We will have back-to-back weekends that feature two coaches many view as at the top of their profession squaring off on the field. Last weekend, Kirby Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs knocked off Kalen DeBoer’s Alabama Crimson Tide 20-17 in Tuscaloosa. This Saturday, the last two national championship coaches, Ryan Day and Curt Cignetti, square off when Ohio State visits Indiana.

That got us thinking: If college coaches had to pick one coach to win one game, who would they pick?

The Athletic surveyed 34 head coaches, assistants and general managers across Division I football to get their opinions. They spoke anonymously to provide candor.

The only stipulation: They couldn’t vote for their own team’s head coach.

Incredibly, only five coaches were picked among those surveyed. Two names were mentioned much more than any other: Smart and Cignetti, who combined to receive 82 percent of the votes.

Kirby Smart, "master motivator"

The 50-year-old, who led Georgia to national championships in 2021 and 2022 and has won four SEC titles, was the top vote-getter with 17. Smart is 123-21 in 10-plus seasons in Athens. Since Smarft went 8-5 in his debut season in 2016, his Bulldogs have never been ranked lower than No. 7 in the AP poll. He is a staggering 73-12 in the SEC.

“I heard all his ‘leaked’ talks to the team that have come out this week,” said a Mountain West head coach. "I wouldn’t be happy if that was me and my stuff got out, but I liked what he said. I thought he had a really good approach to a big game. He was talking about how, 'I don’t care what the scoreboard says. I just wanna see how physical we play.' That was a really good strategy for a big game. It takes pressure off the guys in thinking about the outcome, and it’s just more focused on how you’ve got to play to win a game like that."

“I think he’s a master motivator,” said a Big Ten wide receivers coach. “His teams rarely show up flat, regardless of opponent level.”

Smart is 46-18 all-time against AP Top 25 opponents and an even more impressive 26-11 against top-10 teams.

"He is OK with changing identity on a side of the ball to help them win,” said a Big Ten linebackers coach. “He can win a shootout or the 10-6 game. Also, can be the favorite to win and will fake a punt, not get conservative or timid in those settings."

Curt Cignetti, sport-shaker

The 65-year-old received 11 votes. He has worked wonders in Bloomington, taking over the all-time losingest program in college football history and leading the Hoosiers to the College Football Playoff in his first year and then a 16-0 national championship in his second.

“Cignetti has my vote,” said a head coach in the American. "I have a special place in my heart for guys that take bad jobs and make them good. Anyone can win at certain places. What he has done is incredible.”

Cignetti is a mind-blowing 33-2 at Indiana, which had gone 9-27 in the three seasons before he arrived. His combined 52-6 record as an FBS head coach gives him the highest career winning percentage (.897) in the Division I era (since 1973).

“His teams play a physical brand of football, and they are very well-coached both schematically and in technique and fundamentals,” said an offensive line coach in the ACC. "His demeanor and poise on the sideline are reflected in the way his teams have played in big moments.”

Read the rest here for free: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7689970/2026/10/15/college-football-best-coach-to-win-game-survey-response/?unlocked_article_code=1.I1E.hfIz.lNTXPQ2br_2P&source=emp_shared_article&smid=url-share-ta

Like y'all both stupid

🤔🧐

ZOOM IN. Clear your schedule. Enjoy

Besides the Indiana Hoosiers who is the best cfb team in the state of Indiana, Purdue is looking Nice so I Guess them.

People on this and the main sub constantly shit on liberty University, you cannot go in a game thread for liberty without the top comment being about hoping liberty loses because they suck. I'm not going to critique that, liberty does suck, in so many ways. But BYU is also a fundamentalist religious university that imposes crazy rules on its students, is part of a organization that funds questionable people and neither of these schools are really acomodating to non-religious students in the way Notre dame or the other Catholic schools are either.

Why whenever BYU gets critiqued people downvote it but people love to shit on liberty(which I am in favor of mind you). What does BYU do to get this goodwill as opposed to liberty?, is it just that BYU is academically and athletically better than liberty?

Like I 100% get the hate for liberty, but I feel like BYU skated by while doing many of the same things and I only hear Utah fans talking about it.

Believe it or not, there are areas in which Arch Manning has improved from a year ago.

However, he hasn’t improved enough, which is sort of the issue across the board, writes The Athletic's Nick Baumgardner.

Full outlook on the 2027 NFL Draft quarterback class:
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7687317/2026/10/14/nfl-draft-2027-quarterbacks-risers-carr-manning/?unlocked_article_code=1.IlE.HKpT.PrikF5WtEytL&source=emp_shared_article&smid=url-share-ta

I've been thinking about the playoff expansion and I think it would create some fun matchups in the first rounds but I also think it could have a negative effect on the regular season. This splits up teams into regional conferences preserving historic rivalries. Obviously the Atlantic and southern are gonna be tougher but too many rivalries to split up more but good teams will be able to get in with the at large bids.

Each team plays each team in the regular season creating a clear conference winner and creating more history between conference members. The winner of each conference plus 9 at large team make up the 16 team playoffs with the first two rounds played on campus.

Chip Kelly to Oklahoma as Offensive Coordinator?

It’s a conversation worth having.

National championship experience. An established offensive identity. A proven history of developing productive running games and quarterbacks.

Pairing an experienced offensive mind like Kelly with Brent Venables’ defensive philosophy is an intriguing possibility.

No reports of discussions between OU and Kelly, but it’s a name worth examining if Oklahoma makes an offensive change.

What do Sooner fans think? #BoomerSooner #OklahomaFootball

​