Who are the best coaches in college football? We’ve revealed our Top 15 this week, starting with No. 15-11 and continuing with No. 10-6.

We now forge into the Top 5, including a pair of Big Ten rivals and the SEC’s top dog.

NO. 5: JIM HARBAUGH, MICHIGAN

Record as a head coach: 58-27 (college), 44-19-1 (NFL)

Best season: 13-3 with the San Francisco 49ers in 2011, his first year as an NFL head coach, taking a 6-10 team the year before to the NFC championship.

Notable player: QB Andrew Luck

The case: In seven college seasons as a head coach, Harbaugh’s teams have won more than the previous year every time. He took the San Diego Toreros from 7-4 to back-to-back 11-1 seasons, both as conference champions. He took the Stanford Cardinal from 4-8 to 12-1 with an Orange Bowl victory in four years. He made the NFL playoffs three out of four seasons in San Francisco.

Harbaugh should return to being a ruthless recruiter, as he’s a ruthless competitor. Quirky and egotistical by reputation, the man should hammer a rudderless Wolverines program into shape within two or three years.

As long as the Big Ten keeps hauling in top-line head coaches who have a chance to compete with the nation’s best in recruiting, the future looks good for the conference.

NO. 4: ART BRILES, BAYLOR

Record as a head coach: 89-62

Best season: 11-2 at Baylor in 2014, as the Bears won a co-Big 12 title and finished one spot away from the inaugural College Football Playoff, then lost by one point to Michigan State in the Cotton Bowl.

Notable player: QB Robert Griffin III

The case: In an era where track speed and spread offenses rule college football, Briles may have the most respected system. He utilizes the full width of the field with an array of quick skill players executing layered routes, and always finds accurate, quick-twitch quarterbacks.

His name comes up constantly during high-profile coaching searches, including in conjunction with the University of Texas last season, but Briles seems to have no interest in coaching anywhere but Waco, Texas. The Bears have figured out the defensive side of the ball in recent seasons as well, and will finish in the Top 15 for the third time in four years as a result.

Oh, and did we mention this is Baylor? the program went 15 years without a winning season before Briles engineered four consecutive and counting, and had one 10-win season to its credit before Briles added two more.

NO. 3: JIMBO FISHER, FLORIDA STATE

Record as a head coach: 58-11

Best season: 14-0 at Florida State in 2013, as the Seminoles won the national championship behind a Heisman Trophy winner at quarterback.

Notable player: QB Jameis Winston

The case: It didn’t take long for Fisher to turn around Florida State from its slow fade in Bobby Bowden’s last seasons as head coach. FSU is 39-3 in the last three seasons, winning ACC titles and finishing the year ranked in the Top 10 of the AP poll in all of them.

He worked as an assistant coach for Nick Saban, Les Miles and Bobby Bowden, and his Seminoles teams closely resemble Alabama with a pro-style offense and a defense loaded with NFL talent.

Despite plenty of media statements that make him unlikable outside of Tallahassee, Fisher deserves credit for preventing off-field distractions from affecting the team’s bottom-line performance. He somehow got what seemed like an inferior team into the College Football Playoff and authored a 29-game winning streak that just ended.

Right or wrong, taking such a strong pro-player stance mirrors the culture at FSU under Bowden and should also continue to help him in recruiting.

NO. 2: URBAN MEYER, OHIO STATE

Record as a head coach: 141-26

Best season: 13-1 at Florida in 2008, as the Gators won a second national championship in three years behind perhaps the most talented team of the SEC championship game era. (Check out this roster; be prepared to laugh at the wealth.)

Notable player: QB Tim Tebow

The case: Meyer has lost more than three games twice in 13 seasons as a head coach. He won at Bowling Green. He won two conference titles and put together a 12-0 season that included a BCS bowl win at Utah. He won two national titles at Florida. He’s 37-3 at Ohio State in three years despite an NCAA probation hanging over the Buckeyes as he arrived.

His bizarre exit from Florida, coupled with some legal troubles from a number of high-profile players with the Gators under his watch, created a bit of a blemish on his resume, at least in the minds of some SEC fans. But only one coach can match Meyer in recruiting and as a motivator, and he’s Top 5 for producing NFL talent.

Meyer is now 2-2 against Nick Saban and could win a third national championship on Monday despite losing two Heisman finalist-worthy quarterbacks in the same season. If he pulls that off, he’s got a compelling case for No. 1.

NO. 1: NICK SABAN, ALABAMA

Record as a head coach: 177-59-1 (college), 15-17 (NFL)

Best season: 14-0 at Alabama in 2009, as the Crimson Tide won its first national championship since 1992 by crushing Meyer, Tebow and the Florida Gators in the SEC championship game, ending a dynasty and bringing the country’s most famous quarterback to tears.

Notable player: WR Julio Jones

The case: Saban claims four national championships, more than any other active coach in college football. He’s won five SEC titles. He’s gone 7-1 or better in the SEC in six of the last seven seasons at Alabama. After his first season with the Tide, Saban’s teams have finished no worse than No. 10 in the final Associated Press poll.

He also won a conference title at Toledo, turned Michigan State into a respectable program, won a championship at LSU and has a coaching tree as wild and impressive as any coach in football.

If he wins another national title or two at Alabama, he’s in the conversation with Bear Bryant as the best coach the school has ever had, and could go down as the all-time best coach in college football history.

There is no better recruiter in the country than Saban. He puts together some of the strongest coaching staffs in college football and almost never loses more than two games in a season. It’s hard to get to the top and even harder to stay there, but Saban does just that time and time again.