(Greg Bartram-US PRESSWIRE)
The 2012 season features 28 new head coaches, including 14 at the BCS level. Of those 28, only 12 overall have winning records, nine among BCS programs.
The coaches who took on enviable tasks — the previous permanent head coach left the cupboard reasonably full or went on to bigger and better things — were Arkansas’ John L. Smith, Arkansas State’s Gus Malzahn, Houston’s Tony Levine, Pitt’s Paul Chryst, Rutgers’ Kyle Flood, Southern Miss’ Ellis Johnson and Toledo’s Matt Campbell.
The only coaches of that group who have maintained the success of their predecessor are Malzahn (6-3 overall record), Flood (7-1) and Campbell (8-2). Some like Smith (4-5 after a 1-4 start) and Johnson (0-9) have a lot of explaining to do.
Coaches who have not immediately turned the fortunes of their program around but need more time for rebuilding efforts include Akron’s Terry Bowden (1-9), Colorado State’s Jim McElwain (2-7), Hawaii’s Norm Chow (1-7), Illinois’ Tim Beckman (2-7), Kansas’ Charlie Weis (1-8), UMass’ Charley Molnar (0-9), Memphis’ Justin Fuente (1-8), Tulane’s Curtis Johnson (2-7), UAB’s Garrick McGee (2-7) and Washington State’s Mike Leach (2-7).
Those who have made something out of nothing, or exceeded expectations by taking over programs in a troublesome transition period, are making their athletic directors look very intelligent.
Here is a look at the top 10:
1. Urban Meyer, Ohio State (10-0) — One of the only shining lights for the much-maligned Big Ten, the Buckeyes — banned from postseason play by the NCAA — are scoring at a high rate (39.9 points a game) and bringing some fun back to Columbus. Buckeye fans will expect many more seasons just like this when the postseason and league title are available.
2. Bill O’Brien, Penn State (6-3) — Another NCAA casualty, the Nittany Lions have played more competitively than anybody could have imagined considering the near-death penalty they were placed under. Ten players transferred to other schools. The success of this season will pay dividends in recruiting and perhaps prevent the Nittany Lions from sinking to the depths of the FBS.
3. Kevin Sumlin, Texas A&M (7-2) — The Aggies’ transition to the SEC has been almost seamless. Their two losses — to Florida and LSU — are by a combined five points. The development of freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel is a crowning achievement for Sumlin and his staff.
4. Jim Mora, UCLA (7-2) — In past years, an inexplicable loss would derail UCLA’s season. That could have happened this season when the Bruins were routed by one of the Pac-12’s worst — Cal — 43-17 on Oct. 6. Mora’s ability to get the Bruins to buy in to his system — and the versatility of quarterback Brett Hundley Jr. — enabled UCLA to bounce back with three straight wins, including a 66-10 shellacking of a decent Arizona team.
5. Hugh Freeze, Mississippi (5-4) — The Rebels are almost bowl eligible after ending a 16-game losing streak in the SEC by beating Auburn. They also earned a road win over Arkansas last Saturday. Nobody could have forecasted wins over Auburn and Arkansas entering the season, but Freeze is clearly outperforming Gene Chizik and Smith.
6. Rich Rodriguez, Arizona (5-4) — He was fortunate to inherit highly productive quarterback Matt Scott and running back Ka’Deem Carey from the Mike Stoops regime. Other than those two and a couple of skill players, Rodriguez did not have much else to work with, especially on the defensive side. He has coached through numerous injuries to his players and has the Wildcats on the brink of becoming bowl eligible.
7. Tim DeRuyter, Fresno State (7-3) — Despite Pat Hill’s forced resignation after 15 years at the school, the embattled coach did not leave the cupboard bare for DeRuyter. He inherited potential NFL players in quarterback Derek Carr, running back Robbie Rouse and safety Phillip Thomas, and a strong nucleus on both sides of the ball. DeRuyter’s coaching has pushed the Bulldogs to another level, especially on defense, where they rank 23rd nationally (330.3 yards allowed per game).
8. Larry Fedora, North Carolina (6-3) — The Tar Heels are unable to play in the postseason because of NCAA violations but that has not stopped Fedora from coaching them to impressive performances, including rushing for 339 yards in last week’s 48-34 over Virginia Tech. Fedora is putting himself in position for greener pastures after coaching Southern Miss to a 12-2 record last year.
9. Todd Graham, Arizona State (5-4) — The Sun Devils lost their coach (Dennis Erickson) and NFL-caliber quarterback (Brock Osweiler) and returned the fewest number of starters (10) this season in the Pac-12. Graham was not ASU’s first choice as a replacement for Erickson. Kevin Sumlin and June Jones were courted first. Graham left Pitt after only one season and was widely criticized for that move. Despite all these factors, Graham has performed better than expected by instilling discipline in the ASU program.
10. Bob Davie, New Mexico (4-6) — It took Davie six weeks to win more games than the previous staffs in Albuquerque accomplished in three years. New Mexico won only one game in each of the last three years. The Lobos won their fourth game this season on Oct. 13. Davie took a risk, overhauling New Mexico’s offense in favor of the run-first pistol option; it has worked. The Lobos are fifth in the nation with 303.1 yards rushing per game.
