College Football: Big XII Coaching Power Rankings 2018

6. West Virginia – Dana Holgorsen

Is this the year Dana Holgorsen and West Virginia breakthrough and play for a Big XII title? Things started out white-hot in Morgantown. Holgorsen led the Mountaineers to an Orange Bowl victory in 2012. However, since then he has had an underwhelming 43-34 record. In 2018, Mountaineers were voted to finish second in the Big XII preseason poll. The keys to success are all there. The team will go as far as their Heisman hopeful QB Will Grier takes them. Holgorsen hopes to be singing “Take Me Home, Country Roads” as he hoists the winning trophy at the Big XII Title game.

5. Kansas State – Bill Snyder

Let’s get one thing straight. Coach Bill Snyder is a legend, and if this list was for career coaching rankings, Snyder is #1. Snyder is 78 years old, and his Wildcats have had one losing season since his second stint as the head coach began in 2009. Overall Snyder has a 210-110 -1 record at a program that had just one bowl trip before his arrival. However, it may be time for a new voice at the top. Snyder is heading down the same road Bobby Bowden, and other greats have gone down, time to look for a successor. Plans were in place to hire current Oregon defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt, but Snyder squashed those because he wants his son, Sean, to take over K-State. Hopefully, this situation does not get ugly over the next couple seasons because Coach Snyder does not deserve to be forced out.

4. Texas – Tom Herman

Tom Herman is expected to exceed the success of Mack Brown’s tenure at the helm of Texas football. The Charlie Strong experiment backfired, and the fans and boosters are demanding results. Teams in the Big XII must prioritize offense and scoring points. Strong’s teams failed to produce both offensively and defensively with any consistency. Enter Tom Herman, whose middle name might as well be “offense.” After winning a National Title at Ohio State as a coordinator, Herman turned Houston into a named brand after earning a 22-4 record which included a Peach Bowl victory. Now, Herman enters his second year at Texas after a 7-6 first season. The pieces are coming together as Herman dominated the recruiting trail this past year as Texas had the 4th ranked class for 2018. Hook ’em Horns is very close to being all the way back. It’s 10 wins or bust for the Longhorns.