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Ranking the Top 15 College Football Coaches Heading into 2015

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By @Connormuldowney

Ranking the Top 15 Head Coaches for 2015

Nick Saban
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With the 2014 college football season drawing to a close, there is plenty to look forward to in 2015. College football coaches are becoming bigger and bigger stars these days and these 15 coaches will be at the top of everyone's watch list next season.

Let's take a look at the top 15 head coaches heading into 2015.

Honorable Mention: Rich Rodriguez, Arizona Wildcats

Rich Rodriguez
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Honorable Mention: Rich Rodriguez, Arizona Wildcats

Rich Rodriguez
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Rich Rodriguez went from hated at Michigan to loved at Arizona in just a couple year's time. The Wildcats' man in charge took a team that went 4-8 in 2011 and turned them into an eight-win team in 2012. He now has Arizona playing in a New Year's Six bowl.

Record at school: 26-13(15-12); 3 years

Honorable Mention: Jim Harbaugh, Michigan Wolverines

Jim Harbaugh
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Honorable Mention: Jim Harbaugh, Michigan Wolverines

Jim Harbaugh
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While Harbaugh has yet to coach a game with the Wolverines, he has shown that he is one of the best coaches in college football when he gets a chance to prove it. Harbaugh will have Michigan back in contention in a couple of years, but he will no doubt make strides in a year's time.

College record: 58-27(36-16); 7 years

15. Chris Petersen, Washington Huskies

Chris Petersen
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15. Chris Petersen, Washington Huskies

Chris Petersen
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After being the most successful coach in Boise State history(92-12), Chris Petersen decided to accept the job as Washington's head coach prior to the 2014 season. He had a solid first year and will have much more success in the year's to come with the improved recruiting pipelines.

Record at school: 8-5(4-5); 1 year

14. Dabo Swinney, Clemson Tigers

Dabo Swinney
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14. Dabo Swinney, Clemson Tigers

Dabo Swinney
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Prior to becoming Clemson's head coach in 2008, Dabo Swinney was the team's wide receivers coach -- and you can tell by the ridiculous talent the Tigers send to the NFL every year at that position. Swinney has never had a losing season and he relied on a freshman QB in 2014 and still had a great year.

Record at school: 61-26(39-14); 7 years

13. Kevin Sumlin, Texas A&M Aggies

Kevin Sumlin
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13. Kevin Sumlin, Texas A&M Aggies

Kevin Sumlin
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Although Sumlin lost a Heisman-winning quarterback to the NFL for the 2014 season, he still found a way to get good play out of his young QBs. Sumlin's Aggies had an off-year this season, but will be back with a vengeance in 2015.

Record at school: 28-11(13-11); 3 years

12. David Shaw, Stanford Cardinal

David Shaw
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12. David Shaw, Stanford Cardinal

David Shaw
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Filling Jim Harbaugh's shoes isn't exactly an easy task, but David Shaw made it look relatively routine. The young head coach didn't have the best year in 2014, but it will be a much different story in 2015.

Record at school: 42-12(28-8); 4 years

11. David Cutcliffe, Duke Blue Devils

David Cutcliffe
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11. David Cutcliffe, Duke Blue Devils

David Cutcliffe
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David Cutcliffe has been one of the fastest-rising coaches in all of college football. The Duke leader turned an otherwise dead football program into a national contender in no time -- just five years.

Record at school: 40-48(20-36); 7 years

10. Gus Malzahn, Auburn Tigers

Gus Malzahn
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10. Gus Malzahn, Auburn Tigers

Gus Malzahn
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The 49-year-old head coach has made quite the splash in his first two years at Auburn. Malzahn took over for Gene Chizik in 2013, going 12-2 and making a run to a national title. In his second year, having an 8-4 season being considered a disappointment is a sign of how good the coach is.

Record at school: 20-6(11-5); 2 years

9. Bob Stoops, Oklahoma Sooners

Bob Stoops
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9. Bob Stoops, Oklahoma Sooners

Bob Stoops
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Each and every year, Bob Stoops has a national title-caliber squad taking the field, but it seems like lately, his teams have let him down. However, 2015 could be a different season as Stoops will look to win his ninth conference title and his first national championship since 2000.

Record at school: 168-44(104-28); 16 years

8. Mark Helfrich, Oregon Ducks

Mark Helfrich
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8. Mark Helfrich, Oregon Ducks

Mark Helfrich
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Many believed that Chip Kelly's departure from Oregon would doom the Ducks, but Mark Helfrich had something to say about that. The somewhat-new coach has thrived with basically the same type of electric offense that Kelly had been known for.

Record at school: 23-3(15-3); 2 years

7. Gary Patterson, TCU Horned Frogs

Gary Patterson
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7. Gary Patterson, TCU Horned Frogs

Gary Patterson
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As one of the most underrated coaches in the nation, Patterson has taken a lesser program from a smaller conference to a major conference, becoming one of the best teams in the nation. The Horned Frogs have won their first Big 12 title in 2014 and they will likely be just as strong in 2015.

Record at school: 131-45(82-31); 15 years

6. Art Briles, Baylor Bears

Art Briles
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6. Art Briles, Baylor Bears

Art Briles
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Art Briles went from successful high school coach in the late 1990s to effective college head coach in the early 2000s. This guy has flat-out gotten the job done in the past decade and Baylor has been a completely different program with him at the helm.

Record at school: 55-33(33-27); 7 years

5. Mark Dantonio, Michigan State Spartans

Mark Dantonio
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5. Mark Dantonio, Michigan State Spartans

Mark Dantonio
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Since assuming his position in 2007 as the Spartans' head coach, Dantonio has been one of the most consistent coaches in the nation, winning nine-plus games five times in the past seven years. Michigan State is now a premier team in the country thanks to Dantonio.

Record at school: 74-31(45-19); 8 years

4. Les Miles, LSU Tigers

Les Miles
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4. Les Miles, LSU Tigers

Les Miles
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Les Miles was in consideration for the vacant Michigan job, but he apparently decided that LSU was a better fit for him and it has been his home for a while now. Miles has been as consistent as they come, never winning less than eight games in a season with the Tigers.

Record at school: 103-29(56-24); 10 years

3. Urban Meyer, Ohio State Buckeyes

Urban Meyer
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3. Urban Meyer, Ohio State Buckeyes

Urban Meyer
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Urban Meyer came into the Big Ten having been out of college football for years and he picked up right where he left off, winning constantly. In his first three seasons in Columbus, Meyer has lost just three games prior to the 2015 College Football Playoff.

Record at school: 36-3(24-0); 3 years

2. Jimbo Fisher, Florida State Seminoles

Jimbo Fisher
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2. Jimbo Fisher, Florida State Seminoles

Jimbo Fisher
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Coming off a national championship in 2013 and three straight conference titles, Jimbo Fisher has become a top-notch coach in the country. Fisher has coached a Heisman winner and he knows how to recruit -- Florida State also hasn't lost a game since 2012.

Record at school: 58-10(34-6); 5 years

1. Nick Saban, Alabama Crimson Tide

Nick Saban
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1. Nick Saban, Alabama Crimson Tide

Nick Saban
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I don't think there is any debate -- or surprise -- to this one. Nick Saban is easily the best head coach in college football right now and there is a reason NFL teams want him as their head coach every year. Saban has the Crimson Tide contending for national titles every year -- even with the loss of top running backs, quarterbacks and receivers.

Record at school: 86-16(50-11); 8 years

Connor Muldowney is a columnist for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Connormuldowney, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google. You can also reach him at [email protected].

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