There is no question Penn State has gone up against some good quality coaches over the years, including right in their own division. But the next head coach Penn State faces could be one of the best coaches in the game today. Penn State is preparing to face Pac-12 champion Utah in the Rose Bowl, and Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham is arguably one of the best head coaches in the game today.
According to FOX analyst Joel Klatt, Whittingham is in the top five head coaches in college football today. And there is some merit to the argument that Whittingham deserves to be considered among the top five in the game today. Klatt didn’t share the other coaches that would be in his top five, but it may be safe to assume at least a few of the names that would be in there would include Nick Saban of Alabama, Kirby Smart of Georgia, and Dabo Swinney of Clemson. All three have multiple College Football Playoff appearances and at least one national championship. And Jim Harbaugh of Michigan probably deserves some consideration after two straight Big Ten titles and appearances in the College Football Playoff, much to the chagrin of Penn State fans.
But Whittingham has also delivered back-to-back Pac-12 titles for a Utah program he has overseen since Urban Meyer left to become the head coach at Ohio State. And all Whittingham has done is continue Utah’s consistency as a winner and manage a transition from the Mountain West Conference into the Pac-12 with continued success.
Kyle Whittingham…Top 5 Coach in our sport
— Joel Klatt (@joelklatt) December 3, 2022
What Utah has done in the Pac-12 has been impressive, and the climb to being a back-to-back conference champion is to be commended. Whittingham has had some battles to get the Utah program to where it is today, and there is a belief that more improvements are coming for the program. While the four-team College Football Playoff has been a tough hurdle to clear, the upcoming playoff expansion will be something that benefits Utah the way things are going, especially after USC and UCLA leave the conference to join the Big Ten (although Utah’s record against USC and UCLA suggests that may not bother the Utes). Utah has more than held its own against the heavyweights in the conference since joining the Pac-12.
Will admit I did not see Utah treating the Pac 12 the way Penn State thought it was going to treat the Big Ten
— Ramzy Nasrallah (@ramzy) December 3, 2022
Whittingham has built a tough and physical team that is not intimidated by anyone lining up against the line of scrimmage. So Penn State and head coach James Franklin have their hands full in the Rose Bowl. So much so, Penn State could be the underdog.
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