Urban Meyer, Ohio State

Urban Meyer has won three national championships as a head coach in the NCAA. After coaching eventual No. 1 pick Alex Smith at Utah, Meyer went on to win two NCAA championships at Florida (2006, 2008) and a third at Ohio State last year.

Meyer has turned around every program he has run.

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Nick Saban, Alabama

Nick Saban has established himself as one of the premier college football coaches ever. Since 2003, Saban has won four national championships (three with Alabama, one with LSU).

Saban is a master recruiter who always seems to have one of the most suffocating defenses in the SEC.

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Les Miles, LSU

Les Miles was brought on to be Nick Saban's replacement down in the bayou. Since taking over for Saban, Miles has won a national championship and two SEC championships.

Miles is nicknamed the "Mad Hatter" for the signature white hat that he dons on the sidelines.

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Jim Harbaugh, Michigan

In his first year coaching Michigan, Jim Harbaugh has brought Big Blue back to national prominence.

Before Harbaugh made the jump to the NFL with the 49ers, he revived the programs of University of San Diego and Stanford. Harbaugh brings an unmatched intensity to every game. That's one of the reasons he wears cleats as a coach!

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Mark Dantonio, Michigan State

Mark Dantonio's Spartans handed Harbaugh's Wolverines one of the most devastating losses in college football history this year. Dantonio has been named the Big Ten Coach of the Year twice since becoming the Michigan State coach in 2007.

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Bob Stoops, Oklahoma

Bob Stoops' first head coaching job is also his last. Stoops has won more than 130 games than he's lost at Oklahoma. Since 1999, Stoops has won eight Big XII championships and a national championship in 2000.

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Gary Patterson, TCU

Since being appointed the TCU coach in 2000, Gary Patterson's Horned Frogs have won six conference championships in three different divisions. During his tenure, TCU has won at least 10 games in a season eight times. Patterson's 140 wins is also the most in school history.

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Art Briles, Baylor

Art Briles, the coach at Baylor, consistently has one of the most high-powered offenses in the nation year-in and year-out. In his two Texas stops, Briles has turned around the Houston and Baylor programs in a matter of years.

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Gus Malzahn, Auburn

Gus Malzahn does not mess around. In his first year as coach of Auburn, Malzahn inherited a Tigers team that did not win a single SEC game the previous year. He then led Auburn to an SEC Championship victory and the BCS Championship Game. Of course, Malzahn was helped by future No. 1 pick Cam Newton.

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Bobby Petrino, Louisville

Say what you want about Bobby Petrino, that guy can coach a college squad. Petrino directed both Louisville and Arkansas to their first BCS bowl games during his tenure. In 12 years of coaching in the NCAA, Petrino's teams have won less than eight games only once.

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Kevin Sumlin, Texas A&M

Kevin Sumlin is another coach who manages a high-octane offense in the SEC. After making the jump to Texas A&M from Houston, Sumlin directed the Aggies to an 11-win season that included a major upset of No. 1 Alabama. On top of that, Sumlin coached Johnny Manziel to a Heisman Trophy, too.

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Jim Mora, Jr., UCLA

It took a while, but UCLA finally bested city rival USC thanks to Jim Mora, Jr. Before making the leap to college, Mora earned his stripes coaching the Falcons and Seahawks in the NFL. In three seasons, Mora already has more wins in college than he did in the NFL.

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David Shaw, Stanford

Once Jim Harbaugh departed for the 49ers, Stanford moved quickly to secure offensive coordinator David Shaw as the next coach of the Cardinals. Since 2011, Shaw has been named the Pac-12 Coach of the Year twice.

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Chris Petersen, Washington

Before moving on to Washington, Chris Petersen was wildly successful as the Boise State head coach. As a coach in a non-BCS conference, earning a BCS berth was nearly impossible, until Boise State came along. In his first season, Petersen's Broncos went undefeated and upset Big XII champion Oklahoma. Petersen finished his coaching tenure at Boise with just 12 losses. He was the first and only two-time winner of the Paul "Bear" Bryant Award.

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Jimbo Fisher, Florida State

It's never easy to replace a legend, but that's exactly what Jimbo Fisher did at Florida State. After succeeding the legendary Bobby Bowden, Fisher promptly led the Seminoles to their first 10-win season since 2003. In 2013, Florida State went 14-0 and won the BCS National Championship Game.

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Dabo Swinney, Clemson

Dabo Swinney took over the Clemson program in 2008 and it has prospered ever since. Swinney is widely regarded as a dynamic recruiter who is also a pretty darn good coach. Since 2011, Clemson has yet to win less than 10 games in a season. Swinney is also known for having some pretty good dance moves, too.

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Charlie Strong, Texas

Prior to joining Texas, Charlie Strong had an impressive four-year run at Louisville, which included 37 wins and a bowl appearance each year. Now, Strong is tasked with helping the Texas Longhorns bounce back. His biggest win to date at Texas came in this year's upset of the Oklahoma Sooners in the Red River Showdown.

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Brian Kelly, Notre Dame,

Brian Kelly has had coaching stints with Grand Valley State, Central Michigan and Cincinnati before getting the Notre Dame head coaching gig. Kelly is one of the most accomplished coaches in the NCAA with 224 career wins.

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Tom Herman, Houson

Tom Herman might be the next coach to get a high-profile job this offseason. The Houston coach is in his first year with the Cougars and has turned the program into a championship contender.

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