Fansided

25 best college football coaches never to win a national title

By Nicholas Ian Allen

Oct 25, 2014; Manhattan, KS, USA; Kansas State Wildcats head coach Bill Snyder waits to lead his team onto the field before the start of a game against the Texas Longhorns at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 25, 2014; Manhattan, KS, USA; Kansas State Wildcats head coach Bill Snyder waits to lead his team onto the field before the start of a game against the Texas Longhorns at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 26
Next
Nov 16, 2013; Blacksburg, VA, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies head coach Frank Beamer reacts with the official in the first quarter at Lane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 16, 2013; Blacksburg, VA, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies head coach Frank Beamer reacts with the official in the first quarter at Lane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /

History is littered with terrific head coaches, including many in the Hall of Fame, that have come up short in their quest for a national title.

It’s hard to win a college football national championship.

For decades there was no official system in place to determine who would win the title, and many deserving teams were left out of the mix for various reasons. For example, conference affiliation dictated whom programs could play in postseason bowl games, which limited the existence of undisputed national championship games, and therefore, undisputed national championships.

More from College Football

Of course, because that meant national championships could be split based on various newspaper and coaches polls, it was actually a little bit easier to win a national title in the pre-BCS era. The last officially split national championship came in 2003, when LSU won the BCS but USC was crowned the No. 1 team in the nation by the Associated Press. Since then, the system has continued to evolve, and with the implementation of the College Football Playoff in 2014, it looks like we may never have another split national championship.

Meaning, it is now harder than ever to win a national championship.

As a result, many of the best college football coaches in the country will come up short of a national championship season. Even Hall of Fame head coaches may miss out on college football’s ultimate goal. And many of them have already.

In the pages that follow, we rank the 25 greatest FBS head football coaches that have never won (or have yet to win) a national championship.

*Note: Records for active coaches in the pages that follow are accurate through Thursday September 24, 2015. 

Next: Begin Slideshow

Home/College Football