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YOUR BALANCE
2017 ACC Coaching Rankings
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2017 ACC Coaching Rankings


Aug 13, 2017, 6:51 PM

Howdy Tiger fans. The season is getting close (in two weeks, we will have seen some college football). I can't wait! And I'm hoping that I can be in Blacksburg for our matchup in about a month and a half.

As far as what I'm doing here, it's simple. I ranked the HCs in the ACC in order.

Note: In doing these rankings, it's obvious just how much better that the coaches in the league are then a few years ago. There are some really good coaches in the bottom half.... guys that would have been 1st quartile a few years ago.

1. Dabo Swinney, Clemson: Fresh off of a national championship at Clemson and two consecutive appearances in the title game, I'm not sure how you rank anyone else here. Swinney built this program from the ground up.

2. Mark Richt, Miami: 7 Top 10 finishes in 15 years at UGA. Two SEC titles. Great recruiter. Miami will be a power again in short order.

3. Jimbo Fisher, Florida State: One could argue that the Noles have underachieved the last couple years. But it's hard to argue with 78-17.

4. Bobby Petrino, Louisville: Horrible man. Great coach. Last year, he had Lamar Jackson sure... but without Jackson and the ability to take full advantage of his talents, the Cards perhaps do not go bowling. That was not a good team surrounding the Heisman winner.

5. Justin Fuente, Virginia Tech: Maybe a little bit of bias here, but he built Memphis from the ground up quickly. Making that road even harder, Memphis jumped up a level conference-wise in his tenure and the success was still not hindered. He then took a program that underachieved the last few years and took full advantage of the available talent. Can the recruiting pick up? Early signs are looking good.

6. Bronco Mendenhall, Virginia: 99 wins in 10 years at BYU. Don't let last year fool you. There was little to work with in Hooville last year. In fact, even with all going well, the Hoos are probably two years away from bowling at the least.

7. Paul Johnson, Georgia Tech: 70-48 in 9 years at GT is pretty solid. He might not be the most sunny personality, but to win the way they do at GT isn't easy. The records look even better if you remove the injury-plagued anomaly that was 2015.

8. David Cutcliffe, Duke: Four straight bowls at DUKE. An ACCCG appearance at DUKE. I rest my case.

9. Larry Fedora, UNC: It gets forgotten that UNC went 8-0 in the league just a couple years ago. They did underachieve a little bit last year though. IMO, this could be a make or break year for his tenure in Chapel Hill... even though I don't see him getting fired this year regardless. But this season could tell the tale of what his ultimate fate could be.

10. Pat Narduzzi, Pitt: Two 8-5 seasons to begin his tenure at Pitt is a good start. He was one of the best DCs in the business at MSU. IMO, he has a chance to make a big jump this year.

11. Dave Clawson, Wake Forest: Jim Grobe was a decent steady hand in Winston-Salem the last few years. Getting to a bowl was a big step for the Deacs.

12. Dave Doeren, NC State: A couple of strong showings against FSU and Clemson may have saved him, even if the Wolfies couldn't close the deal either time. They don't come close in either game this year, finish with 6-7 wins and an interim head man coaches the bowl.

13. Steve Addazio, Boston College: Things seemed headed downhill after 2015... and even early rough start in 2016. But the momentum turned a bit and the Eagles bowled again. That said, with another 3-9 or 4-8 season, a coaching search will happen in Chestnut Hill in a few months.

14. Dino Babers, Syracuse: IMO an overrated hire for the Orange. I foresee 3-4 more years of 3-5 wins a season before they are looking for a new coach. If things go well, maybe they'll sneak a bowl into his tenure somewhere.

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I'm a Richt supporter, but i think it's tough to put


Aug 13, 2017, 6:55 PM

him ahead of Fisher.

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I went both ways on that but ultimately went with Richt


Aug 13, 2017, 7:10 PM

ahead of Fisher due to Richt's success in the SEC over a very long period of time. Most of Fisher's early success came very early in his tenure while Clemson was still building their program. I question whether Fisher would have done as well in the SEC East gauntlet.

But it is tough to argue with a national championship and a playoff appearance in addition to that.

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Re: I went both ways on that but ultimately went with Richt


Aug 14, 2017, 7:36 AM

Haha you think the east is difficult. FSU has been crushing the East's most consistent team for years now.

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null


Welcome to Tnet


Aug 13, 2017, 6:55 PM

I am hoping to be in Blacksburg myself, I have been checking out RV sites close to the stadium and any help or advice you could give would be most appreciated. First time to Blacksburg and I am looking forward to it.

2024 white level memberbadge-donor-05yr.jpg flag link military_tech thumb_downthumb_up

I'm not new here, I pop by a few times a year


Aug 13, 2017, 7:02 PM

And I definitely enjoy talking football (and basketball) with you guys.

As for RV parking, to be honest I don't know much about it. My wife's family actually lives in Blacksburg now (completely coincidental that they live there) and I spent a lot of time working with the team a while back when I was a student and was on the sidelines (I was actually on Clemson's sideline for the 07 game... and with the exception of some random 50-ish aged guy who wasn't a coach everyone was great). But the point is that I have never really had to worry about parking.

Anyways, I'm happy to let you know what's good around town if you have questions about that.

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Here is some information, but it's from 2016


Aug 13, 2017, 10:30 PM [ in reply to Welcome to Tnet ]

I guess the 2017 information hasn't been released yet, but my guess is not much, if anything, has changed.

http://www.hokiesports.com/football/fanguide.html#Campers

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Re: Here is some information, but it's from 2016


Aug 14, 2017, 6:13 AM

Now see this is why I'm a suedo VaT fan. Y'all are a great fan base. You & VaTFAN are welcome here anytime. Good luck with your season.

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Re: 2017 ACC Coaching Rankings


Aug 13, 2017, 7:05 PM

Cutcliffe has done an astounding job at Duke . I would have no problem ranking him 3rd or 4th .

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DB23


Re: 2017 ACC Coaching Rankings


Aug 13, 2017, 7:05 PM

Pretty good list. Well done!

2 comments........
National championships speak volumes. I would put Jimbo in front of Richt. Richt has a problem winning "the big game".
It is hard to a recall a coach doing more with less as Dino did with Syracuse last season. BC coach just sucks.....period. He won't last past this season

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I had Addazio last in my rankings last year


Aug 13, 2017, 7:21 PM

And they don't recruit very well (not unusual for coaches at BC though). But they had very little talent on that team last year (I can't think of a single player on that team offensively who scared me even a little). They still made it to a bowl somehow. I don't think they were any more talented than Syracuse.

Then again, I may be slightly biased since I watched them get their butt totally kicked in Blacksburg. But outside of beating us, Cuse didn't do anything of note all year.

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Re: I had Addazio last in my rankings last year


Aug 13, 2017, 7:50 PM

Be had a ludicrous out of conference schedule. That's how they got into a bowl.

Dino did upset your Hokies, how soon we forget! Dino also Outcoached Addazio and won that head to head matchup.

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BC's OOC was a complete joke


Aug 13, 2017, 8:06 PM

I'll give you that. But they did beat NC State on the road and won most of the games that they should.

Meanwhile, Cuse got killed in a lot of the games they played last year (including barely even showing up against you guys).

That said, I can certainly see and respect the opinion of putting Babers ahead of Addazio (who I agree is in over his head). But three bowls in four years for the Eagles is not bad... and they also took care of Maryland in the bowl.

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Re: 2017 ACC Coaching Rankings


Aug 13, 2017, 7:12 PM

That list is entirely too rational and has absolutely no place on Tnet.

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Why do dogs always race to the door when the doorbell rings? It's almost never for them.


1. Dabo


Aug 13, 2017, 7:14 PM

2. Jimbo
3. Richt
4. Petrino
5. Fuente
6. Cutcliffe
7. Johnson
8. Fedora
9. Mendenhall
10. Narduzzi
11. Clawson
12. Doeren
13. Addazio
14. Babers

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Cutcliffe needs to be a couple spots higher.***


Aug 13, 2017, 7:23 PM



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Re: 2017 ACC Coaching Rankings


Aug 13, 2017, 7:53 PM

I stopped reading after seeing March Richt listed #2 and Jimbo #3.

Jimbo's won a National Championship, won several-recent ACC Championships and re-established FSU as an elite football program. I love me some Mark Richt, but he's never won a National Championship and hasn't won a conference title in years.

How could you possibly rank Richt above Jimbo?

Your list lacks credibility for that fact alone.

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National championships are big, I'll grant that


Aug 13, 2017, 8:19 PM

But Richt was coaching in the SEC in the prime of the conference. Of the 30 final AP/Coaches polls from 2001-2015, UGA showed up in the top 10 in half of those.

Fisher IMO has underachieved in several of his seasons at FSU. He recruits well and always have talent. Yet, they haven't been playing to that level over the last couple of seasons. I know national championships are a big deal. But is FSU where they are because of Fisher's excellent coaching? Or is FSU where they would be with about any of about 15-20 other coaches? I'm looking at the big picture overall. Not just one season.

I know it's a controversial position, but it's certainly not indefensible. While Richt may not have won a national title at Georgia, people VERY much underestimate what he actually did there.

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Re: National championships are big, I'll grant that


Aug 13, 2017, 8:29 PM

You play for hardware. Important hardware. Jumbo has it and CMR does not so Jimbo has to be second.

I have also believe Babers will do great things at Cuse unless a bigger program grabs him first.

The great news for the ACC is there is not a dud coach in the bunch. Some had bigger rebuilding jobs than others and some schools are difficult to draw recruits but the coaching lineup is excellent.

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I agree that you play for hardware...


Aug 13, 2017, 9:13 PM

But does that make Larry Coker a better coach historically than Frank Beamer? Is Gene Chizik a better coach than Jim Harbaugh? Was Bo Schembechler an inferior coach to Lloyd Carr?

A national championship is a big deal, don't get me wrong. But a national championship by itself does not make one coach better than another on its own.

I admit, I have a lot of respect for Richt. Probably more than most. But 15 years of high level success (even if never quite hitting the highest level) is difficult to ignore. Richt's teams went 83-37 in SEC play, only once having a losing record in conference play.

For what it's worth, I think it's very close between the two. But Richt's long term success in the SEC pushes him over the top for me.

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Re: I agree that you play for hardware...


Aug 13, 2017, 9:35 PM

> But does that make Larry Coker a better coach
> historically than Frank Beamer? Is Gene Chizik a
> better coach than Jim Harbaugh? Was Bo Schembechler
> an inferior coach to Lloyd Carr?
>
> A national championship is a big deal, don't get me
> wrong. But a national championship by itself does not
> make one coach better than another on its own.
>
> I admit, I have a lot of respect for Richt. Probably
> more than most. But 15 years of high level success
> (even if never quite hitting the highest level) is
> difficult to ignore. Richt's teams went 83-37 in SEC
> play, only once having a losing record in conference
> play.
>
> For what it's worth, I think it's very close between
> the two. But Richt's long term success in the SEC
> pushes him over the top for me.


A couple of points:
You specifically compared Jimbo with CMR. Both had an even playing field in terms of coaching at a top CFB Program. Jimbo took advantage and CMR did not so Jimbo gets the edge. CMR did have long term success but so has Jimbo. One could argue CMR did less with more in terms of talent than any coach in CFB. FWIW I would rather my son play for CMR but that is a different discussion.

Coker and Chizik were one hit wonder lottery winner type coaches. Right time right place but not top tier coaches.

Beamer built a program which had limited success before his arrival into a championship game appearance. By all accounts a great coach but arguably stayed a couple of years too long.

I don't follow Michigan football but for me Harbough has not even won a conference title so for me he is still an also ran coach despite all the ESPN hype. Not mention I think he is an ### and crazy.

One final point, coaches like Cutcliff and Paul Johnson may be as good as any coach in America but the playing foeld is very slanted in CFB and they don't coach at a place that can compete at the highest level.

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You make valid points


Aug 13, 2017, 10:23 PM

However, Richt had a much tougher climb to getting to the national championship game then Fisher did. When Fisher won his national championship, FSU had very little competition in the league (Clemson was really the only team they played with a pulse... yet they weren't at the level they are now). That said, FSU was impressive, not really even facing adversity until the National Championship game. Richt was competing in the toughest conference. Put his Georgia teams in the ACC and they likely win 2 or 3 national championships... especially in the mid-late 00s when the league was EXTREMELY weak.

FSU's road in the league has gotten harder over the last couple years. Clemson is now nationally relevant. Louisville is building. And of course, there are going to plenty of games against Richt's Hurricanes, who improved mightily over the course of last season. Let's just say that FSU better be glad they didn't play Miami later in the year (heck, playing when they did... Miami still nearly beat them).

I think we will both agree that the FSU/Miami rivalry is going to be quite intriguing over the next few years as well as nationally relevant.

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Re: You make valid points


Aug 13, 2017, 10:48 PM

You make some valid points. I would counter that it was easier to recruit at a SEC school as in that period many players wanted to be in the seat league. I would also counter that in that period a SEC school could have a loss or two and still be ranked higher than an undefeated ACC school due to street cred. Finally I would point out that FSU had been down several years under CTB but CJF quickly had them in the national hunt.

I lived in Blackaburg many years and still have many Hokie friends so good luck except one particular game

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Ditto to you as well


Aug 14, 2017, 1:30 AM

We could debate Jimbo vs Richt until kingdom come. I've made some good points and I made my points. Frankly, I could go either way on it. Admittedly, I may have given Richt a bit of a gentlemen's bump (ie: I'd rather my kid play for Richt than Jimbo given the choice and no other factors being involved).

I wish you guys luck defending your title as well. You guys can still win it with one loss, just like last year. ;)

I posted this in another thread, but I was actually on the Clemson sideline for our game in 2007. Just about everyone was really nice (except for one knucklehead middle-aged guy who seemed to find it cool to curse out our players... specifically Brandon Flowers). I actually ended up chatting for about a minute or two with Dabo during a TV timeout.

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Came across this one again, just noticed a typo


Aug 15, 2017, 1:17 AM

I meant to say that YOU'VE made some good points and I made my points.

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Re: 2017 ACC Coaching Rankings


Aug 13, 2017, 10:46 PM

Interesting and pretty good list. I disagree with your Fisher/Richt placing, but I see your logic and it can be debated, that's close enough. I do like Fuente, but for pure coaching I put Cutcliffe ahead, by virtue of the very reasoning you listed. I think Bronco is a great coach in a tough spot. Addazio, love his passion, and bet he was a heck of an O-line coach, but not sure if he is a HC, and Chestnut Hill is a tough place to recruit to. Babers I believe is legit, but was left devoid of Div 1 talent imo. Time will tell, but frankly, Cuse are another tough place to recruit. Bottom line, IMO the ACC has the best overall group of coaches it's ever had, and as a conference might be the best top to bottom. I'm not sold on Doren, but this year will prove if he is the real deal or not. Still, good list.

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The more I look at my rankings, I probably should


Aug 14, 2017, 1:36 AM

have Cutcliffe a little bit higher. At the very minimum, probably higher than Johnson. But with 14 coaches in the league, most of whom are pretty good, there's bound to be some disagreement about who goes where. Heck, if I did the same ranking a week from now without this post to reference, I'm sure I wouldn't get it exactly the same.

I went back and forth on Richt/Jimbo. I went back and forth on Babers/Addazio. And like I said, Cutcliffe probably should be at least one spot higher. Maybe two. In fact, I think you could argue him as high as #4. But Dabo/Jimbo/Petrino are pretty clearly the 1/2/3, with Dabo a bit ahead right now.

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Re: The more I look at my rankings, I probably should


Aug 14, 2017, 7:07 AM

The ranking isn't without its debatable points, but the pros and cons are pretty legit. Fuente's ranking is probably right, although perhaps a bit premature, but if I'm a Hokie fan, that spot would be my inclination. Cutcliffe is rated a bit low. Doeren should be at the bottom of the list...he's totally under-achieved, not that I care, since NC State and UNC are my two least favorite teams...meaning Fedora could be just above him. I admire Adazzio's efforts. I despise Petrino with every fiber of my being, but after the upcoming season's results, he'll retire...or whatever it is he does to stay one step ahead of the 'law'...perhaps more motorcycle trips. ;)

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Thanks for posting. My take-away from that list is that


Aug 14, 2017, 7:44 AM

the ACC really has some solid head football coaches, top to bottom. Any time Babers is the WORST coach in the conference (in your opinion), you have a strong group of coaches.

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null


Re: 2017 ACC Coaching Rankings


Aug 15, 2017, 2:20 AM

BTW- Thanks for presenting Fuente with a more attractive offer than SCar. I enjoyed the process on their site as it went from whining to sour grapes to denial when they decided the retread they ended up with was a home-run hire.

Hope we play twice this year.

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