Coaching a college football team opens you up to widespread scrutiny, especially when you take over a top program used to basking in the national spotlight. With all the volitility and "hot seat" talk that dominates the presses during the course of each season, there's still a few fan bases who try to rise above the rumors and stand behind their head coaches. Here's our list of the 4 CFB Schools Which Treat Their Coaches With The Most Respect.
Alabama Crimson Tide
There's no way for Alabama fans not to respect Nick Saban. He's a modern football coaching genius, deftly recruiting and demanding only the best from everyone who coaches and plays for him. Of course there's going to be a few "Internet heroes" who jump on Saban's case after a big loss, but true Tide fans show nothing but gratitude for the dynasty Saban has constructed in Tuscaloosa. As with Bear Bryant and Frank Thomas in the generations before him, Saban is the king of Alabama (and deservedly so.)
Oklahoma Sooners
Leading his team to the second-ever College Football Playoff is yet another feather in the cap of the winningest head coach in Oklahoma history. Stoops has rewritten the coaching history books at a university known for its head coaching lineage, leading the Sooners to 17 straight bowl berths, a national title and countless other jaw-dropping accomplishments over his decade and a half in Norman.
No matter how many rumors swirl around Stoops when other coaching jobs open up, there's an unspoken agreement between him and the Sooners fans that he'll always have OU's back and vice versa. He is ingrained in the culture of Oklahoma, and that's not changing anytime soon.
Nebraska Cornhuskers
This may be controversial considering the rocky end to the Bo Pelini era and a less-than-ideal first round of Mike Riley's tenure, but we've never seen a fan base who's willing to look on the bright side quite as cheerfully as Huskers fans. Maybe it's just part of Nebraska fans' nature, but the majority of Big Red loyalists will go to bat for whoever's wearing the headset as long as said coach shows respect for the game, the kids he's coaching and the people who fill up Memorial Stadium. Give them a reason to care and Huskers fans will stand behind you. It's as simple as that.
Virginia Tech Hokies
Former Memphis coach Justin Fuente has to fill some big shoes with the retirement of the legendary Frank Beamer, but at least Beamer left the position in fantastic standing. In fact, you'd be hard-pressed to find a coach who has given and received as much respect to and from his fan base than Beamer did during his three decades in Blacksburg. Beamer has always been modest about his accomplishments, even with 23 straight bowl apperances to his credit.
Hokies fans have always show appreciation, shielding Beamer from criticism over the past few years as the program fell off its elite perch. He rides off into the sunset as one of the most beloved and respected head coaches to ever grace a college football sideline.
Back to the NCAA Newsfeed