It’s the middle of the week, which means it’s time to kick off another set of roundtable discussions. This week, we’ll be looking at some hypothetical matchups, as well as gaze into our respective crystal balls to predict what will happen this fall.
If you’ve missed any of our previous discussions, we’ve included a list of them below.
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Question: If your life depended on winning a single football game, who would you choose to be the head coach?
Terry Johnson:
On Twitter @SectionTPJ
This is such a tough question that I need to give two answers.
If I’m allowed to consider anyone that’s ever coached a college football game, the only answer is the legendary Paul “Bear” Bryant. Sure, other people might have more wins or a better winning percentage, but no one was a better game day coach than Bryant. His knowledge of the game was so deep that he could “take his’n and beat your’n, and then he can turn around and take your’n and beat his’n”, according to former assistant coach Bum Phillips.
To quote another famous Alabama person, “that’s all I have to say about that”.
All joking aside, if we’re only going to select someone who’s currently a head coach, I’ll go with Buffalo’s Lance Leipold.
Make no mistake about it: Leipold knows how to win big games. As the head coach at Wisconsin-Whitewater, he guided the Warhawks to six Division III Championships in eight seasons. His squads were particularly tough in big games, posting a 53-3 mark in conference play, and an amazing 29-1 record in the postseason.
More importantly, Leipold has a 4-1 record against Larry Kehres, who went 332-24-3 (.9289) in 27 seasons at Mount Union.
It’s tough to argue with those results, which is why I’d want him coaching my team if my life absolutely depended on it. Expect to see Leipold mold the Bulls into a perennial contender in the MAC over the next few seasons.
Kevin Causey
On Twitter @CFBZ
I’m going to approach this question as if it’s in the present tense. If I looked at the past and could pick a head coach out of any period of time at his peak, I might just go with Spurrier. But, since I’m picking at the current time…..
As much as I don’t like this guy and as much as it pains me to pick him….I’m going to pick Urban Meyer.
I don’t think Meyer is the best coach in college football. However, he always surrounds himself with a fantastic staff. Meyer is a guy that I could depend on to put together the best possible staff. Meyer is also a guy that isn’t afraid to do “anything it takes” to win.
If my life depended on it, I know I could count on Urban to pull out all of the stops to win a football game.
Phil Harrison
On Twitter @PhilHarrisonCFB
While I’m inclined to click my boots and fall in line here by going with Urban Meyer, I can’t. Ohio State’s head man is a good pick to be sure, but I’m a little surprised nobody’s tapped Nick Saban on the shoulder here.
He might perpetually look like someone killed his cat, but the record speaks for itself. There isn’t another program that can hold a candle to the Crimson Tide since Saban arrived in Tuscaloosa, and he’s the architect of the winning design that continually contends and wins national championships.
In other words, the best way to tell how someone will act in the future, is to take stock in what they’ve done in the past. Saban has had more opportunities, and more break-throughs in these one-game-for-your life scenarios than anyone else currently coaching in the big-time.
And while most everyone will point to recruiting as the horse that pulls the plow in Saban racking up confetti and shiny objects, it’s more than that. The guy’s won everywhere he’s been in the college game including at Michigan State — a place that didn’t sell itself at the time. On top of that, his ability to game-plan is sorely underrated.
In an era where it’s hard to keep kids attention, and with all the mind gymnastics that must go along with continually keeping guys motivated that continue to win, he’s doing a lot of things right.
I just wish he’d smile a little more …
Bart Doan
On Twitter @TheCoachBart
Hopefully, I never actually have my mortal existence depend on someone winning a football game. That’s a level of gambling you probably shouldn’t get yourself into if you can avoid it. I’ll also stick to the present like Kevin and college football.
I’m actually going to go with Jimbo Fisher as odd as that sounds. Over the last three years, other than in a complete chaotic, once-in-a-career ending type of loss to Georgia Tech last year, FSU hasn’t lost a single game where they were significantly more talented. On the other hand, they pulled rabbits out of hats almost on a weekly basis two seasons ago and obviously won the final BCS Championship the season prior.
Under Fisher, FSU seems to complete the underrated task of defeating who it has to defeat, also seemingly comfortable in completely chaotic endings or when needing amazing comebacks that defy logic.
Fisher had a few blips against NC State early in his tenure, but his resume is mostly littered with defeating the teams they’re supposed to defeat, even if it makes the casual FSU fan sweat themselves silly. Granted, the variables of this question sort of rely in this case on FSU having equal or more talent than the team they’re playing, and if FSU doesn’t, then maybe I change my answer.
But the smart play is to not get into any situation where you’re getting tossed in the Atlantic with cinder blocks tied to your feet over a football game, just in case the team playing FSU has a lot more talent.
Joe Dexter
On Twitter @BuckeyeRadio
Since I really love breathing air, drinking beer, downing wings, and watching college football every single Saturday during the regular season — I’m putting all my eggs in the Urban Meyer basket.
There is a reason the national media started recognizing the Ohio State head coach in the same sentence as Nick Saban. When it’s all said and done, he could go down as the greatest coach of this era.
Overall, Meyer is 9-2 in bowl or playoff games. He has secured three national titles. Throughout his 14 years as a head coach, he has gone 43-3 in games that he has more than a week to prepare. He is the only Division I coach in history to have three or more 20-game win streaks throughout his career. He is also the only coach in NCAA history to record four 13-win seasons.
Need someone that can lead a group of young men in enemy territory? Meyer is 18-0 in true road games during his tenure at Ohio State.
When it counts in the months of November, December, and January, the Ohio native is 59-12 all-time. Only three of those losses have come during his tenure at Ohio State — compared to 24 wins.
His all-time winning percentage stands at .850 — third best all-time behind legends Knute Rockne and Frank Leahy.
Most of all, the Buckeye head coach is not afraid to stand tall in close games and has the guts to be creative to open things up.
In 2012, despite a bowl ban, Ohio State went undefeated in Meyer’s first campaign. They did it with their starting fullback moving over to linebacker and winning five games by a touchdown or less. The improbable 2006 championship run at Florida also had five one-score wins.
In 2014, Ohio State was down 21 to Alabama in the Cotton Bowl. After clawing back, Meyer went to his offensive playbook to find the Crimson Tide momentum dagger — a wide receiver double reverse end zone pass from Evan Spencer. A wild play that most coaches wouldn’t have the guts to call.
Throughout his time at Bowling Green, Utah and now Ohio State — the coaching legend has lost just four one-score games.
With my life on the line, I’m going with the savior of college football. The football god’s favorite son.
Urban Meyer, thanks for giving me the right to live another day.
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Previous Roundtable Discussions
- Which Fictional Coach Would You Want To Lead Your Program?
- Which Conference Champion Will Suffer the Biggest Dropoff in 2016?
- Which Program Will Come Out of Nowhere and Reach the College Football Playoff?
- Which Fictional Player Would You Build Your College Football Team Around?
- Should the Big 12 Expand?
- Which Schools Should the Big 12 add?
