No. 5 – Urban Meyer
What Rittenberg Said:
Hired: Nov. 28, 2011
What he inherited: “A scandal-scarred program that had made a coaching change on Memorial Day 2011, and that fall recorded its highest regular-season loss total (6) since 1988. Weeks after Meyer’s hiring, Ohio State received a postseason ban for the 2012 season.”
What happened next: “The looming ban didn’t deter Meyer, who led Ohio State to a 12-0 record and a No. 3 finish in 2012. He started his Buckeyes career with 24 consecutive victories before stumbling in the 2013 postseason. Meyer followed by guiding Ohio State to a national title in the inaugural year of the CFP, behind third-string quarterback Cardale Jones. Although he didn’t win a second championship, Meyer dominated both the Big Ten (54-4 record, three league titles, seven division titles) and archrival Michigan (7-0 record). Ohio State finished in the top six in six of Meyer’s seven seasons and won four major bowl games.”
And that’s it. Two generational hires at Ohio State. It should be noted that the four coaches listed ahead of Meyer include Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops (No. 4), Pete Carroll at USC (No.3), Clemson’s Dabo Swinney (No. 2), and Nick Saban at Alabama (No. 1).