s knowledge of proper capitalization and grammar is no more than an ordinary 1st grade student.
Technically you could also include Mr. Overrated Dave Wannstedt as another coach who has beaten Pete Carroll twice.
Frank Beamer wins has won the ACC title 3 times in the past 4 years in what always turns out to be a deep conference. His team is homegrown and Virginia is not exactly a recruiting hotbed… his teams are relentless and value Beamerball (special teams). His teams do what they do better than anyone in the country… GUARANTEE: Hokies will be crowned national champions within 5 years!
btw thought Paul johnson could be higher on list for what he did at Navy and also defeating Georgia his first year at GT