By CollegeFootballNews.com | 4 hours ago


MAC Preseason Head Coach Rankings: College Football News Preview 2020
The idea of ranking the “best” college football coaches isn’t all that fair. Some guys have… more
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12. Tom Arth, Akron
2nd Year At School; Record at School: 0-12; Career Record: 0-12; CFN 2020 Team Preseason Ranking:… more
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11. Scot Loeffler, Bowling Green
2nd Year At School; Record at School: 3-9; Career Record: 3-9; CFN 2020 Team Preseason Ranking:… more
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10. Thomas Hammock, Northern Illinois
2nd Year At School; Record at School: 5-7; Career Record: 5-7; CFN 2020 Team Preseason Ranking:… more
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9. Mike Neu, Ball State
5th Year At School; Record at School: 15-33; Career Record: 15-33; CFN 2020 Team Preseason Ranking:… more
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8. Tim Lester, Western Michigan
4th Year At School; Record at School: 20-18; Career Record: 20-18; CFN 2020 Team Preseason Ranking:… more
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7. Sean Lewis, Kent State
3rd Year At School; Record at School: 9-16; Career Record: 9-16; CFN 2020 Team Preseason Ranking:… more
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6. Chuck Martin, Miami University
7th Year At School; Record at School: 30-45; Career Record: 30-45; CFN 2020 Team Preseason Ranking:… more
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5. Jason Candle, Toledo
5th Year At School; Record at School: 34-19; Career Record: 34-19; CFN 2020 Team Preseason Ranking:… more
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4. Frank Solich, Ohio
16th Year At School; Record at School: 113-81; Career Record: 171-100; CFN 2020 Team Preseason Ranking:… more
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3. Chris Creighton, Eastern Michigan
7th Year At School; Record at School: 28-47; Career Record: 28-47; CFN 2020 Team Preseason Ranking:… more
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2. Jim McElwain, Central Michigan
2nd Year At School; Record at School: 8-6; Career Record: 52-34; CFN 2020 Team Preseason Ranking:… more
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1. Lance Leipold, Buffalo
6th Year At School; Record at School: 31-32; Career Record: 31-32; CFN 2020 Team Preseason Ranking:… more
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I hate to pick on this.

I'll agree with Leipold #1.

I think McElwain gets #2 from his past. I think he needs to show more years of success before you are this high. I think Solich is the second-best-coach-emeritus until someone knocks him off his throne. McElwain winning a championship would do that.

Chris Creighton is this high for what reason? I know that is a terrible program to coach, but Sean Lewis straightened out a horrible program in a year and a half.

Jason Candle's star has fallen. I wonder if he will have a Gerry Blackney career path.

Arth being last is reasonable, but going 5-7 at NIU and having players transfering out seems worse to me.

It's not an awful ranking of the coaches and If spend some time with this it may be similar. I just thought I would add some counterpoints.

Wikipedia says Jim McElwain‘s salary is $1.6 million. Is this possibly correct? Or does this include Florida buyout money? Frank made much larger amounts his first few years at Ohio (Nebraska salary-minus-Ohio salary paid by Nebraska), but this was never reported as his annual salary in any publication or website that I ever saw. If McElwain is really making $1.6 million at CMU, plus Florida money, he must be related to Jesse James! ;-)

"102 Central Michigan MAC Jim McElwain $640,900 $640,900 $415,000 -- $965,000 $2,000,000"


The above info was taken from USA Today fall 2019 Coaches salary info. I think the CMU salary for McElwain was $640,900 last fall.