Head Coach Rankings: Bowl Season Top 40
40. Philip Montgomery, Tulsa
Myrtle Beach Bowl
Tulsa 30, Old Dominion 17
It took a bit too much to put the game away, but it was a more dominant performance than the final score. The Golden Hurricane gave up kick six on the opening boot, and ended up cranking up 529 yards of total offense and allowed one late touchdown the rest of the way.
39. Michael Desormeaux, Louisiana
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Louisiana 36, Marshall 21
That was exactly what you want to see out of your new head man. Can he keep things going from the successful former guy? Billy Napier was off to Florida, but Desormeaux had his team ready – even if it took a big fourth quarter to finally take over the game.
38. Jamey Chadwell, Coastal Carolina
Tailgreeter Cure Bowl
Coastal Carolina 47, Northern Illinois 41
No, the coaching staff couldn’t figure out how to stop the avalanche of a Northern Illinois running game, but its offense worked just fine in the second half, held on in the wild back-and-forth game, and after a bit of a disappointing year, Chadwell still managed to get the program its first bowl win along with an 11-win season.
37. Rick Stockstill, Middle Tennessee
Bahamas Bowl
Middle Tennessee 31, Toledo 24
It wasn’t supposed to work like this. Middle Tennessee wasn’t supposed to get the big passing day out of its quarterback – Nick Vattiato threw for 270 yards – and it did. It was supposed to need lots of turnovers to win, and it didn’t get them – just one. The Blue Raiders kept fighting and pushed ahead in the fourth quarter to pull it off.
36. Lee Marks, Fresno State
PUBG New Mexico Bowl,
Fresno State 31, UTEP 24
He landed the plane. Marks had to fill in after Kalen DeBoer left for Washington, and he had to deal with the drama of star QB Jake Haener leaving, and the coming back, and … Fresno State won. It was a game it was supposed to take down, and while it wasn’t pretty, it was a victory.
35. Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
Vrbo Citrus Bowl
Kentucky 20, Iowa 17
If anything, the Iowa coaching staff did a good job in the loss. The offense that did nothing all year long actually had a passing game – even if there were too many mistakes – and the defense was solid until late. However, Iowa needed to win the turnover battle – it was -2 – and own the clock, and it was awful in both areas.
34. Chuck Martin, Miami University
Frisco Bowl Classic
Miami University 27, North Texas 14
It’s a bowl win over a North Texas team that had some strong moments this year. The RedHawk O was great in the first half, and the D was the star in the second half. The team controlled the clock and the game, and the adjustments worked – MU went on a 17-0 run after early in the second quarter to close.
33. Pat Narduzzi, Pitt
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
Michigan State 31, Pitt 21
There’s nothing to dog in the loss. Narduzzi didn’t have Kenny Pickett, his No. 2 quarterback got knocked out early, and the team still found a way to keep this alive down to the final moments. Narduzzi’s team came up with a gutty performance until the late meltdown.
32. Tim Lester, Western Michigan
Quick Lane Bowl,
Western Michigan 52, Nevada 24
Yeah, Nevada didn’t have star QB Carson Strong, but the running game rolled for 352 yards and four scores in the easy blowout win. And yeah, that was great, but where was THAT all season long for a team that should’ve been in the MAC Championship?
31. Mel Tucker, Michigan State
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
Michigan State 31, Pitt 21
A win is a win is a win, and the Spartans got the win without Kenneth Walker, but Pitt was missing its star QB Kenny Pickett, and it was down to its third-string quarterback for most of the game. It still took a late rally in the final moments and a big stop/pick six to survive. It should’ve been a whole lot easier, but 31-21 is 31-21.
Bowl Season Coaching Rankings
1-10 | 11-20 | 21-30 | 31-40 | 41-50 | 51-60 | 61-70 | 71-76