Nick Saban, Bob Stoops, Barry Alvarez and Phillip Fulmer.
All elite coaches.
But as you ponder your list of the top five coaches in America, you should give some consideration to another solid coach, Alabama’s Dennis Franchione.
Granted, Franchione only has been in Tuscaloosa for nearly two seasons, but in that time he has compiled a solid 15-7 record and 9-5 in the SEC.
Coach Fran, as he is called in ‘Bama, inherited a fractured team. The Tide was coming off a year when they did not play very hard for outgoing coach Mike DuBose and went 3-8 in 2000. They started that season with a No. 3 ranking.
Before this season, the NCAA put the Crimson Tide on probation. The infractions included a two-year postseason ban and a limitation on scholarships.
Just when it seemed like ‘Bama had nothing to play for, Franchione found a way to motivate them. He scheduled a Nov. 30 game at Hawaii and declared it the team’s “bowl game.”
He has turned something negative and made it into a positive. Alabama has nothing to lose, so the Crimson Tide just play hard.
It took a while for Franchione to instill this theory in his players. An unimpressive 39-34 win over Middle Tennessee, the pride of the Sun Belt Conference, spurred questions about this season’s team.
The Crimson Tide took the questions about the team and Franchione and used them for their motivation. After a hard-fought 37-27 loss against one of the game’s elite teams, Oklahoma, on the road, ‘Bama whipped North Texas, Southern Miss and Arkansas.
A 27-25 loss to then-undefeated Georgia was followed up by four consecutive whippings handed out to Ole Miss, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Mississippi State.
So, in strolls Franchione’s team to Tiger Stadium on Saturday. A team playing with nothing to lose is a dangerous team. Meanwhile, the Tigers, with just one loss in the SEC have everything to lose — including a repeat trip to Atlanta to defend their SEC Championship.
Franchione, a miracle worker at such desolate
football schools as New Mexico and Texas Christian University, has appeared in five consecutive bowl games. But he’s never been a head coach at Tiger Stadium — especially at night.
“I suppose the tailgate parties start about breakfast and by 8 o’clock it will be a lively atmosphere,” Coach Franny said. “I’m looking forward to it, really. I love to experience all the traditions and uniqueness of college football. We have been to Tennessee at night, Arkansas at night, so we may as well go to LSU at night, too.”
As much as I respect the Fran, it’s funny he says this. If you are good at implying what people say, it could come off as cockiness since ‘Bama beat both Rocky Top and the Piggies. But to each his own. He just doesn’t realize how loud the 92,000-plus Tiger faithful will be.
That’s a hostile environment, no matter how good of a coach Franchione is. He may not be able to overcome it.