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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 /
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Dec 31, 2014; Atlanta , GA, USA; TCU Horned Frogs head coach Gary Patterson reacts during the second quarter against the Mississippi Rebels in the 2014 Peach Bowl at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 31, 2014; Atlanta , GA, USA; TCU Horned Frogs head coach Gary Patterson reacts during the second quarter against the Mississippi Rebels in the 2014 Peach Bowl at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /
  • Head Coaching Record: 135-45* at TCU
  • Closest He’s Come to Winning a National Championship: 2010; 13-0 Rose Bowl Champions, No. 2 final ranking
  • Notable: 2002 Conference USA Championship, Four Mountain West Championships (2005, 2009, 2010, 2011), 2014 Big 12 Championship, 2009 and 2014 National Coach of the Year, 2002 C-USA Coach of the Year, 2005 and 2009 Mountain West Coach of the Year, 2014 Big 12 Coach of the Year

If there’s one name on our list of the 25 best college coaches to never win a national championship that has the best shot at a title in the future, it’s TCU head coach Gary Patterson. Since being promoted to the head coaching position in 2000 following a successful three-year stint as defensive coordinator for the Horned Frogs, Patterson has guided the TCU football program from mid-major afterthought to BCS buster to national title contender.

Patterson’s first game as head coach (the 2000 Mobile Alabama Bowl) was the last for the Horned Frogs as a member of the Western Athletic Conference. Patterson oversaw four seasons for the program as a member of Conference USA (leading the team to the conference title in 2002) before the school moved to the Mountain West prior to the 2005 campaign. In seven seasons in the Mountain West, TCU won 11 or more games six times and captured four league titles.

The 2010 squad finished the season 13-0 following a Rose Bowl victory over Wisconsin, and reached the No. 2 spot in the final AP Poll. Two years later, the Horned Frogs joined the Big 12. In 2014 TCU went 12-1 and finished No. 3 in the nation after narrowly missing the inaugural College Football Playoff.

With 135 career victories (and counting), Patterson is the winningest head coach in TCU history. At just 55 years old, Patterson will likely add many more victories to that total – and potentially an elusive national championship – before his career comes to a close.

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