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Top 20 college football head coaches heading into 2017

By Nicholas Ian Allen

COLUMBUS, OH - NOVEMBER 26: (R-L) Head coach Urban Meyer of the Ohio State Buckeyes and Head coach Jim Harbaugh of the Michigan Wolverines (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH - NOVEMBER 26: (R-L) Head coach Urban Meyer of the Ohio State Buckeyes and Head coach Jim Harbaugh of the Michigan Wolverines (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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LOUISVILLE, KY – NOVEMBER 26: Bobby Petrino the head coach of the Louisville Cardinals (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KY – NOVEMBER 26: Bobby Petrino the head coach of the Louisville Cardinals (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

14. Bobby Petrino, Louisville Cardinals

  • Career Record: 109-43 (.717), 12 seasons
  • Record at Louisville: 67-22 (753), seven seasons
  • Championships and Awards: 2004 Conference USA Champions, 2006 Big East Conference Champions

Whether you love him or hate him (and odds are, as a college football fan, you lean toward hating him), Bobby Petrino is a damn good college football coach.

Petrino rubs many college football fans the wrong way for a variety of reasons. First of all, he’s got a long history as a job jumper. Sure, most college coaches change jobs, especially as assistants, but Petrino has changed jobs 15 times since he began his coaching career as a graduate assistant on his father Bob Petrino Sr.’s staff at tiny Carroll College in Helena, Montana, in 1983.

But Petrino didn’t slow down once he became a head coach. He spent four seasons at Louisville, and egregiously flirted with Auburn while Tommy Tuberville was still employed there. Petrino left for the Atlanta Falcons, and served less than one full season as an NFL head coach (going 3-10 while superstar quarterback Mike Vick was suspended), before jumping to Arkansas.

Petrino finally seemed to settle down with the Razorbacks, at least until an ill-timed motorcycle accident unveiled an extramarital affair and some shady hiring practices (another knock against Petrino in the eyes of college football fans).

After one year away from the game, Petrino jumped at the opportunity to become the head coach at Western Kentucky, and after leading the Hilltoppers to an 8-4 record in 2013, he left for a second stint at Louisville.

But despite his constant movement and his reputation as a shady character, Petrino has won at an incredible clip while lighting up scoreboards along the way. He had four 10-win seasons in his first eight years as a college head coach, which included three Top 6 finishes. Last year, he coached electric quarterback Lamar Jackson to the Heisman Trophy. It’ll be fun to see what 2017 brings.