Sure, some college football fans may be satisfied with regular season wins, rivalry victories, and bowl game titles. But there’s a huge chunk of those “friends of the program” that bet their alma mater week in and week out come the fall. And covering the spread in those games keeps smiles on the faces of those big-money boosters and as puts cash back in their pockets.
Athlon Sports just conducted a poll, ranking all 128 FBS college football coaches, and the names that make up the Top 10 are no big surprise. The win/loss records speak for themselves. However, as mentioned above, it’s not always about just winning and losing. Here’s how the 10 best coaches in college football have done against the spread during their tenure with their current school:
Note: SU and ATS records don’t match up because not all game are given odds.
Nick Saban, Alabama Crimson Tide
Win/loss: 91-17 (84 percent)
ATS: 51-49-1 (51 percent)
Saban can’t be entirely blamed for his ho-hum ATS mark since jumping SEC enemy lines and joining the Crimson Tide in 2007. Alabama is one of the most publicly-bet programs in college football and faces inflated spreads each week. But we’ve seen what happens when you cross the Tide’s boss, like Texas A&M in 2014. Saban didn’t call the dogs off in a 59-0 blowout of the Aggies, covering as 11-point favorites. Alabama finished 5-9 ATS last season.
Urban Meyer, Ohio State Buckeyes
Win/loss: 38-3 (93 percent)
ATS: 23-17-1 (57.5 percent)
Meyer gave Buckeyes bettors a dream season in 2014, not only leading Ohio State to the first ever college football playoff title but posting a profitable 10-5 ATS mark. Meyer has also won his three meetings with “that school from up north”. But his biggest blemish, at least in the eyes of OSU backers, is that he’s failed to cover in the last two of those meetings with Michigan. Things should get interesting this year, with Jim Harbaugh taking over in Ann Arbor.
Art Briles, Baylor Bears
Win/loss: 55-34 (62 percent)
ATS: 50-33-1 (60 percent)
Briles may not have the winning clip like the two coaches ahead of him on this list, but he sure knows how to cover the spread. Blindly betting BU under Briles’ care would have made college football bettor very happy, especially over the past four season in which the Bears are 31-17-1 ATS. Those profits should help Baylor fans feel a little bit better after getting pooched by the college football playoff this past season.
Jim Harbaugh, Michigan Wolverines
Win/loss: N/A
ATS: Stanford (2007-10) 26-21-1 (55 percent)
Harbaugh returns to the college ranks, where he earned his job with the 49ers after taking Stanford to the top of the Pac-12 ladder. NFL bettors may be a bit put off by what went down in San Francisco last season, including a 6-9-1 ATS record in 2014. He finished above .500 against the spread in all but one of his seasons with the Cardinal (his first in 2007) and his brand of coaching – which didn’t fly with the pros on Sunday – should go over just fine with the kids at Michigan.
Bill Snyder, Kansas State Wildcats
Win/loss: 187-94-1 (66.5 percent)
ATS: 47-24 (66 percent)
We aren’t going back in time 23 years for Snyder’s ATS results, rather sticking to his current tenure in the “Little Apple”. Snyder returned to KSU in 2009 after a three-year hiatus and immediately made Wildcats backers happy with a 7-4 ATS mark that first season back on the sidelines. He hasn’t disappointed bettors since, with his worst ATS record coming in a 6-6 ATS year in 2010. Snyder is 34-15-1 ATS over the last four years, covering at a 69 percent rate in that span.
Mark Dantonio, Michigan State Spartans
Win/loss: 75-31 (71 percent)
ATS: 55-42-2 (57 percent)
If you’ve ever seen an interview with Dantonio, you know he couldn’t give two craps about covering the spread. And it shows. Michigan State, however, has seen an uptick in ATS success the last two years, going 9-4-1 ATS in 2013 and 9-4 ATS last season. Playing in the shadows of Ohio State, Wisconsin, and even still Michigan, helps temper the Spartans’ spreads. The Green and White have also been dominant in bowl games, covering in four straight postseason matchups.
Gary Patterson, TCU Horned Frogs
Win/loss: 132-45 (74.5 percent)
ATS: 94-76-1 (55 percent)
Patterson is the second longest consecutive tenured coach on the Top 10 list, taking the big job at Texas Christian way back in 2000. He’s coming off his most profitable season, finishing 11-2 ATS in 2014 for the best record against the spread in the country. Things haven’t always been so lucrative for the Horny Toads, and with plenty of hype surrounding TCU and the return of QB and Heisman hopeful Trevone Boykin in 2015, the Frogs could face some steep spreads this coming season.
Bob Stoops, Oklahoma Sooners
Win/loss: 168-44 (76 percent)
ATS: 105-85-4 (55 percent)
There are some who would say Stoops’ seat in Norman is getting a little hot and some who believe the longest-tenured coach on this list is ready to jump to the pros. Both of those groups pushing for Stoops’ departure could be betting on OU, which has just covered enough game to keep Sooners backers in the black during his 16 years with the clipboard. Oklahoma finished with a 5-8 ATS record last year – 2-5 ATS at home - and has finished above .500 ATS just twice in the last six seasons. Could another bad betting season be the last straw for Sooner boosters?
Gus Malzahn, Auburn Tigers
Win/loss: 20-7 (74 percent)
ATS: 16-11 (59 percent)
That unbelievable win over Alabama in the 2013 Iron Bowl has given Malzahn a long leash when it comes to job security, success ATS or no success ATS. Auburn followed that fantastic 2013 (12-2 ATS) with a dismal 4-9 ATS record last year. The Tigers covered just once on the road last season, getting outscored by an average of 34.3 to 26.7 in those five games. Auburn failed to cover in its final five games, including an overtime loss to Wisconsin in the Outback Bowl.
Jimbo Fisher, Florida State Seminoles
Win/loss: 58-11 (84 percent)
ATS: 30-35 ATS (46 percent)
Following in Bobby Bowen’s footsteps wasn’t going to be easy for Fisher, then came along Jameis Winston and a national championship in 2013. The Noles finished 11-3 ATS during that magical season, but are a combined 19-32 ATS in Fisher’s other four seasons in Tallahassee. Last season, Florida State did just enough to win 13 games and earn a spot in the playoffs – finishing 3-11 ATS – before getting humiliated by Oregon in the semifinals. The head coach enters 2015 with a lot going on, on and off the field. He welcomes former Notre Dame QB Everett Golson but bids farewell to his wife Candi, with the couple separating.
