When was the last time Nick Saban wasn’t the No. 1 coach?Sporting News ranks the FBS coaches every season, and the last time Saban wasn’t the top coach was 2015. That was the year after Urban Meyer led Ohio State to the first CFP championship, and Saban had something to prove. He’s won three national championships since.Saban and Clemson’s Dabo Swinney remain at No. 1 and No. 2 for the fourth straight season, but the competition within the top-10 is heating up.MORE: A total of five active coaches have won national championships, and Texas A&M’s Jimbo Fisher and North Carolina’s Mack Brown also made the top 10. Where does that leave LSU’s Ed Orgeron? That was one of the Ethan Greenidge Jersey hot debates on this year’s list.SN had a six-person panel vote on the top 25 coaches, and we went from there. The Big Ten led the way with seven coaches ranked in our Top 25. The SEC had six, and the Big 12 and Pac-12 had four apiece.Here is a look at our Top 25 coaches.RELATED: SN’s Top 25 coaches for 20211. Nick Saban, AlabamaVotes: 150Last year: 1Record: 256-65 (165-23 at Alabama)Lowdown: Who else would it be? Alabama remains the standard for all programs to follow, and Saban has led six of his record seven national championship runs in Tuscaloosa. Alabama is 91-8 since the College Football Playoff started, and that comes with three of those national championships. With Saban now extended through 2028, that paints a grim forecast for the rest of college football that a 12-team playoff alone will not fix.2. Dabo Swinney, ClemsonVotes: 144Last year: 2Record: 140-33Lowdown: Six straight ACC championships led to six straight CFP appearances, and Swinney continues to lead a Golden Era for Clemson football. The CFP lo ses to LSU and Ohio State the last two seasons were eye-opening, but the Tigers bring back a more-experienced roster that can prove it in the season opener against Georgia. This is still the most-likely team to reach the CFP given its dominance over the rest of the ACC.3. Lincoln Riley, OklahomaVotes: 132Last year: 5 (+2)Record: 45-8Lowdown: Like Ryan Day, Riley faced impo sible expectations when he took over for Bob Stoops. The Sooners have won four straight Big 12 championships, and Riley brings back an offense that has the program looking to break through after four CFP semifinal lo ses. You could put Day here, but Riley has been at it a little bit longer.4. Brian Kelly, Notre DameVotes: 122Last year: 6(+2)Record: 134-60 in FBS (81-39 at Notre Dame)Lowdown: Kelly slipped to No. 20 in our 2018 rankings, but he reinvented his Notre Dame stint with a three-year run that includes a 33-6 record and two Playoff appearances. The Irish have learned from Playoff lo ses to Clemson and Alabama, and the program Marshon Lattimore Jersey continues to evolve. It’s the same track record as the next coach on this list.5. Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&MVotes: 121Last year: 10 (+5)Record: 109-33 (26-10 at Texas A&M)Lowdown: Fisher pushed the Aggies to the edge of the College Football Playoff conversation last season, and he’s a sembling a roster that should be able to compete for a national championship. The Alabama hurdle remains, but Fisher has built that culture with three straight bowl wins and progre sive recruiting cla ses in talent-rich Texas. He’s back in the top five as a result.6. Ryan Day, Ohio StateVotes: 118Last year: 7 (-1)Record: 23-2Lowdown: A strong argument can be made for Day as a top-five coach considering the advances the Buckeyes have made in dominating the Big Ten while maintaining the recruiting standard Urban Meyer brought to Columbus. There has not been a drop-off, and Day is the coach we’d bet on to become the next active coach to win a national championship. Expect Day to be in the top five, perhaps even top two, by 2022.7. Kirby Smart, GeorgiaVotes: 114Last year: 4 (-3)Record: 52-14Lowdown: Smart drops three spots despite leading Georgia to a third straight New Year’s Day Six bowl after the CFP championship lo s to Alabama. Smart recruits at a top-five level, but the expectation of winning the program’s first national championship since 1980 still remains. Remember, Mark Richt was 52-13 after his first five seasons in Athens. That’s the challenge Smart faces.8. Dan Mullen, FloridaVotes: 101Last year: 8Record: 98-55 (29-9 at Florida)Lowdown: Mullen holds the No. 8 spot for the second straight season, which is proof that breaking through for a nSEC East championship is not New Orleans Saints Home Office enough among the top-10 coaches. Mullen has led the Gators to three straight New Year’s Day Six appearances and established a heated rivalry with Georgia, but both schools remain a step behind Alabama. Such is life in the SEC.9. Matt Campbell, Iowa StateVotes: 99Last year: 34 (+25)Record: 71-43 (35 Drew Brees T Shirts -28 at Iowa State)Lowdown: Campbell made the biggest jump of any Power 5 coach, and with good reason. The Cyclones are preparing for arguably the most-anticipated season in program history. Campbell has established a winning culture, and the program should build on last year’s Big 12 championship appearance. Campbell will continue to be a candidate for elite Power 5 jobs, and that’s a testament to the winning culture he’s built in Ames.10. Mack Brown, North CarolinaVotes: 91Last year: 14 (+4)Record: 259-132 (15-10 at North Carolina)Lowdown: Brown’s rebuild at North Carolina is way ahead of schedule, and the Tar Heels are projected to make a second straight New Year’s Day Six appearance in 2021. Brown was 28-8 in his final three seasons with the Tar Heels from 1995-97 before taking the Texas job. One could argue the 15-10 record and high expectations heading into 2021 is more impre sive.11. James Franklin, Penn StateVotes: 82Last year: 9 (-2)Record: 84-43 (60-28 at Penn State)Lowdown: The Nittany Lions are coming off a disastrous 4-5 season, which knocked Franklin out of our top 10. That took some momentum off a four-year stretch where Penn State had a 42-11 record that would be more conducive to a 12-team Playoff setup. Franklin still consistently puts out the biggest threat to Ohio State on the field in the Big Ten, and that continues to be the elusive next step for the program.12. Pat Fitzgerald, NorthwesternVotes: 76
