No Alabama football fan, and other sensible college football fans, will argue against Bear Bryant and Nick Saban being college football's best-ever head coaches. ESPN came to that conclusion in 2019, with Bryant first and Saban second. The No. 1 and No. 2 rankings are debatable, especially with Saban winning another national championship in the 2020 season.
ESPN measured the opinions of 150 college football experts, including 22 former coaches or players. The full list of what ESPN called their blue-ribbon panel is available here.
The results are 100% subjective. Ivan Maisel, who published the results, reminded readers that the results were "for entertainment purposes only."
Also, for entertainment purposes, here is an updated look at the same task. In this case, the best pairs (or trios) of head coaches are considered. ESPN's 2019 ranking of 150 coaches is the measure. Head coaches with less than 10-year head coaching careers are excluded.
Alabama Crimson Tide No. 1
Following the Alabama Crimson Tide at No. 2 is Notre Dame. In the 150 coaches' rankings, Knute Rockne was No. 3, Frank Leahy was No. 10, and Ara Parseghian. At No. 3 is Oklahoma. The Sooners have Oklahoma Bud Wilkinson (No. 6), Barry Switzer (No. 13), and Bob Stoops (No. 29). Nebraska is No. 4 with Tom Osborne (No. 4) and Bob Devaney (No. 26).
Ohio State is next at No. 5. The Buckeyes have Woody Hayes (No. 9), Jim Tressel (No. 35) and Urban Meyer (No. 46). USC is No. 6 with John McKay (No. 12), John Robinson (No. 33), and Pete Carroll (No. 37). Finishing a top seven is Michigan with Fielding Yost (No. 18), Bo Schembechler (No. 20), and Lloyd Carr (No. 50).
To measure the Alabama Crimson Tide with a trio of head coaches, Wallace Wade at No. 56 edges out Frank Thomas at No. 67.
In the 2019 rankings, Kirby Smart was not included. He should be now. His national championships and high winning percentage might earn him a top 25 all-time ranking. Paired with Vince Dooley at No. 27, Georgia would qualify as the No. 8 best head coaching duo or trio.
Alabama football fans wonder if Kalen DeBoer will one day crack the top 150 of all time and surpass Wallace Wade and Frank Thomas. Until DeBoer wins a national championship, he will not surpass Gene Stallings, who was ranked No. 123 in 2019.
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