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thecollegefootballguy · 5 years

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2019 ACC Coaching Power Rankings

During the offseason I like to do some of these fun projects that I normally wouldn’t have time to write while football is actually getting played. One of my favorites is the Coaching Power Rankings, where I decide where each coach rates relative to his peers.

The ACC was probably the worst Power 5 conference out there last year, but the coaching seems fairly strong. I think we’ll be seeing a lot of good football coming out of the conference very soon as so many programs develop.

The ACC lost four coaches last season, the highest among the Power 5, including some of the best in the league. The venerable Paul Johnson (last year’s #4 coach in the conference) and Mark Richt (#2) retired at the end of the year. Bobby Petrino (#5) was fired after Louisville completely collapsed after years of strong play. Similarly, Larry Fedora (#7) was canned when North Carolina’s rebuild kept spinning its wheels.

That means the ACC lost four coaches in the top half of its ranks. That’s pretty tough to overcome, at least immediately. However, the league has made some good hires which should help get all four programs back on track, though it may take a while.

Oh yeah, and since he has to go somewhere, Brian Kelly is being counted as an ACC coach for the purposes of this list.

Check out the list from last year to compare and contrast by clicking this link.

15. Manny Diaz

Record Overall: N/A

Movement: N/A

Manny Diaz is the only first time head coach in the conference, so he has to start all the way at the bottom. Diaz has been a talented DC everywhere he’s coached. Under Mark Richt, Diaz fielded one of the best defensive units in the conference. We’ll see how fast Diaz can get the Hurricanes back to their winning ways, but in 2019 that turnaround will have much more to do with the offense.

14. Geoff Collins

Overall Record: 15-10

Movement: N/A

Geoff Collins has the monumental task of de-converting a triple option team back into a “regular” football offense. So Georgia Tech is probably gonna suck this year as personnel gets moved all around and the offense entirely reworked. However, there’s good reason to be optimistic about Collins. In his two years as Temple’s head coach, Collins kept up the Owls’ run as the plucky yet steady winner in the AAC. If he can bring Tech into the modern era and make them the University of Atlanta like he seems to be trying to do, he could do a whole lot of winning. Eventually.

13. Willie Taggart

Record at Virginia: 5-7 Overall Record: 52-57

Movement: Up 2 spots

More or less by default, Willie Taggart moves up two spots to make room for two of the four new coaches to the ACC. His first year was not exactly a smashing success. It was Florida State’s first losing season since 1976, so people were pretty upset. I mean, it wasn’t totally his fault. He inherited a team that somehow didn’t have offensive line personnel, that he won 5 games is an accomplishment.

I have faith in Taggart, he built Western Kentucky into a competitive FBS program, he totally rebuilt a South Florida team that was in shambles, and in one season he returned Oregon to the ranks of the respectable. All things considered I think he has the potential to reawaken FSU and challenge Clemson. But that’s a ways away, and he better start winning this year.

12. Steve Addazio

Record at Boston College: 38-38 Overall Record: 51-49

Movement: Up 2 spots

For a couple weeks in the middle of last season, it was looking like Boston College might be turning the corner. The Eagles were 7-2 and ranked for the first time in a decade. Then they lost to Clemson, FSU, and Syracuse and their bowl game against Boise State was literally rained out. So, BC ended the year with 7 wins for the fifth time in Steve Addazio’s six seasons on Chestnut Hill. I give Addazio a lot of credit for getting the FBS’s furthest Northeast outpost back to being a competitive team year in and year out. It’s not a bad place to be, but they just can’t seem to take that next step and climb into the top third of the ACC standings. I hope he does it, but it might take a coach with more talent than my dude Steve Addazio.

11. Scott Satterfield

Overall Record: 51-24

Movement: N/A

Scott Satterfield leaps in higher than the other newbie coaches because, I mean, did you see what he did at Appalachian State? Well, you probably didn’t, at least not on TV or in person. The Mountaineers have been one of the best G5 teams in the country for the past four years. App State won the Sun Belt for the past three seasons and were the winner of the inaugural Sun Belt Conference Championship Game in 2018. I’m sure he’s gonna do a great job at Louisville, though like Collins in Atlanta, this might take a bit of time.

10. Bronco Mendenhall

Record at Virginia: 14-22 Overall Record: 115-65

Movement: Up 3 spots

The Virginia rebuild took a big step in 2018, as the Cavaliers nearly won the ACC Coastal in Bronco Mendenhall’s third season at the helm. I expect that they’ll keep improving, in fits and starts perhaps, but Mendenhall is a great coach and he’s done a wonderful job so far. I expect he’ll be climbing this list as long as he’s in Charlottesville. Adjusted more heavily for difficulty, he should be even higher up this list.

9. Pat Narduzzi

Record at Pittsburgh: 28-24 Division Championships: 1 (2018)

Movement: Up 3 spots

Pat Narduzzi won Pittsburgh’s first division title in the ACC last season despite a 7-5 record. It’s still pretty good accomplishment, especially considering that the Panthers probably weren’t the best team in the Coastal. They got hot at the right time and sometimes that’s enough. We’ll see if Narduzzi follows Addazio in the perpetually mediocre basket, but he’s off to a better start and he’s in the right division.

8. Dino Babers

Record at Syracuse: 18-19 Overall Record: 55-35

Movement: Up 3 spots

Narduzzi’s counterpart in the Atlantic Division had an even better year. Dino Babers’s Syracuse Orange exploded to their first 10 win season since 2001. From Eastern Illinois to Bowling Green to ‘Cuse, Babers has won everywhere he’s coached. He’s not in the right division to really compete for a conference crown, but with Florida State and Louisville out of commission, let’s see what Babers can build so long as he’s not offered gobs of money to take his considerable talents somewhere warmer.

7. Justin Fuente

Record at Virginia Tech: 25-15 Overall Record: 51-38 Division Championships: 1 (2016)

Movement: Up 2 spots

I have to say, I’m a bit disappointed in Justin Fuente. His first season went over so well I assumed he’d have the Hokies almost back to Beamer-esque levels by now. Perhaps that’s a bit optimistic, but 2018 was a nightmare season for the Hokies in terms of sheer attrition, very few teams lose that many guys, so I can give him a pass here. Still, expectations are high, I’m sure Fuente can win 10 games again, but it’s not like he’s got all the time in the world to do so. He’s entering his fourth year after all.

6. Dave Clawson

Record at Wake Forest: 28-35 Overall Record: 118-115

Movement: Up 4 spots

Applause all around for Dave Clawson. Wake Forest lives one of the more desolate existences for a P5 program and Clawson has had the Demon Deacons bowling for the past three seasons. His predecessor, and best Wake coach in living memory, Jim Grobe only managed that feat once. I’m very interested to see how high the Deacs can rise, but I’m worried Clawson also might get poached before Wake Forest reaches their full potential. I’m honestly surprised he hasn’t gotten more attention, he’s perhaps the best turnaround artist in the game right now.

5. Dave Doeren

Record at NC State: 43-34 Overall Record: 66-38

Movement: Up 3 spots

Welcome to the top 5, Dave Doeren! NC State has been one of the top programs in the ACC in the past two years and the Wolfpack are eager to see how far they can go under Doeren. It’s really hard to see them competing at Clemson’s level, but everything after that is up for grabs, especially with FSU, Miami, VA Tech, GA Tech, and Louisville all struggling.

4. David Cutcliffe

Record at Duke: 67-72 Overall Record: 111-101 Division Championships: 1 (2013)

Movement: Up 2 spots

The beloved professor emeritus of the ACC, David Cutcliffe gets a nice bump up the rankings to the top five, where he truly belongs. Cutcliffe has turned the Blue Devils into one of the most consistent winners in the ACC in the 2010′s, which is just a stunning accomplishment considering Duke football’s usual lot in life. He really is a cut above.

3. Mack Brown

Record at North Carolina: 69-46-1 Record Overall: 244-122-1 National Championships: 1 (2005)*

*with Texas

Movement: N/A

Oh man, Mack Brown is back in college football. Brown was one of the best coaches a generation or so ago, so it’ll be very interesting to see what he can do at North Carolina...again. Brown, of course, was already the head coach of the Tar Heels for a whole decade, from 1988 to 1997, before heading off to Texas where he reached the apex of his career. Back in the day, Brown had UNC running like a well-oiled machine. If Bobby Bowden’s Florida State wasn’t pushing everybody around, North Carolina would have won several ACC championships. He got back to back top ten end of year rankings at UNC, that just doesn’t happen.

Of course, that was over 20 years ago. Old coaches usually don’t do as well when coming back out of retirement like this, but Brown will probably do a lot to re-energize the fan base, bring in big recruits, and get newer facilities built. That’ll go a very long way in the Coastal Division.

2. Brian Kelly

Record at Notre Dame: 81-35 Overall Record: 252-92-2

Movement: Up 1 spot

Notre Dame’s not very lovable hardass crashes the ACC party all the way up at #2 on the list. It’s kind of hard to remember how bad Notre Dame used to be before Kelly came into town, they were pretty pathetic for all of the 2000′s, which is kinda crazy because the Fighting Irish are one of the most successful programs in the history of the sport. It’s hard to remember because Kelly has done such a good job building ND back into a powerhouse. They’re still one step or so removed from being real National Championship caliber, but hey, that’s a short list. Notre Dame, of course, went 12-0 last year, their second undefeated regular season under Kelly, and they’ll probably pick up right back where they left off. The only loss the Irish suffered last year...was to our Mr. #1.

1. Dabo Swinney

Record at Clemson: 116-30 Division Championships: 7 (2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018) Conference Championships: 5 (2011, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018) National Championships: 2 (2016, 2018)

Movement: Same

Dabo Swinney had a pretty good 2018. He put together his best season yet, a 15-0 campaign that looked absolutely effortless for large swathes of the year. Do you know how good of a job you have to be doing to have people think that you’re outdoing Nick Saban? It’s incredible, honestly. Dabo Swinney, ten years into his career, might already be the best coach ever in the history of the ACC. Bobby Bowden is the only man with a better resume, but he spent some of his best years outside of the conference. And Swinney could coach another 20 years. My God.

Lastly, a fond farewell to my favorite image since starting this blog:

Happy trails, Paul Johnson.

#college football #Clemson Tigers #Notre Dame Fighting Irish #North Carolina Tar Heels #Duke Blue Devils #NC State Wolfpack #Wake Forest Demon Deacons #Virginia Tech Hokies #Syracuse Orange #Pittsburgh Panthers #Virginia Cavaliers #Louisville Cardinals #Boston College Eagles #Florida State Seminoles #Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets #Miami Hurricanes

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