Ranking the ACC Football Head Coaches

As I begin to prepare for the all out football preview that I'm going to do for the Tar Heels, I figured I would start by talking about the head coaches in the conference and tell all of you who I think is the top of the list and who is on the bottom. You might agree, or you might disagree, hopefully you will let me know by leaving a message in the "comment" area. So let's begin this head coach run down:

1. Frank Beamer (Virginia Tech). Anyone that knows me knows that I will always prefer a team that keeps getting to a high level to one that every so often has a shot to be awesome but then goes down for some years afterwards. Beamer has been up in the top echilon of college football for a long time, and he does it with what I believe are the fundementals of the game.

2. Jim Grobe (Wake Forest). In the last two seasons winning 20 games is something that probably not many people thought a Wake Forest team would be able to say, but thanks to Grobe they can. Two things I am not sure of, one, will the Demon Deacons be able to keep this type of high level going, and two, will Wake Forest be able to keep Grobe from jumping to a BCS powerhouse.

3. Pat Johnson (Georgia Tech). Just like no one thought that Wake Forest could say 20 wins in 2 years, how many can say that Navy could be this good under Johnson? Now, in a BCS conference, where the best of the best recruits can be brought in, you have to wonder what Johnson can do. If he can put the same mentality in much more talented players the Yellow Jackets could be good for a long time to come.

4. Bobby Bowden (Florida State). While this is probably a pick by seniority and years at the helm of a team, Bowden has done a lot of good for the Seminoles and should get the recognition for it. Even now, when some of the fan base has been on him, he had the guts to say "I am wrong" by re-doing his coaching staff. He might not be as good as he once was, but Bowden can still pull together a great team.

5. Bobby Bowden (Clemson). It sounds like a broken record each year, as somehow someway two things happen. First, Bowden seems to be on the hot seat and ready to go, and second, he keeps his job. Well, this might be the year that repays all the waiting that the fan base have had to endure. And it's not a fluke, Bowden is a good coach, the key will be is he good enough to stay on if this year isn't as good as expected.

6. Butch Davis (North Carolina). His first year at Chapel Hill shows his talent has a coach. But you have to watch the games and the skill of the players, and not the boxscore to see it. Davis has the college backing, the coaching staff and the talent to win at UNC, he just needs a couple of years to have all the ducks in a row. You have to wonder if he had a year of 4 wins and 6 (of the 8) losses by less than a touchdown with some many inexperienced players, what can he do once these young men develop?

7. Tom O'Brien (N.C. State). Again, just like Davis, let's not look at one year for this coach. He will be able to make the Wolfpack good as long as the college and the fan base give him time. The real question might be will he stay long enough to do it or will another BCS team go after him before he can do it.

8. David Cutcliffe (Duke). If Duke has a chance to make a step forward in the football department it is because of the coach they have now. But here I am not sure that any level is going to help the team, when you are bad, you are bad. Once again, the key here is not to see if Cutcliffe is good or not, he is good, it is whether he stays long enough to make a difference, or if he is snatched up by another programs.

9. Al Groh (Virginia). He is good, but I keep wondering if he has the "X factor" to make teams "that much better" on a constant basis. I feel like he is a dow joners when it comes to coaching, doing great things one time and not so great the next.

10. Jeff Jagodzinski (Boston College). He got a lot of credit for last year, but to be honest that wasn't really anything of his. Now, with a class of his players in the college, with a lot less talent than last year, I want to see what he can do. If in two seasons he is still getting double digit wins season then I will say I was wrong about him.

11. Ralph Friedgen (Maryland). I have to say that I was a "Fridge" supporter, thinking he was a great coach. Now, I have to say that the ole 180 degree has happened. I think that he has jumped the shark at Maryland and has underachieved of late. I am going to say that I still feel that this head coach knows what he is doing, but I just do not think that the "on the paper" work is translating into "on the field" performance.

12. Randy Shannon (Miami). When he was hired I thought that he was just being used as a bridge waiting for a big name. After his first season that theory hasn't changed for me. I have read in a lot of places that he is a player's coach, but at a college like Miami, where the talent is great, but the ego's and characters of the players are even huger, you might need more a dictator that is respected than a coach that is liked.