The six college football coaches with best chance of winning first national title

Three’s a crowd, but four’s a party.

Ryan Day joined Kirby Smart and Dabo Swinney as college football’s only active coaches to win a national championship. The number was as high as five before Nick Saban’s retirement, Jim Harbaugh’s bolt for the NFL and Mack Brown’s ouster.

So, who stands in the on-deck circle? Let’s peek at six candidates likeliest to turn three into four.

6. James Franklin (Penn State)

Penn State should be ranked in the preseason top five. It returns quarterback Drew Allar and its top two running backs from last season’s team that reached the College Football Playoff semifinals. So, Franklin’s a prime candidate, right? Well, there’s one problem: Franklin almost never wins his biggest games, and he’d need to win a big game or two or three to capture a crown.

The Nittany Lions lost each of their three toughest games last season. Also, Penn State must replace defensive standout Abdul Carter and offensive standout Tyler Warren. Making the playoff seems probable, but a national championship? “Big Game James” would need to stop being a sarcastic dig at Franklin.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF: Which teams return to playoff in 2025? More than you think.

OPINION: As SEC eyes College Football Playoff bracket revision, that idea faces a roadblock

5. Marcus Freeman (Notre Dame)

Notre Dame’s got good bones. Good culture. Its independent scheduling positions the Irish to perennially win 10 or more games, making them playoff regulars. Consider Notre Dame’s 2025 schedule. Tell me the game in which the Irish will be the underdog. I don’t see one.

Winning a national championship in this era, though, comes a lot easier with a standout quarterback and star wide receiver or two. Those two positions became the obvious difference in Notre Dame’s national championship loss to Ohio State. For Freeman to…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/six-college-football-coaches-best-164739072.html

Author : USA TODAY Sports

Publish date : 2025-02-17 16:47:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.