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Jim McElwain has gone from good ol’ boy to stereotypical overly-aggressive coach (going ballistic on Kelvin Taylor) to brilliant in the span of a few months.
By beating Georgia, though, he’s one game from securing an SEC East title and very close to claiming top honors as the SEC’s best coach in 2015.
For now, though, we turn our attention to the most anticipated game of the SEC season — one that will have a major impact on our list of the conference’s best coaches. As of now, LSU and Alabama claim half of our top 10 list. The outcome and performance Saturday will dictate how that may change, starting with our current No. 1 in Les Miles.
For first-time readers, we set out to monitor and rank the most effective SEC coaches this year, regardless of position or title.
Here are our top 10 SEC coaches as we enter the final month of the regular season:
1. Les Miles, LSU head coach (last: No. 1)
As well as he’s coached this season, Miles needs this one bad. Otherwise, his losing streak against Nick Saban will balloon to five games. And if he ever wants to win another SEC or national title, that path surely will go through Alabama. On the other hand, if Miles can once again beat the man he replaced in Baton Rouge, Leonard Fournette can start making plans to at least attend the Heisman Trophy ceremony, and the Tigers can start circling a game against Ole Miss as the biggest remaining challenge to an unbeaten regular season.
2. Jim McElwain, Florida head coach (last: No. 5)
The Gators almost certainly will play for the SEC Championship in Atlanta. That’s remarkable considering that some thought making a bowl game and winning 7 regular-season games would represent a decent start to the McElwain era. Now he’s dispatched Georgia, Tennessee and Ole Miss, among others. Now Florida is entering the College Football Playoff conversation. Beat Florida State at the end of the regular season and an 11-1 regular season looks not only plausible, but likely. There are still games to be played. But considering the context of this season, McElwain is making a strong case for SEC and national Coach of the Year awards.
3. Barry Odom, Missouri defensive coordinator (last: No. 2)
Missouri’s offense has possessed the ball for an average of 26 minutes and 26 seconds per game. That may not sound like much — about 7 minutes less than opponents in an average game — but that’s 119th of 128 nationally. The Tigers are No. 3 nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 12.5 points per game. Michigan’s defense, No. 2 at 11.4, has faced 65 fewer snaps by opposing offenses. It helps that Corey Fatony is one of the nation’s best punters. Missouri also hasn’t allowed a punt return, a kickoff return or an interception return for a touchdown. But man, has this defense continually thrived under some trying circumstances. We’ll see how it performs against Dak Prescott and Mississippi State on Thursday night.
4. Mel Tucker, Alabama defensive backs (last: No. 3)
Alabama leads the SEC in interceptions and sacks. The latte may not surprise you at first blush. The team’s front seven arguably is the best in the nation. But consider that, since 2008, Alabama has finished no higher than third in the SEC in sacks, and has reached that level just twice. Most years the Tide aren’t in the top five. Credit the coverage provided by the defensive backs. Moving Eddie Jackson, a former corner, to safety has paid huge dividends. The emergence of true freshman Minkah Fitzpatrick also has added a dynamic edge to the unit that has been missing.
5. Frank Wilson, LSU running backs (last: No. 4)
Only Georgia Southern and Baylor average better than LSU’s 6.7 yards per carry this season. Sure, it helps when you have a tremendous run-blocking offensive line and probably the best running back in the country. But Wilson gets credit for Leonard Fournette’s big leap this year as well as the strong production of Fournette’s backups. If LSU can continue to run the ball effectively against Alabama, the best run defense in the SEC, Wilson deserves even more credit.
6. Geoff Collins, Florida defensive coordinator (last: No. 6)
Collins handled a shaky start by his secondary — complete with injuries and suspensions — by getting even more aggressive up front, throwing all sorts of blitzes at opponents. He’s worked Antonio Morrison, off a major knee injury, back into the plan seamlessly. He’s turned Jonathan Bullard, Alex McCalister and Jarrad Davis into an excellent supporting cast. Oh, and that pass defense? It’s now second in the SEC in quarterback rating allowed, behind only Alabama. Those expecting a defensive slip without Will Muschamp were mistaken. But that’s mostly because Collins has been a tremendous fit for the current personnel.
7. Nick Saban, Alabama head coach (last: No. 7)
As AL.com’s Kevin Scarbinsky noted, “amateur coroners from coast to coast will rush in to put a toe tag on the Crimson Tide dynasty” if Saban and Alabama lose Saturday. But that’s a big assumption. Bama is a 6-point favorite in that matchup, which will take place in Bryant-Denny Stadium. Win here, and games at Mississippi State and at Auburn stand in the way of what would potentially be yet another College Football Playoff bid. At the least, it would keep Alabama in the national championship conversation deep into November yet again, which would be a remarkable accomplishment. Saban’s greatest legacy may eventually be his consistency and longevity at the top.
8. Craig Kuligowski, Missouri defensive line (last: No. 8)
Charles Harris is tied with Myles Garrett for the SEC lead with 15.5 tackles for loss. Walter Brady is tied for fourth in the SEC with six sacks. Missouri allows just 2.9 yards per carry. All that despite losing, among others, Shane Ray, Markus Golden and Harold Brantley. Kuligowski’s history of doing this year after year — taking lesser-rated recruits and turning them into SEC standouts — has to land him a bigger gig after this season if he wants it.
9. Ed Orgeron, LSU defensive line (last: No. 9)
Orgeron arrived to a dearth of productive pass rushers, the chief concern with the 2015 LSU Tigers among football insiders — perhaps even ahead of quarterback play. He’s turned high-effort, little-reward Lewis Neal into one of the SEC’s best pass rushers and gotten enough production from the likes of Arden Key and Davon Godchaux to keep quarterbacks uncomfortable. Add to that an outstanding run defense and he’s one of the most productive position coaches in the SEC this season. It’s not like LSU lacks talent, but it’s been impressive what he’s done with a group that many perceived as below average by LSU’s high standards.
10. Manny Diaz, Mississippi State defensive coordinator (last: unranked)
Check out the total points allowed by the Bulldogs this season, game by game: 16, 21, 13, 9, 30, 17, 20, 16. Texas A&M is the only team to eclipse 21 points against this defense. That’s despite losing two second-round picks and a sixth-round pick to the NFL draft and coordinator Geoff Collins to Florida. Mississippi State isn’t a recruiting mecca even though Dan Mullen has done a solid job in that area, and it isn’t easy in Starkville to replace three NFL draft picks on the same side of the ball in one year. But Diaz has done it beautifully.
Dropped out: John Chavis, Texas A&M defensive coordinator.
An itinerant journalist, Christopher has moved between states 11 times in seven years. Formally an injury-prone Division I 800-meter specialist, he now wanders the Rockies in search of high peaks.
